Superstar Sleeze Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 AJPW Triple Crown Champion Keiji Muto vs Dr. Death Steve Williams - AJPW 7/14/01 Budokan Not a bad showing for the Budokan at 12,800, Doc seems like a good first challenger for Muto. In the pre-match promo, Doc says the belts are coming home to All Japan so Muto must still be NJPW 4 Life and doing the invasion angle. Tenryu and Kawada are in the undercard in separate matches so definitely some support. I had no idea what 2001 Doc would hold but he was pretty damn fun! His body has definitely aged but he is still a Suplex machine and throwing in some Fuck Yous and Son of Bitches didn’t hurt. This happens smack in the middle of the 2001 Muto Renaissance but was not over laden with the 2001 Muto tropes. Muto was put in an early hole and had to use his new strategy to dig himself out of the hole. I dug this match a lot. Unfortunately we are JIP to Doc in control we are missing about 4 minutes on the front end of a 19 minute match so not horrible. Doc teases to Huck Muto out into the crowd with a Gorilla Press but drops him back into the ring. We get the beginning of the 2001 Muto run…Dragon Leg Screw, DROPKICK to the knee and SHINING WIZARD~! Holy shit is it already over? No! Muto hurt his knee on Doc’s face and rolls to the outside. He is really clutching it. Doc gives chase but Muto sidesteps runs him into the post. Muto hobbling tries to get back in the ring, chop block! Really nice Muto bump. Doc is firmly in control. He does a great job mixing the suplexes, knee work (headbutts to the knee ala Tenzan) and trash talk. Muto gets a Misawa-Rana out of the Doctor Bomb. Doc nails the Backdrop Driver. Muto powders classic AJPW. Muto kicks off the ring post on a second Backdrop Driver. Back in they trade FUCK YOUS! It is really off to the races. Doc hits his Doctor Bombs but no Oklahoma Stampede and some suplexes. Muto gets his moonsault but his knee stops him for capitalizing. Muto tries to go for Shining Wizards but first two times Doc catches and throws him. Doc tries another German Suplex but OLD MAN MUTO FLIPS OUT LANDS ON HIS FEET AND DROPKICKS THE KNEE! Look at Muto Go! SHINING WIZARD~! In true All Japan fashion, Doc has to eat 27 of them before he loses but his discombobulated selling after them is great and having not watched AJPW in a while I have Some nostalgia for it. Way better than I expected and it is not even really because of Muto, Doc really brought the offense and the intensity. Muto sold his knee well and built his comeback logically. ***3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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