Superstar Sleeze Posted February 7, 2021 Report Share Posted February 7, 2021 Genichiro Tenryu & Samson Fuyuki vs Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa - AJPW 2/20/1988 With these midcard tags, it is fun to find that hook that got them nominated or made them perform really well. In this case, it is when Tenryu gets the hot tag and it is sort of your normal hot tag. He is not too terribly pissed to start. He is just laying his shit in. He just starts gradually building himself into a lather and next thing you now he is holding Ishikawa down and stiffing him elbows that slice open his forehead. Where the fuck did that come from? He just progressively got hotter and hotter. It is almost like what he started stiffing him, the floodgates exploded. The rest of the match is very good, but that is the clear reason why this stands out of the pack of the zillion midcard tags we have. Fuyuki was Kawada's partner in Footloose and I am excited to see more of them as the year wears on. This is another Tenryu & junior partner match. I am not sure if Kabuki & Ishikawa are Team Jumbo or are doing their own thing. I know they would end up being SWS/WAR guys in the 90s. The opening is pretty solid shit. Fuyuki is the junior partner. When Tenryu gets in, he wrecks fools. Kabuki & Ishikawa need to isolate Fuyuki if they have any hope of winning. Elementary, but elegant storyline. Fuyuki chops Ishikawa. Ishikawa STRIKES FUYUKI DOWN WHERE HE STANDS! Kabuki is stiffer than I expected some really good uppercut finger thrusts. Kneecrusher. Excellent knee work by the stodgy veterans. Kabuki with some really deep Spinning Toeholds while Ishikawa uses a Scorpion Deathlock and an Inverted Figure-4. The Fuyuki is kinda lame, just a spinwheel kick. Tenryu's hot tag is described in the first paragraph and Ishikawa is a bloody mess. Fuyuki holds his own and the climax is Tenryu hits a Top Rope Reverse Elbow for two. Kabuki is able to come in and actually hold his own with Tenryu. Ishikawa hits a Top Rope Leg Drop which is surprising. My memory is fuzzy, but Tenryu is able to tag out. Fuyuki gets an O'Connor Roll and German Suplex. Melee ensues. Fuyuki wants another German, but Kabuki kicks his head off and Ishikawa jackknifes him for the surprise, upset win. The Fuyuki heat segment and Tenryu bizarrely bashing Ishikawa brains in make this a hot watch. The finish stretch is decent, no great shakes, but the finish is legitimately shocking. ***1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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