Misawa/Taue/Kobashi vs Jumbo/Kabuki/Fuchi (AJPW - 5/26/1990)

Misawa and his army vs. Jumbo and his army is probably the greatest feud of all time, and this is where it all began. The opening minutes are nondescript, but things pick up in a major way once Jumbo comes in and gives everybody a kick in the ass. After taking out Kobashi with a jumping knee, he explodes toward the Misawa team’s corner and cheapshots Misawa and Taue off the apron. Several minutes later, Misawa delivers a receipt when he elbows Jumbo off the apron, knocking him out for several minutes. When Jumbo recovers, he immediately goes on the warpath, leading to a pull-apart brawl. That’s about as great a “shit just got real” sequence as you’ll ever see. A good chunk of the match is dedicated to Kabuki and Fuchi working over Kobashi’s arm and leg, but it never feels like he’s in any real danger. Fuchi has yet to reach peak Fuchi in terms of viciousness, but he shows glimpses when he pummels Taue with mounted punches and drops Kobashi knee-first onto a ringside table. Speaking of Taue, he does little more than make saves for his team, so it’s probably for the best that he got moved to Jumbo’s side after Yatsu jumped to Tenryu’s SWS. The rapid-fire nearfalls at the end felt more suited for a workrate junior tag than a six-man grudge match, but the mix of out-of-control violence and classic tag structure is already in place. All that remained was for the supporting players to step up and match the intensity of Jumbo and Misawa.