...TG Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 This was awesome. Hot crowd super into Jumbo, and Martel bringing it. Really intense and dramatic finishing stretch - crowd was biting on nearfalls for Jumbo's suplexes and Martel's sleeper and cross-body. Was never a huge Martel fan before this, looks like I'm going to have to buy that AWA set and get deeper into him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 I know I made a topic for this somewhere, probably put in the wrong year. Awesome 1980s bombfest, had it at 4.5, red hot. Rick Martel is fucking awesome. One of the greatest wrestlers ever. Tremendous babyface in every sense of the word. Definitely check out Strike Force too especially the Islanders matches as covered on Tag Teams Back Again! Nevermind! I have not seen their All Japan match! I was referring to the September 1985 AWA match that was awesome. Will have to check this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKWebb Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 BE SURE to check out that September 1985 match TG if you haven't already. Total classic that I have at ****3/4. Martel IS one of the greatest ever! This match has a great energy to it. It's hard-hitting, and Jumbo sells his ass off. The crowd is really hot for Jumbo. Martel shows his usual great fire during those near falls. Jumbo starts throwing out anything he can, but he just can't pin Martel. The match ends in a countout and a shoving match/stare down. This match doesn't reach the all-time classic level of the AWA match, but I still loved it, and it's still awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 I agree that Sept 85 match is a smidge better, but this is awesome! AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel vs Jumbo Tsuruta - AJPW 7/31/84 OUI OUI RICKY MARTEL! How I missed you! This is the championship rematch as Martel defeated Jumbo for the AWA Championship in Minnesota in May of 84. Now Jumbo has home field advantage. We are nearing the end of Jumbo's role as the defender of Japan against the foreign champions, but he has one more classic in this style for us. Jumbo is ridiculously over in this match and throughout the match. I liked the champion vs challenger dynamic early in the match. Jumbo is way more offensively minded. Martel is willing to grind it out with toeholds and barring the arm. Jumbo is playing for keeps hitting big suplexes for nearfalls and dropkicks that send Martel flying. Martel realizes he is in a war and hits a reverse crossbody for two. He pounces on the back. Both are masters of the Boston Crab. They do a nice symmetry of each powering out of the other's Boston Crab. We get Martel's finish run which is comprised of a piledriver and a tenacious sleeper. I loved the roll through and hold by Martel. Real nice. The transition to Jumbos' finish run is great because its gradual. First he heaves Martel up out of the sleeper into a backdrop driver. Martel still has some energy so he goes for a tope rope crossbody but Jumbo rolls through. MARTEL IS PISSED AT HIMSELF! I love that fire. Being pinned off your own offensive move is very frustrating and he just won the World Championship from Jumbo two months ago so to lose that way would be the worst. He lets the anger get the best of him and misses a dropkick. The crowd comes alive! They have been biting on nearfalls, but they think Jumbo can do it again and win the AWA Championship for the second time! You never would hear such a big pop for a missed dropkick. Jumbo signals to the crowd. TWO Jumping knees for two! Tope Rope Crossbody! Gutwrench suplex! Jumbo off the ropes...hotshot?...nope airplane spin and they both fall over the ropes. Martel prevents Jumbo from returning to the ring and it is a double countout. I don't mind the double countout finish but the airplane spin was kinda lame and it felt very pedestrian for otherwise awesome championship match. Jumbo having defeated Bock for the title in Japan in February did wonders for this match because everybody believed it could happen again. Loved Jumbo's aggressive strategy to throw bombs. Martel as the champion was trying to wear down with holds and the sleeper proved to be his best weapon. Thought the gradual finish stretch starting the backdrop driver then Martel getting pissed at himself for almost costing himself the match and then Jumbo's bombs was a great way to end it. I have their Sept 85 AWA match just a smidge higher, but this was an awesome bomb-throwing championship match. ****1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton Jones Posted July 17, 2022 Report Share Posted July 17, 2022 This is a great companion piece to the Bock title change and an infinitely better Jumbo performance. He feels more determined to win his title back than he felt to win it in the first place. He strikes a great balance between confidence and urgency and as previously mentioned I just love the way he matches up with Martel in general. Rick is great staying true to himself until the end while still giving you the feeling that the crown lies heavy. There's just a little Flair and Bock in him by the end, a realization that keeping the title is the real challenge. Nothing dirty but the backslide, the sleeper, his pissed off stare down with Jumbo, it's a different shade of Martel as Champ and it's great. This is an essential match in both guys' careers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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