Random Matches

Manami Toyota vs. Mayumi Ozaki (10/09/1993, AJW): There are highlights to this match, but not enough of them sequenced the right way to make this a great match. The early part has a lot of submissions and matwork and it is all snug, but this match doesn't really pick up till we get an awesome powerbomb and both Toyota and Ozaki take to the air and then to go out into the crowd. I'm still very early in my Manami Toyota viewing but I wouldn't say she blew me away here any more than Ozaki did, who I've seen a bit more of. For two women hailed as being among the best women's wrestlers ever, this wasn't the guaranteed classic I was hoping for. Oh well. Still good, but not a "must watch." (3/5)

Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Psicosis (06/12/1999, WCW): Psicosis, unmasked in this match, was a heel and was carrying some championship I didn't recognize (and don't think was the Cruiserweight Championship but may have been). Anyway, as this was on Nitro, they didn't get a ton of time so they went right for it, speeding through some great counters and reversals before Psicosis took a nasty bump to the floor. Liger followed it up with a baseball slide and then a big dive to the floor that Psicosis took rather awkwardly on his shoulder. Psicosis got a 2 count from a missile dropkick but then argued with Lil' Naitch instead of following it up. Back to the outside they went where Psicosis whipped Liger into the guardrail before rolling him back into the ring. Psicosis put the boots to him in the corner and then hit a hurricanrana off the top for another nearfall. Liger fought back, though, and hit a rolling kick and then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Surfboard time! Psicosis slipped out, though, and got another nearfall. Liger whipped him into the ropes, kicked him in the back of the thigh and sent him into the ropes before rolling him up to get the W. I would've preferred a cooler, more definitive finish. La Parka added insult to injury by nailing Psicosis with a chair after the match. For what this was, it was...fine? I'm a big Psicosis fan, but it's almost like he has more charisma and character with the mask on compared to without it. Maybe it has to do with the mystique that the mask brings? Also, while Liger brought the goods - as usual - a sub-8 minute match is not the best context for him to really show what he can do. This just didn't click with me, but I'll give it an extra half-point for the La Parka cameo. (2.5/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi (10/31/1998, AJPW): Widely regarded as one of the greatest matches of all time, this one starts a bit slow with Kobashi in control and Misawa spending a good amount of time on the mat. However, Misawa uses his deadly forearms and experience to stay in the game. I wouldn't call this a rope-a-dope strategy, but Misawa's fighting spirit means that Kobashi is going to have to work extra hard to defeat the challenger. After setting the table for a grueling epic, the match slowly picks up in intensity and action until we start getting some incredible heavyweight spots - stiff chops to the neck, a Tiger Driver from the apron to the floor (in 1998 this was not something you'd see every month on TV), suplexes galore, a buckle bomb by Kobashi a good decade or so before they became commonplace, and the cringe-inducing Tiger Driver 91' in which Misawa almost paralyzes Kenta (who somehow kicks out of the move). The crowd was molten hot for all of this and it must be said that knowledge of their history and previous encounters would likely make this a more meaningful and enjoyable match than if you go into it cold (even after a year or so of trying to expand my viewing of Japanese wrestling, I'd still consider myself fairly ignorant of the story behind this match aside from it being two huge stars going at it for the top prize in the company). For example, it wasn't until I read up on this match post-viewing that I learned that Misawa was busting out moves he had not used since his Tiger Mask days, something the audience in attendance would have certainly recognized as a sign that he was being pushed to his limit. At close to 45 minutes, it is an epic for serious wrestling fans with serious time on their hands and, as noted earlier, it takes a little while for the match to "cook." Then, while the false finishes are all believable, the actual finish is something of a letdown after you've seen Kobashi nearly crippled with a Tiger Driver. (4/5)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ricky Steamboat (02/23/1984, AJPW): After really enjoying more and more of the Tenryu matches I've seen, this was the Tenryu that I guess I "grew up" on when he'd make occasional appearances in the WWE: kinda boring, unremarkable, slow. His submissions are snug and his strikes connect with impact, but seeing him and Steamboat spend a considerable time on the mat, trying to grind out a win, does not make for the most exciting viewing. Steamboat's top-notch selling is on full display but this match not coming alive until the final few minutes makes it a tough sell. I wasn't a fan of the somewhat abrupt finish, though I guess it did play into the idea that this was a straight-up technical match between two babyfaces and it was always going to come down to who could outsmarten or outwrestle the other. (2/5)

Bull Nakano and Condor Saito vs. Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (10/??/1987, AJW): Nakano wasn't yet a "Best Wrestler on the Planet"-level star, but the aura and "It factor" was already there. This is a hell of a war in front of a crowd that was 10,000% behind the Crush Gals. I really liked Asuka's hot tag at one point as she went wild with stiff kicks to the heels. Saito did not leave a huge impression on me. Not a bad match at all, but I'm not surprised I couldn't even find a write-up for this on Cagematch as its not particularly memorable. (2.5/5)

Marc "Black Tigger" Rocco vs. Jushin 'Thunder" Liger (07/12/1989, NJPW): This one is wrestled in traditional European rules, meaning that the match is broken down into "rounds" (and one of the rounds is seemingly clipped). I haven't seen a ton of Rollerball Rocco matches but was aware of his reputation as being an all-time great. I wouldn't say this match wowed me, though. They cut a good pace and there were certainly some highlights - including an awesome splash to the outside by Liger - but overall, this was a bit forgettable. (2.5/5)

Bull Nakano vs. Chigusa Nagayo (02/04/1988, AJW): I couldn't find much about this match and it is not even listed on Cagematch, which is a bit surprising considering Nakano and Nagayo are among the two most well-known Japanese wrestlers of all time. Nakano was not yet a huge name but, within a couple years, would be a dominant champion in the company while Nagayo was the beloved babyface and one half of the Crush Gals. The match isn't very long, but it is a competitive one and Nakano is already quite good at selling the drama as a vicious rulebreaker. Of course, because this is AJW, blatant use of weapons and beating down on the ref don't get her disqualified. I really liked Nagayo bringing the timekeeper's hammer into the ring and just wailing on Bull with it. There were some good suplexes and we got a great visual of Nakano choking the life out of Chigusa on the outside after she gets attacked by Nakano's masked henchmen. Nakano hits two big suplexes towards the end but can't put Nagayo down as she springs up and hits one of her own to get the victory. Solid match. (3/5)

Bruiser Brody vs. Genichiro Tenryu (10/20/1983, AJPW): This was much duller than I expected. As I noted in my review of Tenryu/Steamboat, this is the Tenryu I remember not enjoying when I was a kid. Brody is okay, but I tend to enjoy him more in tags and when he's working against someone that can match his intensity and presence, which the stoic Tenryu couldn't or can't or doesn't do here. (1.5/5)

Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka vs. Itsuki Yamazaki and Noriyo Tateno (05/15/1988, AJW): The Crush Gals vs. the Jumping Bomb Angels put on an absolute war here in front of a very, very vocal crowd. Everyone is great. Loved the opening with one of the Angels getting airplane spun as soon as the bell sounded. These two teams beat the hell out of eachother with kicks and submissions and double-team maneuvers out of the Angels. Not everything looked great, but the intensity was absolutely there. (3.5/5)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Randy Savage (04/13/1990, WWE/AJPW): This one is from 1990's Wrestling Summit show, which not only featured WWF and AJPW stars, but also stars from NJPW. This isn't an all-time classic or anything, but it is fun and further evidence of the greatness of Savage as a bumper and seller and all-around performer. Him and Sherri Martel are great villains here and Tenryu doesn't have to do much because of how over he is with the Japanese crowd. This one doesn't go long enough to tell much of a story, but it also doesn't waste any time and gets right to the action from the jump with Tenryu controlling early and Savage needing to use trickery to gain the advantage until he eventually falls prey to a Tenryu powerbomb (that Savage takes on the back of his elbows instead of on his back, which makes it look like he'd never taken a powerbomb before). I wouldn't call this "must see" - which keeps it from a 4 - but what is there not to like here? Great performances by Savage and Sherri. (3.5/5)

La Parka, Hector Garza, Super Kendo, and El Zorro vs. Fit Finlay, Norman Smiley, Johnny Swinger, and Kaz Hayashi (01/27/1999, WCW): This was part of WCW's relatively unknown Festival de Lucha show, filmed as a pilot for a potential Spanish-language show that would've presumably aired in Mexico and maybe even in the southwest (?). Before the match, Chris Jericho cuts a promo about how he had already defeated all the luchadores in the match and gave himself the night off because of that fact. Norman comes in and he's awesome, though, with this match featuring 8 men and only going about 8 minutes, its not like anyone gets anything more than a minute or two to shine. Super Kendo comes in and he is lightning quick and I really wish he'd been given more time in this match and more opportunities in WCW overall. Smiley comes in and him and La Parka have a Dance Off to the delight of the crowd. Good stuff there. La Parka and Smiley have a good exchange that ends with a nearfall and Smiley tagging out to Hayashi, who brutalizes La Parka with a kick to the face. The WCW guys beat down on La Parka in the corner and in comes Finlay, who hits a spear in the corner. La Parka gets tripped up by Jericho coming off the ropes and eats an elbow from Finlay and a European uppercut before getting choked again by the soon-to-be Y2J. Hayashi and El Zorro take over in the ring as La Parka sells on the outside and the heels are in full control. Hayashi goes for a splash but gets kicked  and then gets tombstoned by Zorro for 2 before Smiley broke it up. Finlay and La Parka are back at it, but so are Swinger and Kendo. There's some miscommunications and guys hitting their own opponents before Kendo and Parka hit double dropkicks. Kendo goes for a splash but gets caught by Finlay and Swinger. Parka takes them out with a suicide dive through the middle ropes! Back in the ring, Garza delivers a bunch of dropkicks to Smiley and then a bodyslam and a standing moonsault for 2. Emphatic kickout by Smiley and a finger poke. Smiley applies a great-looking sleeper and this one is over! Nothing here was must see, but Smiley, La Parka, Finlay, and late 90s Jericho all in the same match means you're going to be plenty entertained. (3/5)

Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo vs. Bull Nakano and Delta Dawn (04/11/1989, AJW): I could not find much about this match, which is a bit surprising because it is a wild one and there is quite a visual of Delta Dawn bringing a snake to the ring. This is barely a match, but I can see why it was included on a Best Of Bull Nakano DVD set because she is absolutely unhinged. Asuka and Nagayo try to make this an actual match for about a minute-and-a-half but attack the ref, kicking him, hitting him with chairs, really just showing no respect for the rules of this match. This feels like more an "angle" than an actual bout, but its fun for what it is and the crowd is as electric for the Gals as ever. (2.5/5)

Akira Taue, Jun Akiyama, and Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Mitsuharu Misawa, Tsuyochi Kikuchi, and Satoru Asako (02/21/1993, AJPW): This one starts out a bit staid but once Kikuchi gets riled up and we get to the big closing sequences involving Taue and Misawa, it cooks. I was surpised to see that this match wasn't written up on ProWrestlingOnly because it features so many relatively big stars of that era and ones that were still climbing the ranks. Kikuchi steals the match, which is really something when you consider it also features Misawa, a very game Taue, and Ogawa, who is a personal favorite and often shines in matches like this. I may have to add a bunch of Kikuchi stuff to my GWE Watchlist. (3/5)

Barry Windham vs. Genichiro Tenryu (12/5/1983, AJPW): I've not been loving these early Tenryu matches, but I went into this hopeful that Windham would bring the energy to make this work. Some good back-and-forth technical wrestling to start things off with Tenryu eventually grabbing hold of Windham's knee. Windham countered it into a body scissors but Tenryu kept his grip and started yanking on his ankle. Windham works hard to get out and starts throwing uppercuts and then hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. Things pick up a little bit in the minutes after with some more slams and a swinging neckbreaker out of Tenryu, but then Tenryu brings things back down with a front headlock. Windham goes for an inside cradle and connects with a flying forearm for another nearfall. Windham lets out a huge groan as he hoists him up for a vertical suplex and then does it again when he applies an underhook suplex for 2. Windham hits a stiff back elbow as Tenryu comes back from the ropes but it is still not enough. This wouldn't be remotely good if it weren't for Windham's expressiveness and how smooth his offense looks. Tenryu takes over and goes for an elbow off the top but Windham rolls out of harm's way. He misses one of his own and Tenryu hits him with a chop off the ropes and then an enziguiri to a big response. Tneryu hits a backdrop suplex but barely gets 2. Tenryu comes off the ropes, but Windham catches him and attempts a bodyslam only for Tenryu to use his momentum to counter it into a pinfall of his own. That's a nifty finish. Nothing super special here aside from seeing prime Windham and how good he moved. (2.5/5)

Shinobu Kandori vs. Devil Masami (07/14/1988, JWP): A truly hellacious match that has a little bit of everything great about pro-wrestling - painful-looking submissions, brawling outside the ring, nasty strikes, targeted limb work, even a little bit of flying out of Kandori. There's also incredible selling out of both women and a hot crowd. What is there not to love? I've seen this match described as being "rookie vs. veteran" or "shooter vs. wrestler," but I enjoyed it just as two tough-as-nails competitors pushing each other with every possible strategy and form of offense they could think of until it eventually devolves into a straight-up bloodbath. Speaking of the blood, I really appreciated how long it took for them to get to that crescendo and they both bleed absolute gushers to get over the idea that they have been through hell. I even liked the false "draw" finish as, typically, when both women have their shoulders pinned to the mat, you get arguing refs or a straight up no-contest, but in this match, the ref decides to let them continue the match because even he isn't sure who was pinning who. Its a false finish that probably wouldn't fly in the US (as it certainly undercuts the referee's control, authority, and expertise), but in Japan, especially in women's matches, it kinda works because the refs often seem like bystanders anyway. The post-match was a cool moment too as, despite beating the hell out of eachother and both being covered in blood, Masami and Kandori rose eachother's hands in recognition of what they had put eachother through. Very, very good match. (4/5)