Aja Kong vs. Bull Nakano (AJW 11/26/1992)

My main case for this match is it's the greatest Passing Of The Torch match in history. I don't think there's another match that's even close to achieving what these two managed here. The backstory is Bull and Aja were a tag team in 1989, Bull being the leader of the Gokumon To stable. At some point in 1990 (unfortunately there's footage gaps so we can't document exactly what went down) Aja leaves to form Jungle Jack, takes Bison Kimura with her. For the next two years, the big showcase feud of AJW was Aja Kong vs. Bull Nakano/Jungle Jack vs. Gokumon To.

It's a strange feud because they book it backwards. At the very start, Bull and Aja absolutely loathe one another. They have a vicious tag match on 8/19/90, the famous cage match on 11/14/90 where Aja gets that big scar on her arm after Bull stabbed her with scissors and the Haircut Death match on 1/11/91. So they start it as a blood feud with hardcore gimmick matches. By their 4/25/92 title match though, they're just wrestling each other as straight rivalry, although there's still a lot of intensity there. In August 1992, they reform their tag team to win the Fuji TV Tag Tournament. The story of the finals on 8/15/92 is Aja and Bull win because they're able to put aside their differences and work as a team, whereas the team of Akira Hokuto and Toshiyo Yamada are constantly fighting with each other as much as their opponents.

So now Aja and Bull are friends again, so the feud is other? Nope. Aja started by trying to win the WWWA Singles title from Bull, something she's failed to achieve in over 2 years of trying. It's not gonna be over until she wins. Aja wins the Japan Grand Prix on 8/30/92 to set up this title match. Their friendliest yet. Earlier in the show she asks the retiring Bison Kimura to be her second one last time, and in the match she pulls out Bison's slash chop and Kaoru Ito's foot stomps (both Jungle Jack members), so it's like everything Aja's has built since leaving Bull's side is fighting with her this time. She finally wins the match by hitting a leg drop off the top rope, Bull's finisher, which to me symbolises her admitting that she could only reach this far by using everything Bull taught her at the start.

The post-match scene is one of the most moving things I've seen in wrestling. Bull accepts that Aja has surpassed her with 0 bullshit at all, Aja pays tribute to everything Bull has accomplished and promises not to tarnish her legacy. The feud finally ends with them hugging. It all sounds kinda corny written out but it's perfect and I don't know if anyone else could have pulled all this off. It's also one of the most satisfying ends to an epic title reign ever. It just could not have ended a better way.

Here's a link to the show with stuff subtitled, match starts at 2:35:30 www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6QGvnk2_mE