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Post by elliott on Dec 4, 2017 23:09:23 GMT -5
Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas (All Asia Tag Titles - AJPW - 5/25/1992)
If this was a favorites list, this would be a strong #1 contender. Spectacular tag match that was a state of the art take on Southern Tag Wrestling in 1992 that holds up today as a classic match. Maybe the greatest crowd in the history of wrestling that takes beyond being a great wrestling match and makes it feel like a great sporting event. This was like the greatest college basketball game ever.
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Post by Cap on Dec 5, 2017 8:17:09 GMT -5
Seconded
I love this match, but I am slightly lower on it than some I think. I even rewatched it a couple months ago after seeing some people talk it up again and I still came away feeling like it just didn't connect with me as much. Now, to be clear, I still think it is a GREAT match and has a real shot at making my list, but it just isn't the lock it will be for some. I think this match flows fairly well and builds some fantastic conflict between the teams. It feels like the fever grows in the ring and I like that. This is an all time classic.
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Post by microstatistics on Jan 5, 2018 2:14:55 GMT -5
The best southern-style tag ever worked in front of the maybe the best crowd ever.
Also the date is 5/25/1992.
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Post by joeg on Jan 5, 2018 4:05:11 GMT -5
This has a legit shot to be #1 on my list. I like Elliot's college basketball game analogy. I think that's spot on to describe the crowd and how over Kikuchi is with his hometown crowd. He's the Terps at Cole Field House and the Can Ams are Duke.
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Post by kingkangrulz on Jan 5, 2018 8:08:38 GMT -5
Has a full version of this match ever surfaced? I’ve always seen ignorant slightly clipped
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Post by tetsujin on Jan 5, 2018 8:11:26 GMT -5
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Post by bossrock on Jan 5, 2018 16:39:48 GMT -5
It's not often that AJPW utilized the Southern tag formula, but they did here and it's fantastic. Kikuchi was incredible as the fiery underdog and face in peril while Kobashi was violent and explosive with the hot tag. Match of the Year for 1992 and a contender for best match of the 90's.
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Post by fxnj on Jan 6, 2018 0:54:02 GMT -5
I remember being let down by the full version of this. It picks up a lot where the TV JIP happens with Kikuchi taking some nutty bumps on the outside, but up until that it's pretty standard AJPW tag fare. Also, crowd heat is largely a matter of micing and venue size, so I'm not sure if I'd call this the best ever just because they sound the loudest. The crowds for the 4/20/91 6-man and 6/3/94 give this some pretty tough competition. It's a very well executed formula tag, but I don't really think it has the extra zing to put it in the upper echelon. I don't think it's significantly better than the match from a few months before it with Kawada in Kobashi's place, example. Still a great match and has a shot at the back of my list but don't see a best of the 90's candidate here at all.
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Post by stunninggrover on Apr 11, 2018 23:48:53 GMT -5
1992-05-25 Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas [AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship] (AJPW @ Sendai Miyagi-ken Sports Center in Sendai, Japan)
Amazing crowd. This is arguably the most wild and enthusiastic crowd ever. The match itself is great by itself, but the tremendous crowd heat really cements it an all-time classic. Great performance by all four workers in the match (and great performance by the All Japan commentator Akira Fukuzawa and especially the All Japan fans).
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Post by Cap on Aug 12, 2020 12:43:27 GMT -5
From my rewatch project on 8/7/2020 Can-Am Express vs Kenta Kobashi/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (All Asia Tag Title – 5/25/1992) Current Rank: 36 Trending: Even I’ve mentioned 100 times that it took me a minute to get this match, but I really love it now. It is everything I like about tag wrestling from different times and places rolled into one. The hot start, the cut offs, the explosive offense. You put what is rightfully considered one of the hottest crowds ever with it and you get something pretty special. I think Kenta Kobashi is – at worst – the second best wrestler to ever step in a ring and Kikuchi is probably my favorite part of this match. That says something about the performance. He really stood out on this recent watch to me. Setting the pace and then really carrying much of the narrative. Just wonderful, captivating wrestling start to finish. That all said, I can see this slipping just a touch, but not likely out of the top 50 this year. Full Post: gweproject.freeforums.net/post/8263 |
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Post by makaiclub on Aug 18, 2020 18:26:41 GMT -5
Currently my working #2. Sensational match with a legendary crowd and matching performances to boot.
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Post by witlon on May 16, 2021 18:43:13 GMT -5
I rewatched this today with the anniversary coming up, and my goodness does it still hold up. It's hard not to call this the greatest tag of all time with it fresh in my mind, and yeah, 6-9 is there, but man...I love me some Kikuchi!
The crowd (the two pops that stick out are the Doomsday kickout and the Frankensteiner break. Amazing) , the performances (especially by Kikuchi & Kroffat taunting the crowd), the near falls. It's a perfect match for me. *****
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Post by elliott on May 16, 2021 18:45:47 GMT -5
I rewatched this today with the anniversary coming up, and my goodness does it still hold up. It's hard not to call this the greatest tag of all time with it fresh in my mind, and yeah, 6-9 is there, but man...I love me some Kikuchi! The crowd (the two pops that stick out are the Doomsday kickout and the Frankensteiner break. Amazing) , the performances (especially by Kikuchi & Kroffat taunting the crowd), the near falls. It's a perfect match for me. ***** This match is better  |
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Post by cactus on Nov 19, 2021 5:54:26 GMT -5
A ★★★★ match with a ★★★★★ crowd. Kikuchi puts in a performance of a lifetime in front of his hometown, but I thought Kroffat and Furnas stole the show as the smug American technicians, They might not be known for their charisma, but they brought it all out here. This is a great match for puro newcomers due its American-style layout and it kills the idea that Japanese crowds are quiet dead in the water. ★★★★½
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Post by puropotsy on Jun 18, 2023 20:21:54 GMT -5
A stellar match in front of an all-time great crowd. Kikuchi is superb as a fiery underdog. Kroffat and Furnas, a great tag team, put in what tends to be seen as their greatest performance and Kobashi throws everything at them at the end to finally get the title win. 1992 was a ridiculously great year in that I won’t have this as # 1 for the year when it would be a lot of other years. It still should finish well on my list.
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