[1975-12-11-NJPW] Antonio Inoki vs Billy Robinson

[superkix]

Taken from my blog.

Billy Robinson is slick as catshit out there, especially that seamless side suplex floatover, and Inoki holds his own against Billy as they work the canvas with great back-and-forth mat wrestling and counterwork. There’s a lot of little things to love throughout the first fall, like Inoki cutting out Robinson’s arm and leverage when he’s got him in the rear leglock, the teased strikes and double arm suplexes, and Robinson’s mounting frustration early on, which turns to panic later as Inoki keeps him grounded with the headscissors. I like the way Robinson works the cravat, with those little wrenches to the neck. After Inoki more or less no sells the piledriver, Robinson takes a great bump in the corner after an irish whip and Inoki puts on the crab hold, which the masterful Robinson is able to twist his way out of him and turn into a backslide for the pinfall.

Robinson tries to strike gold twice with another backslide but Inoki’s fuming now and damn near tosses Robinson on his skull. The crowd starts heating up as they fight over another backslide and Inoki puts the pressure on Robinson, who’s looking exhausted by this point and trying to find some room to breathe in the corners. After an unsuccessful pin attempt after the much-anticipated double arm suplex, Robinson strikes Inoki in the ropes and boy, does Inoki look pissed and continues to stew as Robinson eggs him on, backpedaling around the ring and avoiding the lock up. When Inoki tries to get a hold of him, Robinson fights out and German suplexes Inoki; a theme echoed throughout the match. Robinson uses his weight to try and pin Inoki down but the strength of Inoki is impressive this late in the game as he bridges, pushing Robinson up. Inoki chasing after Robinson to get that second fall was so much fun to watch and after they trade double arm suplexes, Inoki finally captures the elusive Billy in the octopus hold, and the crowd is boiling over for Robinson’s surrender.

Inoki, now busted open after one of those sluggish Robinson elbows, is hot on Billy’s heels with dropkick after dropkick, trying to get that third fall before the time limit expires. By the expression on Robinson’s face, he’s ready for this thing to be over and things escalate to the point where they’re just shilling out stiff elbows until the time runs out. Awesome performances from both men, Robinson in particular, in a match peppered with explosive moments, killer submissions, and well-built bombs.

 

[G. Badger]

Fall #1 A very long and mat based fall. Some of the holds and escapes are really painful & remarkable. Some are pedestrian - one hold segment in particular comes to mind- Inoki's head scissor control segment. It goes on a bit too long but, there is some nice movement on Bill's part. It kinda looks like the Snake Pitter is wrestling himself rather than Inoki in this part. The finish saves us from this little lull. It's quick and surprising. Fall #2 This carries over from the end of fall # 1. It is much more physical & heated. It's uncooperative in the best way-stiff blows and hard-fought suplexes. Fall #3 This is quick, hard-hitting and heated fall. It's not over, even when it's over! Classic match

[Jetlag]

This was a little long. Robinson is so great to watch though. Not only did the holds they were using here look clinical, it was also fascinating to watch them zoning in whenever an opening for a potential finish presented. Robinson looked ultra slick and his escapes were great without being overly showy or contrived. Robinson coming up with different ways to go for the Butterfly Suplex was also highly entertaining. There are some slow parts and meandering. I thought it took Inoki a little long to start raising his fist and firing up the heat. Then he starts throwing hands, but Robinson makes him do a more generic sequence involving armdrags and a dropkick. I also disliked how Inoki didn't sell any exhaustion. Guess they were a little over their heads here going 60.

I found this jdw post which I guess explains why parts of the match came across as awkward:

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/4632-giant-baba/

 

I'll have to pop it in again, but there is a very clear point in the second fall where Inoki is picking it up and heading towards the "finish" of it... and Billy just cuts him off. When Billy finally gets around to giving Inoki the fall some time later, he's farting around, the clock is really running down, the natives (including Inoki) aren't looking to happy at all, and Billy almost gives it to him in a kayfabe breaking fashion with his selling. It leaves the match no real time for a third fall, again everyone is look extremely unhappy... other than Billy who doesn't seem to mind. The post match is similar with the NJPW side not happy and Billy not giving a shit. One very much gets the feeling that "the match as laid out" left considerably more time for the third fall to build through. More than that, there looked to be some real concern for a while that Billy wasn't going to even give Inoki the one fall and that it would end 1-0 for Billy... before he farted around and gave it to him late. I've seen worked finish and post match "heat" spots in New Japan from the era to build for a rematch. I've seen sort of work-shoot finish and post match spots the make you think more is there, such as the two Backlund vs. Inoki title changes (Bob selling in the first that he thought he was quick counted, then all the nonsense in the second). This came across far closer to the looks on people's faces when a real trainwreck is in progress in the ring, such as Andre-Maeda and "Break Gary!". One of Inoki's strong points as a work are his facials, and the ones in here after the match veers off the script aren't something you typically see out of him. The only other match I can think of is the one with Roop where Roop goes off on long stretches of doing his own thing and cutting Inoki off. But but that match never goes far off the bend since Bobby does eventually get back into working towards what appears to be the planned finish. The various times that I've watched it I've never bothered to take notes with times. So again, I'd have to pop the match in and point to it. John

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWF Heavyweight Champion Antonio Inoki vs Billy Robinson - NJPW 12/11/75 2/3 Falls

Greatest Match Ever voting is on June 30th at https://gweproject.freeforums.net/ and I am in hotel room in Minnesota (taking a class at the University, Go Gophers!) and I figured it has been a long time since I have had some time to sit down and watch an hour long match. Lets watch one of my favorites Antonio Inoki go up against somebody have not seen nearly enough of, Billy Robinson. This match is coming up on its 50 year anniversary. 

First Fall: I can see why a lot of people who dont usually like Inoki like this as Inoki is far more "subdued" for lack of a better term. Robinson is really in charge and takes the meat of the first 20 minutes. As someone who likes Inoki it was a bit jarring to watch his opponent take so much of the match, but variety is the spice of life. Robinson wins the majority of the early exchanges: headlock, armdrag takedown, a brilliant gutwrench out of an Inoki facelock. Inoki works a long, tight cravat. There's a nice full nelson exchange which ends with an Inoki mule kick so Inoki is starting to win. Things get chippy when Inoki has Robinson's legs tied up and he keeps swiping the arm out from Robinson as he is trying to hold himself up. Robinson gets frustrated and breaks free and gives Inoki a stiff slap. Next thing you know they both take a massive tumble over the top to the floor courtesy of a Robinson belly to belly suplex. I like how tempers flared and Robinson's instinct was just to chuck Inoki over the top rope, his own well-being be damned. Back in Robinson wants a butterfly suplex, but Inoki blocks and he settles for a cross-armbreaker. The work on the cross-armbreaker is exquisite. The pop for Inoki countering into an Indian Deathlock is huge! They end up in the ropes. Robinson gets a Robinson Backbreaker out of an Inoki headlock which was sick. People bit on that nearfall as did given this 2/3 falls. Greta Inoki sell. Robinson Boston Crab. The drama is high! Great Inoki sell of how hard it was to reverse. Inoki attempts his own but settles for a leg lace as 20 minutes elapses. Started slow, but picked up in a big way once tempers started to flare. 

Love that at the 20 minute mark Inoki is trying to put on a Boston Crab and at the 40 minute mark he finally applies it. What a tremendous 20 minutes of grappling. The struggle is real. Coming out of the leg lace at 20 minute mark, Robinson has to work hard to break free and goes into the bodyscissors, but that leaves him open to one of my all-time favorite counters: The Ankle Cross, 20 years before Volk Han baby! I was pop pop POPPING here in Minnesota 50 years later. Then they out do themselves by working the best damn headscissors I have ever seen in my life. It was so damn good I had to take 10 second video clip send it to my wife with the caption "What happened to the game I loved" because this shit is the shit, whereas as the shit today is the shits. I will not do the struggle justice. Watch the struggle not just to escape the hold by Robinson but the struggle of Inoki to maintain the hold. That's pro wrestling, baby. I love that Robinson's first instinct out the headscissors is to get a pinfall and second is to stretch the neck. The crowd popped when he finally got out of the headscissors. Thats pro wrestling, baby. They trade dropkicks and Inoki's looked fucking great. There were so many Butterfly Suplex attempts. Tokyo and me are ready to lose our shit when someone finally snaps off a Butterfly. Best Damn Reverse Neckbreaker youll ever see in your life by Robinson here coming out of the Cravat. Really nifty Tombstone Piledriver that feels so organic the way he falls forward but is too close to the ropes for a pin. Theres an Inoki abdominal stretch somewhere in this stretch that gets over as a nearfall because it is Inoki. They battle over a bodyslam that turns into a Full Nelson by Robinson, but Inoki pulls the stump and applies Boston Crab. This is how pro wrestling should be. 40 minutes in and still no fall. 

Inoki falls in love with the Boston Crab to his detriment. Robinson breaks free but Inoki still wants it. Robinson takes a hard Whip to the buckles and sells it like a million bucks. Inoki sees blood and wants to finish weakened Robinson with the Boston Crab, but Robinson musters up all his strength stands on his head, twists and sends Inoki flying. Watch the time they take to set this up and really milk the struggle. Robinson scrambles for a backslide 1-2-3! Just like that around 43 minute mark he goes up 1-0! What a fall!

Second Fall: Unless, we have 100% proof that something is a shoot, my default position is that it is a work. I can see how this fall feels like a shoot with how uncooperative Robinson is being with his stalling and you do get the feeling from Inoki's disposition that he seems anxious he might get the tying fall in time leading to some serious egg on his face, but at the same time I think that's just really good selling on their part. Typically the second fall is a very short fall in these type of matches (<5 minutes) and the drama is in if someone can break the time and goes the full 60. I actually liked this a lot more. I kinda figured it would go 1-1, BUT given how long it was taking to get there, I started to worry. As an Inoki fan, I was concerned and it was egging me on. I was feeling emotionally moved. Maybe Robinson went off script, but I dont think so. I think the fan was to put the heat on could Inoki tie it. Then everyone knows it was going 60. If Inoki tied it with ten minutes to go, yes there would still be heat, but not as much as Inoki tying it with a minute left on the clock. 

The fall was very interesting. Robinson opened with a backslide the move that gained him the first fall, which I liked. Inoki BLASTED him with a hard back elbow that sent him careening over the top rope to the floor. Robinson sells it like his bell is rung. Inoki gets two easy suplexes: vertical and belly to back as he looks like he is going to cruise to a tie. Then a curious thing happens Robinson in his stupor keeps falling into the ropes. Is he selling having his bell rung? Is he parking the bus? Taking that 1-0 lead to the time limit and claim the World Title? Is he shooting and making Inoki sweat? That's the magic of pro wrestling. Regardless of the actual motivations and it is uber compelling television. Inoki goes for the Argentine Backbreaker and they get into a tremendous tussle over a backslide. Robinson pops off the Butterfly Suplex for two. He has stopped selling having his bell rung and it becomes apparent that he is stalling on purpose to try to milk the clock for victory. Inoki and the crowd are pissed! There is a great Robinson German Suplex that you think might even seal the deal 2-zip. He is getting under Inoki's skin and exploiting it. In an insane feat of strength like 55 minutes in, Inoki bridge with Robinson's full weight on him with no hands and then Robinson slams his body weight onto Inoki twice and Inoki holds like the muthafuckin man. What a stud. Inoki really starts firing up and smacking Robinson around trying to goad him into fighting. Excellent finish stretch. Inoki Dropkick. Pin. No. Baba-esque chop. Pin. No. Finally the Butterfly! Pin. No. Bodyslam! Pin. No. Robinson comes back with European Uppercuts and a Butterfly Suplex of his own! Holy shit! It is coming down to the wire. Robinson misses on a chop. OCTOPUS STRETCH! ROBINSON GIVES! CROWD GOES APESHIT! 50 YEARS LATER IN MINNESOTA I LOST MY MIND!

Third Fall: THREE INOKI DROPKICKS! MISSED THE FOURTH! Robinson 1-2-NO! THEY ARE THROWING ELBOWS! IT IS A STREET FIGHT! TIME EXPIRES!

Damn what a great match. This is pitch perfect sporting pro wrestling. I love narrative-based wrestling, but this is one of the best matches I have seen where pro wrestling models sport. They are both always looking for the win and always looking for the advantage. Robinson's stalling down the stretch and making me believe that he might fuck Inoki over seals the deal for me. ***** one of the top 100 best matches of all time.