Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta

[JAC]

I finally cast a vote for Jumbo on this. I know, I'm late to the party.

 

It's a slightly contrarian vote by my own standards, as I tend to privilege a worker's peaks about all else--I'd value a guy who's often average and occasionally exceptional over a guys who's always a bit better than average but never exceptional, because the exceptional performances are what stands out. I do think Misawa's peaks are higher than anyone else's peaks, including Jumbo's.

 

 

I am... not really buying into any of that. It looks a lot like cherry picking to me. You might as well argue Baba was better than Misawa like this. Is stuff like Funk vs. Jumbo or Briscoe vs. Jumbo really fodder for Jumbo as a great worker when it's the the vets doing the bulk of the work? Calling Jumbo a master at the 70s style seems like an overstatement... he was good at it but could also be real dull at times. Don't think he was significantly better than his peers in the 80s. Not as exciting as Choshu and definitely consistent on the same level as Tenryu. His strong point would be the section after Tenryu leaves where he works with Misawa and the kids... strong work but I'm not sure it elevates him to Flair levels. I can't think of any instance of Jumbo having a great match with a mediocre opponent ala Flair. Consistency is his issue... most Flair matches were disappointing, so were most Hansen bouts. Etc.

 

Jumbo's 70's work wouldn't be fodder for Jumbo as a great worker if the vets were doing the bulk of the work. However, I really don't think that's the case. Jumbo brings a lot to the table in his matches and looks every bit as good as his opponents. His 1977 match with Race is one of the best put-together Harley Race matches I've seen. I think one could argue strongly that he was Billy Robinson's best opponent. The had a what appears to be a stellar 65-minute draw in 1976 (I've only ever seen it clipped down to about 35 or 40 minutes, but what's there is incredible) and an incredible fun series for the UN Title in March of 1977. I like his suplexes the very best in the 1970's. He's fantastic at those slow, dead-lift suplexes in which he allows gravity to bring his opponent crashing down after he muscles his opponent into the air. They look really beautiful.

 

I would tend to agree that he stands out less in the early 80's. I find this period to be just about the most boring period of All Japan before the 2000 exodus. But I don't think the Flair matches can be said to be boring--I think the early 80's Flair matches are quite good. By the mid-80's, the promotion is on fire and Jumbo is excellent until the hepatitis lays him low.

 

Lastly, regarding whether there are any instances of Jumbo having a great match with a mediocre opponent à la Flair, I'd like to point to this match with Brody--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPL7iiDLkLs--but I suspect I may like that match more than anyone else, so perhaps that's not the best argument for me to go with.