Misawa's booking 1989-1990

[kingliam]

I wasn't sure where this might best be placed, so I chanced my arm at putting it here.

 

So, I've decided to dip more vigorously into AJPW, using the Excite Series podcast as my starting point (so as not to get overwhelmed by content).

 

My question is concerning Misawa. I always wondered how he went from Tiger Mask II to suddenly being up against Jumbo Tsuruta. I assumed there was an obvious window of transition between the two gimmicks - yet I'm now of the opinion that between unmasking and fighting Jumbo for the first time was only a 12 day gap?

 

I guess I'm asking how things progressed to the point where:

1) They decided the mask wasn't worth keeping, and

2) That he was challenger to Jumbo material, since he'd only been wrestling masked up until this point.

 

I hope I've phrased this clearly enough. I also appreciate that people get over wearing masks, I just am surprised that a gimmick that maybe never felt designed to be at the top of the card in that way allowed Misawa to move into a secondary position fairly quickly.

[Childs]

Well Baba always saw him as a future star, and then his hand was pushed by Tenryu's departure. I don't think it's much more complicated than that.

[fxnj]

If you look at his Tiger Mask run, there actually is a pretty clear slow build to getting him over as a fan favorite and making people see him as a main event guy.

 

1984-1985: Debuts as Tiger Mask and Baba brings in a bunch of lucha guys and old Tiger Mask opponents to make him look good

1986: Gives up junior title to move up to heavyweight, Choshu singles match

1987: Wins tag titles with Jumbo, Tenryu singles match

1988: Big Jumbo singles match

1989: NWA title shot before injury

1990: Returns and gets placed in big Choshu/Tenryu tag at dome

 

On the unmasking, I think by then there just wasn't much point in keeping it since he'd been working a heavyweight style for 4 years by that point and didn't need the gimmick to get over. I doubt the unmasking and upsetting Jumbo would have happened as quickly if Tenryu hadn't left, but given the opportunities he'd been getting he definitely seemed on the path to having done both of them by 1991.

[kingliam]

If you look at his Tiger Mask run, there actually is a pretty clear slow build to getting him over as a fan favorite and making people see him as a main event guy.

 

1984-1985: Debuts as Tiger Mask and Baba brings in a bunch of lucha guys and old Tiger Mask opponents to make him look good

1986: Gives up junior title to move up to heavyweight, Choshu singles match

1987: Wins tag titles with Jumbo, Tenryu singles match

1988: Big Jumbo singles match

1989: NWA title shot before injury

1990: Returns and gets placed in big Choshu/Tenryu tag at dome

 

On the unmasking, I think by then there just wasn't much point in keeping it since he'd been working a heavyweight style for 4 years by that point and didn't need the gimmick to get over. I doubt the unmasking and upsetting Jumbo would have happened as quickly if Tenryu hadn't left, but given the opportunities he'd been getting he definitely seemed on the path to having done both of them by 1991.

 

Cool, that was along the lines of what I was looking for. I didn't really want to spoil any of the action I was going to watch, so didn't want to stumble across results when looking at past things. I hadn't realised he had as long a run as Tiger Mask, including the move up to heavyweight. I've always perceived the gimmick as a light heavyweight gimmick, so that might be the reason.

[jdw]

2) That he was challenger to Jumbo material, since he'd only been wrestling masked up until this point.

 

Misawa wrestled without the mask in All Japan from his debut in 08/81 through 03/84 when he was sent off to Mexico to "grow up" with Koshinaka. That lasted a few months, and he was brought back as the second Tiger Mask. That he was Tiger Mask II wasn't a massive secret, similar to Keiichi Yamada being Jushi Liger. There were two possibilities for TMII: Kosh and Misawa. People who had been watching them could figure it out, and Kosh working outside of All Japan (never worked there again pre-split) gave up the ghost for people who couldn't tell by the work and body type.

 

As fxnj mentioned, Misawa had wrestled Jumbo (and others top guys) before in singles. He wasn't really challenging Jumbo at the June Budokan. Jumbo had dropped the Triple Crown a few days before, and Hansen was the one challenging for the Triple Crown. Misawa-Jumbo was a "special match". I'll have to go back to see if either the WON or JWJ indicate what was planned for Budokan before the series started. Pretty sure it was re-done as the series was a bit of a mess, including Yatsu going AWOL (you'll notice he isn't on the Budokan).