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[1989-06-05-AJPW] Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs Doug Furnas & Dan Kroffat


...TG

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  • GSR changed the title to [1989-06-05-AJPW] Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs Doug Furnas & Dan Kroffat
  • 3 years later...

All Asia Tag Team Champions Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas - AJPW 6/5/89

What a weird match! Footloose was totally guzzling the Can-Ams; it was hard to get a rhythm watching the match. Then Fuyuki was just getting insane heel heat which is pretty much unheard of in Japan. It was affecting the nearfalls. Footloose pin attempts got zero heat and there would be a smattering of applause. They wanted the Can-Ams to win so bad! The way Footloose wrestled was infuriating. Furnas got a hot tag and was just ready to explode. Kawada completely snuffed it out. It was brutal. Killed the crowd and my spirits. Really weird match. Had these two team wrestled before? There seemed to be some serious heat (still kayfabe heat) but it was chippy from the start. Kawada and Kroffat get into an awesome pull apart brawl to start. The early story of the match seemed to be that Furnas was the powerhouse wrecking machine and how could Footloose overcome this and it seemed like their strategy was to isolate Kroffat. They establish that Fuyuki cannot lift Furnas and when he slaps Furnas he gets trucked by a Lariat, but when Kroffat comes in, Kroffat loses control. I liked Kawada/Kroffat getting testy in the corner again only for Kroffat to dump Kawada on his ass. So here comes Furnas who ends up Press Slamming Fuyuki to a big pop. This is where I think all the heel heat originates from Fuyuki knowing he needs to us his guile lures Furnas to the floor where he whips into the railing. I felt like thats when the mood shifted. It first it was like are they booing Fuyuki to the end of the match where it was clearly Fuck You Fuyuk if he wins, we riot. It was affecting Kawada shit. They didnt want to boo Kawada but they couldnt cheer him either so all out of Kawada's segments were heatless. 

Furnas his a bit dropkick to tag in Kroffat. I should add I realize it is customary in Japan that losing team take the majority of the match but this was ridiculous. The Can-Ams would get one maybe two moves per tag before Footloose would take over. I remember Kroffat coming in and getting quashed and his Crossface Chickenwing getting broken up quickly. The best spot in the match was when the crowd and me thought here we go again Fuyuki snuffing out a Can-Ams rally only for Furnas to catch Fuyuki in a bearhug and it was a Top Rope Hart Attack that was pretty bitchin'! Furnas Belly To Belly Suplex Ruled! True to form here comes Footloose. Kawada tags in DECAPITATES FURNAS WITH A LARIAT! HE FUCKING SMOKED HIM! Furnas doing a complete deadweght sell was completely warranted. I dont remember how Furnas tagged out, but he got owned. The Kroffat segments were not as memorable as the Furnas segments. It just like Kroffat never could get anything going. Him landing on his feet on the monkey flip popped me. Furnas saving his ass by torpedoing Kawada on the outside was killer. Furnas looked like a beast in the match. 

Kawada whiffed bad on an Enziguiri. Classic Footloose Crazy Out of Control Lariats into the corner. This is when the Footloose nearfalls have eerie silent heat and polite applause when Can-Ams break it up. I dont think crowd believed the Can-Ams could win. We get some WCW-esque camera work we miss Furnas ground to air missile dropkick to knock Fuyuki off the top and we almost miss Furnas Press Slamming Fuyuki on the announce table but then we miss a couple big moves in the ring. Furnas tags in and vaults over the top rope and fucking Kawada SQUASHES him. It was awful! I thought Furnas was going to teh hotshot but Kaada did a Thesz Press. Bad instincts. Can-Ams finally poor on the offense, Furnas dropkick while Kroffat had Kawada in the powerbom position. Big Kroffat splash, Furnas powerslam. The finish is kind of fucked up as Furnas never tags out, leads to an awkward lull. When he hoists Kawada up in the Argentine Backbreaker and Fuyuki spears him, I thought the crowd was gonna riot they were pissed!  Kroffat Tiger Driver on Kawda 1-2-3! Big pop!

Ignoring the Crowd Dynamics and the weird layout, Furnas looked like a beast and Kawada was a killer in this match. He was bringing the intensity. Fuyuki was embracing the heat. Kroffat just was kinda there for me. I am kinda shocked it has such a big rep. Definitely not ****, but ***1/2 is too low given how good Kawada and Furnas were so lets split it down the middle, ***3/4

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