Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW - 10/21/1992)
Sept 16, 2018 23:40:33 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Sept 16, 2018 23:40:33 GMT -5
Perhaps the first truly great Misawa-Kawada singles match. While certainly not the masterclass in storytelling, psychology, and escalation that the '94 sequel is, this match still carries a lot of themes that would carry over and be enhanced in "el clasico". Not quite the bitter rivals they are in '94, Misawa and Kawada still throw everything they have at each other in a thrilling bout of "top this".
Kawada surprisingly establishes his dominance early, first targeting Misawa's arm then laying into him with incredibly stiff kicks (a particular kick to the face foreshadowing Misawa's broken orbital bone that would be a trend in the '95 matches). Misawa in turn explodes with elbows and kicks that are much stiffer than usual. It really establishes a sense of Misawa knowing he's got a tougher fight than he expected and is almost paying Kawada back. He also begins focusing his attack on Kawada's back while Kawada switches off between arm submissions and choke attempts. The big suplexes you'd expect absolutely come during the finishing stretch, but the back-and-forth striking battles leading to submission attempts really set this match apart from a lot of other Triple Crown title matches. And at the same time, it establishes the overarching thread of the entire Misawa-Kawada feud: who is the best, and how far is either guy willing to go?
While understandably not as famous as the '94 match which is really in a league of its own, this match pretty much sets the table for the near decade-long feud between Kawada and Misawa. The urgency in almost every strike and submission attempt make this a more grounded yet incredibly over-looked AJPW title match.
Kawada surprisingly establishes his dominance early, first targeting Misawa's arm then laying into him with incredibly stiff kicks (a particular kick to the face foreshadowing Misawa's broken orbital bone that would be a trend in the '95 matches). Misawa in turn explodes with elbows and kicks that are much stiffer than usual. It really establishes a sense of Misawa knowing he's got a tougher fight than he expected and is almost paying Kawada back. He also begins focusing his attack on Kawada's back while Kawada switches off between arm submissions and choke attempts. The big suplexes you'd expect absolutely come during the finishing stretch, but the back-and-forth striking battles leading to submission attempts really set this match apart from a lot of other Triple Crown title matches. And at the same time, it establishes the overarching thread of the entire Misawa-Kawada feud: who is the best, and how far is either guy willing to go?
While understandably not as famous as the '94 match which is really in a league of its own, this match pretty much sets the table for the near decade-long feud between Kawada and Misawa. The urgency in almost every strike and submission attempt make this a more grounded yet incredibly over-looked AJPW title match.
