Misawa and Kawada vs. Tsurtua and Taue (AJPW - 9/4/1991)
Jul 2, 2018 21:16:34 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Jul 2, 2018 21:16:34 GMT -5
Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jumbo Tsuruta and Akira Taue (AJPW - 9/4/1991)
The match where Misawa arguably solidified himself as the new ace of All Japan by defeating Jumbo once and for all. While Misawa famously established himself as a main event player by defeating Jumbo in June of 1990, Jumbo was able win the rematch that September and subsequently reclaim the Triple Crown title from Stan Hansen (who Misawa had fallen to earlier that year). You also had the heated rivalry between Taue and Kawada who could not go for more than a few minutes without trying to kill each other in the various six-man tag matches. Misawa and Kawada were the defending tag team champions going into this match and Jumbo and Taue were the challengers looking to finish off their rivals once and for all.
The opening minutes of this match are tense and urgent. There's still a lot of bad blood between Taue and Kawada but the aggression is a bit more reigned in than it was in the six-man tag matches (most likely due to the titles being on the line). And while Jumbo was always a surly bastard during the 80's and 90's, he fights with just a bit more anger and conviction this time around. He's clearly tired of these young hotshots Kawada and Misawa trying to steal his spot and wants to put them behind him forever. Misawa hurts his arm on a flying forearm (I believe it was related to a previous storyline injury) and Jumbo and Taue work it over. Kawada finally gets the tag and explodes like a house of fire. But with no Misawa to tag out to (he's getting bandaged up on the outside), Jumbo and Taue regain control. Misawa is finally able to re-enter the match and throws forearms left and right in righteous, badass fury. The match then turns into a heated battle between Jumbo and Misawa trying to finish each other off as Kawada and Taue run interference for their partners. Misawa is finally able to submit Jumbo and the rest, as they say, is history.
I think this is an incredibly underrated and overlooked All Japan tag match. Not just considering the historical significance, but because of the multi-layered story from two year-long rivalries coming to a head. There's also tons of action and urgency despite being a 26 minute match (these guys knew how to maximize their minutes). And considering their near-decade long rivalry that was to come, it's impressive to see just how much chemistry Misawa and Kawada had as a tag team even if they found better teams with different partners.
A tremendous match that will most certainly make my list.
The match where Misawa arguably solidified himself as the new ace of All Japan by defeating Jumbo once and for all. While Misawa famously established himself as a main event player by defeating Jumbo in June of 1990, Jumbo was able win the rematch that September and subsequently reclaim the Triple Crown title from Stan Hansen (who Misawa had fallen to earlier that year). You also had the heated rivalry between Taue and Kawada who could not go for more than a few minutes without trying to kill each other in the various six-man tag matches. Misawa and Kawada were the defending tag team champions going into this match and Jumbo and Taue were the challengers looking to finish off their rivals once and for all.
The opening minutes of this match are tense and urgent. There's still a lot of bad blood between Taue and Kawada but the aggression is a bit more reigned in than it was in the six-man tag matches (most likely due to the titles being on the line). And while Jumbo was always a surly bastard during the 80's and 90's, he fights with just a bit more anger and conviction this time around. He's clearly tired of these young hotshots Kawada and Misawa trying to steal his spot and wants to put them behind him forever. Misawa hurts his arm on a flying forearm (I believe it was related to a previous storyline injury) and Jumbo and Taue work it over. Kawada finally gets the tag and explodes like a house of fire. But with no Misawa to tag out to (he's getting bandaged up on the outside), Jumbo and Taue regain control. Misawa is finally able to re-enter the match and throws forearms left and right in righteous, badass fury. The match then turns into a heated battle between Jumbo and Misawa trying to finish each other off as Kawada and Taue run interference for their partners. Misawa is finally able to submit Jumbo and the rest, as they say, is history.
I think this is an incredibly underrated and overlooked All Japan tag match. Not just considering the historical significance, but because of the multi-layered story from two year-long rivalries coming to a head. There's also tons of action and urgency despite being a 26 minute match (these guys knew how to maximize their minutes). And considering their near-decade long rivalry that was to come, it's impressive to see just how much chemistry Misawa and Kawada had as a tag team even if they found better teams with different partners.
A tremendous match that will most certainly make my list.
