Misawa/Kobashi/Baba vs Kawada/Taue/Fuchi (AJPW 1/29/1994)

A highly underrated 6-man that I think is a very solid candidate for best 6-man of the Misawa vs. Kawada era. When reviewing the 6/3/93 match, I found the action great but still felt unsatisfied by certain aspects. Misawa/Kawada didn't really work as a dynamic with Misawa easily ripping through Kawada, Misawa's role itself got overshadowed by Kobashi's great exchanges with Kawada, and Ogawa sucked. Those first two points are both fixed here by casting Misawa in a more vulnerable role with Kawada's team working over injuries from recent matches (I think the commentary mentioned him dealing with some rib/upper chest issues). The Kobashi/Kawada exchanges are still present and awesome, but Misawa now finds a much better niche for himself as the main FIP here and really shows off what a great seller he is. Fuchi also works far better in this than Ogawa did in the other match, striking a great balance between looking constantly out of his depth in this new era but also still being smart enough to pick the right moments to deal some damage. Rounding things out is Baba, who is loads of fun here with Fuchi as his main partner but also working great exchanges with Taue that feel like he's wrestling his clone. One more thing that makes this stand out for me is the Kobashi/Fuchi story. We got cheated out of a satisfying conclusion to Misawa/Jumbo by illness and Kawada/Taue had to end abruptly so Misawa had someone to feud with, but this match-up gives us the closest thing to a satisfying blow-off to the other big feud of the golden 6-man pairing in Kobashi/Fuchi. On that front, the beginning and ending of this were both a masterstroke. The initial tease of Fuchi starting the match vs. Kobashi but thinking better of it and tagging in Kawada set the tone for Fuchi's entire role in the match. Then the final confrontation with Fuchi drawing from the crowd chants whilst stepping on Kobashi's neck but leaving himself just a little too open was such a satisfying way to end things.