[1984-12-05-NJPW] Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch vs Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF Tag Champs Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami - NJPW 12/5/84 Finals of MSG Tag League

 

Quite the month for Murdoch & Adonis as they also have that great match with the Briscos at MSG later. The winner of this wins the MSG Tag League for 1984, the precursor to the current G-1 Tag League.

 

The match goes right into heat on Fujinami's arm. Just perfect for two pros like Murdoch & Adonis. Very Southern style with lots of hope spots for Fujinami but cutoffs by the heels right to the arm. Lots of playing keep away from Inoki. Really liked Adonis tackling Fujinami right before he got to Inoki. Dropkick creates separation and Inoki comes in. Wow! The crowd is red hot for him. I thought they did the wrong thing by cutting him off and cooling him down. With no babyface shine, they should have let Inokimania run wild. He hits his own dropkick and then drop toehold to get his Indian Deathlock which is super over. Is there anybody better than Murdoch at selling a hold? Fujinami comes off the top with a kneedrop. Tries to put Murdoch in the Scorpion Deathlock. Murdoch with a nice leg tieup tags out. Fujinami kicks Adonis' ass tries same thing to no avail. Murdoch hits him with a chair and then in the head. Now the heels just start throwing bombs. Adonis bulldog. Murdoch piledriver. Murdoch rides him down, which is usually the prelude to the Brainbuster. Very weak transition to the tag to Inoki. No real struggle. Fujinami just ducked and rolled over. Inokie talks a big game but just puts Adonis in a headscissors then Murdoch attacks him with a chair. Very lenient ref. The heat segment on Inoki is great. Tons of heat because the crowd loves Inoki and North-South know how to kick ass. Murdoch hits a big reverse elbow and BRAINBUSSSSSTAAHHHHHH! 1-2-Fujinami saves. Love how Murdoch keeps wrist control as he tags out. SPIKE PILEDRIVER! LOVE IT! 1-2-NO! This really feels like North-South match to lose. They have been dominating. Huge closed fists from Murdoch. Because it is Japan we don't get as many so it is a treat to see those two. Inoki ducks and overhand karate chop by Inoki! Big pop! Tags out to Fujinami. Again would have liked more struggle to get that tag. Here comes The Dragon! He is hitting through punches and elbows. Murdoch quells him by biting him and they hit this awesome Back Suplex/Lariat combo. They are besides themselves that they have not won. Butterfly suplex still Fujinami kicks out. Drops across the top rope this time to close to the ropes. God Bless Murdoch so good at facial expressions. Huge bomb throwing match can see why this is well-loved. Jumping high knee by Capn Redneck for two. Fujinami just wont quit. They knock heads no one is better at selling that than Murdoch. Murdoch cant bodyslam Fujinami who falls on top of him great exhaustion spot. They start biting each other big pop when Fujinami does it. Tag out to Inoki. Inoki sends Murdoch packing and then whips Adonis hard so he can do his bump over the turnbuckles into the post. Murdoch vs Inoki! Huge Inoki chants! North-South try their sick double team move again, but Inoki kicks Adonis in the mush with both boots and Adonis is singing like Vienna Choir Boy now. Inoki with a snap superplex.Fujinami takes care of Murdoch. inoki Enziguiri! OCTOPUS STRETCH!!! INOKI & FUJINAMI WIN!

 

 

Tons of bombs in this so I can see why people lap this up. Didn't think had that much substance to it. Just a lot of Murdoch & Adonis kicking ass and the transitions for the tags for the Japanese team was lacking. Total balls-to-wall affair that never lets up and is never boring. ****1/4

[stro]

This match is amazing. Adonis was tremendous in it. The reaction from the crowd when Inoki gets the win is excellent.

 

 

One of about a million matches that makes me wonder where the fuck the "Japanese crowds are quiet and respectful" thing came from.

[Microstatistics]

On 4/15/2017 at 4:58 PM, stro said:

 

One of about a million matches that makes me wonder where the fuck the "Japanese crowds are quiet and respectful" thing came from.

 

Yeah that is easily the biggest pro wrestling myth ever and still persists even though anyone who watches a major match from 80s-90s New Japan or All Japan will instantly realize that's BS.

 

I never got the Brody-Hansen comparison for North-South. North-South are a million times more creative and skilled and a billion times more giving. This is their best performance.

 

This match is terrific. North-South are vicious and use every trick in the book to gave the advantage all the while make the hometown guys look like a million bucks. Fujinami is amazing as usual and Inoki gives one of his finer performances. **** 3/8

[gordi]

I'm currently writing a 1985 Japan thread in the Armchair Booking 1983 project, and I've really been enjoying these write-ups of mid-80s Japan that Superstar has been doing. I have the North-South Connection working as my top gaijin heels now, so this was particularly fun and inspiring for me to read. Thanks for doing these!

 

... And you guys have to admit, that Chiggy vs Dump hair match had what has to be the quietest and least responsive pro wrestling crowd of all time

[Mr JMML]

Time for another southern tag formula, this time in Japan, the heel team is the North-South Connection formed by Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, these two worked a lot in the WWF and they had one of the greatest matches in the company’s history not just the 80’s against the Brisco brothers Jack and Gerry Brisco just twenty two days after this match took place, if you’ve been reading my reviews in the last month or so you’ll recognise Adrian Adonis from a match he had against Buddy Rose in September 1st 1979 in Portland ( Pacific Northwest), his performance in that match was truly remarkable. Dick Murdoch on the other hand, it’s the first time I’ll review one of his matches, he is famous for his many runs in great companies like All Japan, Mid South, WWF and most importantly for today’s match New Japan, Murdoch in the ring is amazing, his facial expressions, selling and style are instantly recognisable, when you watch you know he is having fun, bumping around and being genuinely funny at times with his antics, it wasn’t something outrageous either, he wasn’t a comedy wrestler by any means, the word that comes to mind when discussing Dick Murdoch for me is standout, he’s an standout, when he’s in the ring you can’t look away from him and that’s something special, it’s a wrestler you can’t forget about if that doesn’t scream greatness I don’t know what does, anyways let’s go to the match itself.

The babyface team (Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami) struggled at the beginning, Murdoch and Adonis isolated Fujinami for a long time until they let him go and tag Inoki, he didn’t waste the hot tag and made good work of both of North-South Connection’s members, they had a great back and forth, even chairs were involved in the mayhem but after around 30 minutes Antonio Inoki submitted Adrian Adonis with an abdominal stretch.

Fujinami’s performance as a babyface is terrific, he did everything he had to do to perfection, the only problem was the crowd’s lack of involvement in Fujinami’s struggles, they went nuts everytime Inoki did something remotely exciting but Fujinami could have done an Orihara Moonsault and the crowd would have stayed silent.

I recommend this match to everyone who likes the southern tag formula and wants to see a new twist, New Japan’s version of it ticks all the boxes and it’s worth your time.