Misawa/Kobashi/Kawada vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi (AJPW 3/3/1991)
Mar 24, 2024 1:30:35 GMT -5
Post by fxnj on Mar 24, 2024 1:30:35 GMT -5
On first watch a few months ago, I thought that this was a close second to the WAR debut show tag for best handheld match ever, and I stand by that opinion having just rewatched this. I've been watching almost nothing but Misawa/Jumbo 6-mans over the past few days and I was kind of dreading this, firstly because I thought it'd feel weird watching a handheld and secondly because I was certain that the match would underwhelm me after watching these guys wrestle so many other times already. Wrong on both accounts. The handheld angle here is fantastic and manages to capture nearly all the action clearly. I actually felt kind of glad that we had one of the matches of this pairing from a handheld to serve as a document of what it was like to be in one of those rabid crowds as a fan. It made it feel very unique compared to the pro-shot stuff. There's also something nostalgic about seeing the comfiest of match-ups in wrestling shot on a camcorder with a time stamp.
As for the work itself, I've seen this match I've seen this match criticized for being just 30 minutes of these guys doing stuff without a single narrative hook to focus around, which is kind of true but I also think misses the idea of these matches to treat that as a point of criticism. The joy of these Misawa/Jumbo 6-mans is in seeing characters as they grow and interact with each other in immaculately executed exchanges. That interaction leads to a multitude of hooks which converge over the course of the match: Kawada trolling Taue in the beginning and getting into a brawl, Jumbo's quest to get one over on Misawa and the rage you can feel in him going after Misawa's teammates, and Fuchi's hatred for Kobashi's knee. All that reads like this is just a "greatest hits" take on this match-up, but these guys kept it feeling fresh with a lot of stuff that I hadn't seen from their TV matches and an infectious energy in executing it all. They keep a great pace and the match is full of cool stuff like a Taue suicida out of nowhere or Jumbo somehow getting Kobashi into a fully vertical single leg Boston crab. Since the TV cameras aren't rolling, Misawa even busts out a whacky lucha submission, which in my head canon is a move that he executed out of memory after seeing someone use it in Mexico.
They also don't skimp on the stiff strikes or bumps with stuff like Misawa doing a wild 360 bump off a Jumbo mid-section knee. The Kobashi FIP section with his knee getting worked over was a highlight for me. I thought Fuchi really showed his mastery of tag wrestling with his timing and execution of all his cut-offs. Also got 6/9/95 vibes from how Kobashi continued to sacrifice himself for his team with stuff like a big assisted cross-body to the outside and his great looking moonsault, though maybe he could have sold the knee a little more in the stretch run. Other cool moments include Jumbo copying the Misawa spot of elbow the 2 enemy team members off the apron and Fuchi randomly deciding to go crazy unloading on Misawa with slaps.
As for the work itself, I've seen this match I've seen this match criticized for being just 30 minutes of these guys doing stuff without a single narrative hook to focus around, which is kind of true but I also think misses the idea of these matches to treat that as a point of criticism. The joy of these Misawa/Jumbo 6-mans is in seeing characters as they grow and interact with each other in immaculately executed exchanges. That interaction leads to a multitude of hooks which converge over the course of the match: Kawada trolling Taue in the beginning and getting into a brawl, Jumbo's quest to get one over on Misawa and the rage you can feel in him going after Misawa's teammates, and Fuchi's hatred for Kobashi's knee. All that reads like this is just a "greatest hits" take on this match-up, but these guys kept it feeling fresh with a lot of stuff that I hadn't seen from their TV matches and an infectious energy in executing it all. They keep a great pace and the match is full of cool stuff like a Taue suicida out of nowhere or Jumbo somehow getting Kobashi into a fully vertical single leg Boston crab. Since the TV cameras aren't rolling, Misawa even busts out a whacky lucha submission, which in my head canon is a move that he executed out of memory after seeing someone use it in Mexico.
They also don't skimp on the stiff strikes or bumps with stuff like Misawa doing a wild 360 bump off a Jumbo mid-section knee. The Kobashi FIP section with his knee getting worked over was a highlight for me. I thought Fuchi really showed his mastery of tag wrestling with his timing and execution of all his cut-offs. Also got 6/9/95 vibes from how Kobashi continued to sacrifice himself for his team with stuff like a big assisted cross-body to the outside and his great looking moonsault, though maybe he could have sold the knee a little more in the stretch run. Other cool moments include Jumbo copying the Misawa spot of elbow the 2 enemy team members off the apron and Fuchi randomly deciding to go crazy unloading on Misawa with slaps.