Jumbo Tsuruta vs Rick Martel (AJPW - 7/31/1984)
Sept 30, 2018 19:12:45 GMT -5
Post by superstarsleeze on Sept 30, 2018 19:12:45 GMT -5
These two have awesome chemistry together. Just a great bomb-throwing championship match that was enhanced by the crowd believing Jumbo could actually win the AWA Championship back after he beat Bockwinkel in February. I love their 1985 AWA match too.
AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel vs Jumbo Tsuruta - AJPW 7/31/84
OUI OUI RICKY MARTEL! How I missed you! This is the championship rematch as Martel defeated Jumbo for the AWA Championship in Minnesota in May of 84. Now Jumbo has home field advantage. We are nearing the end of Jumbo's role as the defender of Japan against the foreign champions, but he has one more classic in this style for us. Jumbo is ridiculously over in this match and throughout the match. I liked the champion vs challenger dynamic early in the match. Jumbo is way more offensively minded. Martel is willing to grind it out with toeholds and barring the arm. Jumbo is playing for keeps hitting big suplexes for nearfalls and dropkicks that send Martel flying. Martel realizes he is in a war and hits a reverse crossbody for two. He pounces on the back. Both are masters of the Boston Crab. They do a nice symmetry of each powering out of the other's Boston Crab. We get Martel's finish run which is comprised of a piledriver and a tenacious sleeper. I loved the roll through and hold by Martel. Real nice. The transition to Jumbos' finish run is great because its gradual. First he heaves Martel up out of the sleeper into a backdrop driver. Martel still has some energy so he goes for a tope rope crossbody but Jumbo rolls through. MARTEL IS PISSED AT HIMSELF! I love that fire. Being pinned off your own offensive move is very frustrating and he just won the World Championship from Jumbo two months ago so to lose that way would be the worst. He lets the anger get the best of him and misses a dropkick. The crowd comes alive! They have been biting on nearfalls, but they think Jumbo can do it again and win the AWA Championship for the second time! You never would hear such a big pop for a missed dropkick. Jumbo signals to the crowd. TWO Jumping knees for two! Tope Rope Crossbody! Gutwrench suplex! Jumbo off the ropes...hotshot?...nope airplane spin and they both fall over the ropes. Martel prevents Jumbo from returning to the ring and it is a double countout.
I don't mind the double countout finish but the airplane spin was kinda lame and it felt very pedestrian for otherwise awesome championship match. Jumbo having defeated Bock for the title in Japan in February did wonders for this match because everybody believed it could happen again. Loved Jumbo's aggressive strategy to throw bombs. Martel as the champion was trying to wear down with holds and the sleeper proved to be his best weapon. Thought the gradual finish stretch starting the backdrop driver then Martel getting pissed at himself for almost costing himself the match and then Jumbo's bombs was a great way to end it. I have their Sept 85 AWA match just a smidge higher, but this was an awesome bomb-throwing championship match. ****1/2
AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel vs Jumbo Tsuruta - AJPW 7/31/84
OUI OUI RICKY MARTEL! How I missed you! This is the championship rematch as Martel defeated Jumbo for the AWA Championship in Minnesota in May of 84. Now Jumbo has home field advantage. We are nearing the end of Jumbo's role as the defender of Japan against the foreign champions, but he has one more classic in this style for us. Jumbo is ridiculously over in this match and throughout the match. I liked the champion vs challenger dynamic early in the match. Jumbo is way more offensively minded. Martel is willing to grind it out with toeholds and barring the arm. Jumbo is playing for keeps hitting big suplexes for nearfalls and dropkicks that send Martel flying. Martel realizes he is in a war and hits a reverse crossbody for two. He pounces on the back. Both are masters of the Boston Crab. They do a nice symmetry of each powering out of the other's Boston Crab. We get Martel's finish run which is comprised of a piledriver and a tenacious sleeper. I loved the roll through and hold by Martel. Real nice. The transition to Jumbos' finish run is great because its gradual. First he heaves Martel up out of the sleeper into a backdrop driver. Martel still has some energy so he goes for a tope rope crossbody but Jumbo rolls through. MARTEL IS PISSED AT HIMSELF! I love that fire. Being pinned off your own offensive move is very frustrating and he just won the World Championship from Jumbo two months ago so to lose that way would be the worst. He lets the anger get the best of him and misses a dropkick. The crowd comes alive! They have been biting on nearfalls, but they think Jumbo can do it again and win the AWA Championship for the second time! You never would hear such a big pop for a missed dropkick. Jumbo signals to the crowd. TWO Jumping knees for two! Tope Rope Crossbody! Gutwrench suplex! Jumbo off the ropes...hotshot?...nope airplane spin and they both fall over the ropes. Martel prevents Jumbo from returning to the ring and it is a double countout.
I don't mind the double countout finish but the airplane spin was kinda lame and it felt very pedestrian for otherwise awesome championship match. Jumbo having defeated Bock for the title in Japan in February did wonders for this match because everybody believed it could happen again. Loved Jumbo's aggressive strategy to throw bombs. Martel as the champion was trying to wear down with holds and the sleeper proved to be his best weapon. Thought the gradual finish stretch starting the backdrop driver then Martel getting pissed at himself for almost costing himself the match and then Jumbo's bombs was a great way to end it. I have their Sept 85 AWA match just a smidge higher, but this was an awesome bomb-throwing championship match. ****1/2
