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Post by stunninggrover on Jan 10, 2018 0:22:18 GMT -5
Billy Robinson showed great intensity. He did a great job making Jumbo Tsuruta look very good. Tsuruta won the first fall after 34 minutes. Both workers seemed even more fired up in the second fall. It took Robinson 11 minutes to win the second fall. A large amount of people in the crowd applauded Robinson, who was clearly respected by the Japanese. The third fall and the match ended in a draw when the 60-minute time limit expired. Robinson retained the NWA United National Championship. Tsuruta was frustrated, because he felt he was getting closer to beating Robinson. After the match, Robinson was interviewed and claimed to be the best wrestler in the world. It’s hard to disagree with him after such a great performance. One of the very best matches of 1977. ****3/4
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Post by shrike02 on Jan 11, 2018 18:08:48 GMT -5
Seconded. This match featured some great Robinson offense - the man really did have state of the art bomb-throwing ability and his influence on future wrestlers is clear to see. Tsuruta is really great in the 70s even with very little pro experience. One of the very best young wrestlers of all time.
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Post by El Mckell on Feb 9, 2018 9:33:35 GMT -5
Billy Robinson vs Jumbo Tsuruta (NWA United National HW Championship - AJPW - 3/11/1977 - 2/3 Falls)
These guys had a very good trilogy in March of 1977, one match is already nominated so I had to make a thread for the one that I think is the best of the three. For the 1970s this is such a big move, big bumping match, it has a fucking tombstone in it. Billy Robinson is the best wrestler of this era and shows it here.
****1/2
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Post by shrike02 on Feb 9, 2018 12:58:39 GMT -5
I rate this match 5* some days; it's one of the very best matches on tape from this decade. Two all-time great workers matched up and they deliver. Robinson really shows off some nastiness and his bomb-throwing is superb. Jumbo is at his athletic peak here and holds up his end too.
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Post by mvz on Sept 30, 2021 10:59:33 GMT -5
I was excited to watch Robinson after his match with Baba and this was not at that level but still very good. I am a sucker for matches built around a finisher or big move and appreciated all the work around the butterfly suplex. I thought Robinson’s selling on things like the whips into the corner and his big moves like his piledriver were a cut above Jumbo here. Jumbo’s selling made me feel like he was more concerned about showing his fight by playing to the crowd instead of having actual hope spots and showing he wanted to win the match.
Looks like I saw a version with 15 minutes or so cut from the first fall.
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Post by fxnj on Jul 1, 2023 9:40:33 GMT -5
I always struggled with this due to ~20 minutes being clipped out, so pretty excited to a see a full or near-full version show up on NTV's Hulu. The first 25 minutes of this are top-tier stuff and build perfectly off their earlier match. That opening lockup is something that should be studied. Jumbo is noticeably more active trading holds with Robinson and also some nice charisma throughout. The sequence of Jumbo applying a leg scissors to Robinson's head was a favorite of mine. Loved Jumbo applying his hands to the hold to stop Robinson from breaking out. I remember the 20 minute time call coming and I had to check the time on the video to make sure there wasn't some huge cut somewhere, as the time just flew by. Felt like the match slowed down a bit once they worked an extended surfboard around the middle but it was still great stuff. Though a part of me kind of wishes they just worked an hour long mat exhibition because they're just that damn good, the match retains the feel of an intense sporting contest throughout with increased emphasis on striking and struggle for moves as they go deeper in. Robinson also takes some hard looking bumps on the outside and his lower back becomes a factor down the stretch, adding some extra intrigue. Some neat bits of strategy and details worked in as well, like one point where Robinson does a move on Jumbo that ends with him near the ropes, so he does the move again so he ends up in the center. Down the stretch Robinson also frustrates Jumbo by directing his bumps to be near the ropes to stop him from scoring a last second pin fall. Very appreciated seeing guys use ring spacing like that after seeing so many guys who just don't care. Fun Robinson promo too with him saying he won on points.
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Post by elliott on Aug 30, 2023 22:01:09 GMT -5
Great match. These two have tremendous chemistry.
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