Hey yo,
Halloweekend was a rousing success and a strong affirmation of the major impact I have had on local communities. I won Best Costume as voted by the patrons of the Phoenix Landing in what can only be described as a no contest. When you are competing against a Flock of Psy and a Gaggle of Waldo, there was no way the Power of Heavy Metal could be DENIED!!! I view this award as not just a Triumph for Heavy Metal on a single night, but rather as a Lifetime Achievement Award in the Field of Costume Design & Modeling for every single person that has ever dared to mushroom stamp the norms of society that fetter us. Through LeBron Love Triumphed; In Ke$ha The Truth Lives; From Me Freedom Will Reign In Perpetuity!
Halloweekend was a rousing success and a strong affirmation of the major impact I have had on local communities. I won Best Costume as voted by the patrons of the Phoenix Landing in what can only be described as a no contest. When you are competing against a Flock of Psy and a Gaggle of Waldo, there was no way the Power of Heavy Metal could be DENIED!!! I view this award as not just a Triumph for Heavy Metal on a single night, but rather as a Lifetime Achievement Award in the Field of Costume Design & Modeling for every single person that has ever dared to mushroom stamp the norms of society that fetter us. Through LeBron Love Triumphed; In Ke$ha The Truth Lives; From Me Freedom Will Reign In Perpetuity!
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| God Bless Halloween & Twitter! Remember Rhyming Turns Me On, Ladies! (Credit: Nayer's Twitter) |
In more depressing news, the Tigers suck! It is 2006 all over again UGH!
You know what doesn’t suck? 90’s All Japan!
You know what doesn’t suck? 90’s All Japan!
Reputed by most wrestling critics as the pinnacle of pro
wrestling, 90s All Japan was centered around four men dubbed as “The Four
Corners Of Heaven”. The Four Corners along with the two top gaijin (Japanese
for foreigner) talent: Stan Hansen and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams wrestled each
other in the greatest matches of all time crafting masterful stories and
delivering some of the most outrageously stiff shots and brutal bumps in the
history of wrestling.
I have undertaken the project of watching the matches
chronologically from Misawa’s first Triple Crown victory in 1992 forward
(before I watched them in a random order). I am of the belief that no other
promotion has ever done a better job in doing inter-match storytelling. Most
wrestling matches focus on intra-match storytelling with only selective matches
building on one another. The most recent American example of inter-match
storytelling was the Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker series at Wrestlemanias XXV
and XXVI. In All-Japan as a result of an incredibly dynamic, but small number
of main event performers, the promotion relied on not on the novelty of
matches, but building a cohesive story through the matches rather than an American
promotion which drives the story through angles.
The 1995 Champions Carnival (annual round-robin singles tournament held in the spring) is an awesome exhibition of the talent and work of the Four Corners of Heaven. Even though Stan Hansen was the Triple Crown Champion at this juncture, he was being phased out as he was getting up their in age and would soon drop the titles to All Japan Ace, Mistuharu Misawa. Dr. Death seemed poised to inherit top gaijin spot from Hansen, having won the Triple Crown himself in 1994, but was busted for drugs and would never fully regain his prominence in All Japan. Thus for the first time in the history of All Japan Pro Wrestling, they would have to rely on a main event that consisted of only native Japanese talent. This Champions Carnival was the culmination of the push of native talent post-1988 after less gaijin talent was making the trek overseas. All Japan was in the fine, reassuring hands of The Four Corners of Heaven.
The 1995 Champions Carnival (annual round-robin singles tournament held in the spring) is an awesome exhibition of the talent and work of the Four Corners of Heaven. Even though Stan Hansen was the Triple Crown Champion at this juncture, he was being phased out as he was getting up their in age and would soon drop the titles to All Japan Ace, Mistuharu Misawa. Dr. Death seemed poised to inherit top gaijin spot from Hansen, having won the Triple Crown himself in 1994, but was busted for drugs and would never fully regain his prominence in All Japan. Thus for the first time in the history of All Japan Pro Wrestling, they would have to rely on a main event that consisted of only native Japanese talent. This Champions Carnival was the culmination of the push of native talent post-1988 after less gaijin talent was making the trek overseas. All Japan was in the fine, reassuring hands of The Four Corners of Heaven.
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| Green Destiny |
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| DANGEROUS K |
Toshiaki Kawada – All Japan’s second banana is one mean
muthafucka. You don’t mess with Dangerous K. Kawada began his career in
Genichiro Tenryu’s army in his feud against Jumbo Tsuruta’s army in the late
80s. In the early 90’s, he joined Misawa’s army against Jumbo and became
Misawa’s number two and steady tag team partner. In October of 1992, at All
Japan’s Anniversary show, he wrestled Misawa for the Triple Crown Heavyweight
titles falling short in what would be a theme throughout his career. During the
1993 Champions Carnival, frustrated with his loss to Misawa and a desire to
step out of his shadow, he formed the Holy Demon Army with Jumbo’s number two:
Akira Taue. Kawada and Taue would have many legendary battles against the tag
team of Mistuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi for the Double Cup (All Japan’s Tag
Team titles) that are considered some of the greatest matches ever. If Misawa
is known for his elbows, then Kawada is known for his kicks, which he can hit
from any angle with brutality. Kawada ins my mind is a better seller than
Misawa, where as Misawa edges him a bit on bumping (Kawada took some nasty
bumps, but Misawa really seemed to throw himself into them). Kawada ranks up
there with Savage in body part selling and Flair in fatigue selling. Kawada
builds matches very well around body part psychology to set up bomb throwing
finishes, which include his powerbomb and the DANGEROUS~! Backdrop Driver. I
know that I enjoy Kawada more as a performer than Misawa, but yet I enjoy
Misawa matches more than Kawada matches (like I think Misawa matches with Dr.
Death, Taue and Kobashi are better than their Kawada counterparts). This
something I really want to explore because I have not come to solid
understanding of it. The point I tried to make in this analysis was why Kawada
lost matches. I thought going into that Kawada sometimes let his sadism get in
the way of victory. I want to see if that is the real reason for him coming up
short. If Misawa’s trait is resilience, I would say Kawada’s is his sadism.
Akira Taue – In terms of the kayfabe, Taue was clearly ranked over Kobashi because Kobashi had yet to earn any singles victories over Taue coming into the 1995 Champions Carnival. Even though in many fan’s minds, Taue is a distant fourth in the Four Corners of Heaven. However, Misawa, Kawada and Kobashi are generally considered to be in the Top 20 greatest wrestlers of all time. So there is no shame being fourth in that category. Taue is often overlooked because of his awkward, gangly body and his lack of stiff/powerful offense. Taue relied on general ruthlessness and a sense of precision that his cohorts lacked. Kawada in all his desire to dish out punishment usually wanted to do it in a way that was fair. He was just mean, but he was not a cheat. Taue did not fucking care, he was out for the win. In a Japan, a closed fist was treated as a big deal and only to busted out in key situations. Taue did not give a fuck because it knew it would give him an upper hand fuck everybody else for not using it. Taue relied more on the straight punch than his cohorts. If Kobashi’s leg was fucked up, he was going to relentlessly attack it. If Misawa had a broken orbital bone, then sure as the sun will come up if Taue was in trouble he was going to claw at his eye. Taue may not have the moves, the graces or the emotion of his compatriots, but what he brought was a great understanding of wrestling psychology and how to be a ruthless heel. Taue was such a great tag partner for Kawada because of the reasons I listed. So what I want to evaluate is how good Taue is and if he really was such a weak link in the Four Corners.
Kenta Kobashi – O Kenta and your flair for the dramatic. Kobashi’s youthful virility was the yin to Misawa’s stoic yang. I do not know if Kobashi always intended this to happen, but his matches more often than not became sort of exhibitions of one-up manship. They usually involve displays of machismo such as chop battles (the chop is Kobashi’s strike of choice) and tests of strength. He has the most extensive offensive arsenal of the Four Corners and he loves to make sure everybody knows it in every match he wrestles. When Kobashi could reigned in by his opponent it could lead some of the greatest matches of all time. For instance Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi in 1993 is my current choice for greatest match of all time. However, some opponents did let Kobashi indulge himself too much and this led to matches going off the tracks think Dr. Death vs Kobashi 9/3/94. I like Kobashi well enough and his matches are never boring that is for sure. His comebacks are just so full of hyper masculine histrionics you just cant help but get into them. They are always setup by his dramatic selling that elicits so much sympathy from the crowd. Kobashi is I believe the general consensus favorite among the American wrestling fans that follow puroresu because of his ability to cross language and cultural barriers better than the other Four Corners. I want to see which opponents are best at managing Kobashi and how well he is at self-editing in this Champions Carnival.
BACKGROUND
Heading into the 1995 offering of the Carnival, Stan Hansen was the Triple Crown Champion, but was being phased out due to age. Toshiaki Kawada had dropped the titles to Hansen in March and was looking to pick up some momentum given he had only one successful defense (a 60 minute draw against Kobashi in January). Mitsuharu Misawa was coming off a stellar, but injury-plagued 1994. He lost the titles to Dr. Death in July of 1994. This would be his first major singles since his loss in July and he will be out to prove that he is still the undisputed Ace of All Japan. Akira Taue had a lackluster 1994 and generally took a backseat to his cohorts. Taue will be looking to prove he still belongs in the Four Corners of Heaven. Kobashi has the most positive momentum coming into the tournament. He had very successful 1993 and 1994 campaigns and the fans have really rallied around him. He was able to take Kawada to a 60 minute draw in January in his shot for the Triple Crown. However, Kobashi still has ZERO victories over the other members of the Four Corners of Heaven and he will be looking to remedy that.
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| Who Am I To Doubt Akira Taue? |
Akira Taue – In terms of the kayfabe, Taue was clearly ranked over Kobashi because Kobashi had yet to earn any singles victories over Taue coming into the 1995 Champions Carnival. Even though in many fan’s minds, Taue is a distant fourth in the Four Corners of Heaven. However, Misawa, Kawada and Kobashi are generally considered to be in the Top 20 greatest wrestlers of all time. So there is no shame being fourth in that category. Taue is often overlooked because of his awkward, gangly body and his lack of stiff/powerful offense. Taue relied on general ruthlessness and a sense of precision that his cohorts lacked. Kawada in all his desire to dish out punishment usually wanted to do it in a way that was fair. He was just mean, but he was not a cheat. Taue did not fucking care, he was out for the win. In a Japan, a closed fist was treated as a big deal and only to busted out in key situations. Taue did not give a fuck because it knew it would give him an upper hand fuck everybody else for not using it. Taue relied more on the straight punch than his cohorts. If Kobashi’s leg was fucked up, he was going to relentlessly attack it. If Misawa had a broken orbital bone, then sure as the sun will come up if Taue was in trouble he was going to claw at his eye. Taue may not have the moves, the graces or the emotion of his compatriots, but what he brought was a great understanding of wrestling psychology and how to be a ruthless heel. Taue was such a great tag partner for Kawada because of the reasons I listed. So what I want to evaluate is how good Taue is and if he really was such a weak link in the Four Corners.
When I watched this in 2006, it hooked me forever on puroresu
Kenta Kobashi – O Kenta and your flair for the dramatic. Kobashi’s youthful virility was the yin to Misawa’s stoic yang. I do not know if Kobashi always intended this to happen, but his matches more often than not became sort of exhibitions of one-up manship. They usually involve displays of machismo such as chop battles (the chop is Kobashi’s strike of choice) and tests of strength. He has the most extensive offensive arsenal of the Four Corners and he loves to make sure everybody knows it in every match he wrestles. When Kobashi could reigned in by his opponent it could lead some of the greatest matches of all time. For instance Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi in 1993 is my current choice for greatest match of all time. However, some opponents did let Kobashi indulge himself too much and this led to matches going off the tracks think Dr. Death vs Kobashi 9/3/94. I like Kobashi well enough and his matches are never boring that is for sure. His comebacks are just so full of hyper masculine histrionics you just cant help but get into them. They are always setup by his dramatic selling that elicits so much sympathy from the crowd. Kobashi is I believe the general consensus favorite among the American wrestling fans that follow puroresu because of his ability to cross language and cultural barriers better than the other Four Corners. I want to see which opponents are best at managing Kobashi and how well he is at self-editing in this Champions Carnival.
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| Four Corners of Heaven |
BACKGROUND
Heading into the 1995 offering of the Carnival, Stan Hansen was the Triple Crown Champion, but was being phased out due to age. Toshiaki Kawada had dropped the titles to Hansen in March and was looking to pick up some momentum given he had only one successful defense (a 60 minute draw against Kobashi in January). Mitsuharu Misawa was coming off a stellar, but injury-plagued 1994. He lost the titles to Dr. Death in July of 1994. This would be his first major singles since his loss in July and he will be out to prove that he is still the undisputed Ace of All Japan. Akira Taue had a lackluster 1994 and generally took a backseat to his cohorts. Taue will be looking to prove he still belongs in the Four Corners of Heaven. Kobashi has the most positive momentum coming into the tournament. He had very successful 1993 and 1994 campaigns and the fans have really rallied around him. He was able to take Kawada to a 60 minute draw in January in his shot for the Triple Crown. However, Kobashi still has ZERO victories over the other members of the Four Corners of Heaven and he will be looking to remedy that.
MATCHES
Akira Taue vs Kenta Kobashi
March 21, 1995
The first match is a contest between the two junior partners in their respective teams. It really feels like both these men are out there with something to prove. This gives this match a real sense of struggle as both men are making each other work for their moves. Everytime, Kobashi looks like he is putting something together, Taue will throw him down. There is a theme among most Kobashi matches of his macho posturing costing him matches as he gets too involved in one up manship that he loses sight of winning the match. Taue, for his part, avoids getting sucked into this like Kawada sometimes will by avoiding the test of strength and going for shortcuts like eye-rakes and throwdowns. Taue is going his best to disrupt Kobashi’s offensive flow. For his part, Taue looked his best on offense that I has seen up to that point. His Jumbo high knee and enziguri combo looked fantastic. He delivered some stiff blows a particularly vicious lariat comes to mind.
March 21, 1995
The first match is a contest between the two junior partners in their respective teams. It really feels like both these men are out there with something to prove. This gives this match a real sense of struggle as both men are making each other work for their moves. Everytime, Kobashi looks like he is putting something together, Taue will throw him down. There is a theme among most Kobashi matches of his macho posturing costing him matches as he gets too involved in one up manship that he loses sight of winning the match. Taue, for his part, avoids getting sucked into this like Kawada sometimes will by avoiding the test of strength and going for shortcuts like eye-rakes and throwdowns. Taue is going his best to disrupt Kobashi’s offensive flow. For his part, Taue looked his best on offense that I has seen up to that point. His Jumbo high knee and enziguri combo looked fantastic. He delivered some stiff blows a particularly vicious lariat comes to mind.
Kobashi continues this theme of struggle by doing his best to
cut off Taue during his offense. Kobashi comes off like a warrior with dogged
determination to press on even in bleak circumstance. My favorite spot of the
match is when Taue does a throwdown to stop a Kobashi flurry into the corner
only for Kobashi to rebound off and lariat him to a great pop. Eventually
string together two pinning combinations off of a bridging german suplex and a
powerbomb, but then misses his put-away: the moonsault. This gives the feeling
that Kobashi was one move away from his getting his big victory.
As part two of my favorite spot of the match, Taue Irish whipped Kobashi into the guardrail and Kobashi went to do a rebound lariat only for Taue to catch him this time and throw him back into the guardrail. That was sweet! Taue follows this up with a HUGE Nodowa (Chokeslam, his finisher) off the apron onto the floor! Kobashi sells it like death. Taue has to bring him back in to get the pinfall, but Kobashi kicks out. Kobashi is working under the “lights are on, but no one is home” guise just trying to extend Taue to a 30 minute draw by rolling to outside. Taue obliges him by powerbombing him on the floor. Taue is such a prick and the fans love it oddly enough as they cheer his name. Taue polishes him off with the DYNAMIC BOMB~! (Sitout Powerbomb). This is Taue’s new and improved finisher to add a bomb to his arsenal.
I liked this match a whole lot as Taue really blew me away with his performance. He reigned Kobashi in and made sure that Kobashi never ate him alive with all his offense. Taue worked hard to impress and deliver some great offense. The match did a great job to put over two moves: the Nodowa off the apron and the Dynamic Bomb. In addition, it really Taue over as a scrappy, ruthless competitor that would never let a match get too far out of control. Kobashi was able to work his moves in a logical fashion and his facial expressions added to put over how much of a struggle this match was. His most important role was selling like he dead after the Nodowa to the floor and really putting Taue over as a threat. It felt like he was one moonsault away from winning, but at the day he went for one too many rebound lariats and got caught. That was turning point because it allowed Taue to set up the Nodowa to the floor. A fantastic start to the tournament and I think one that places the bar very high for all the matches to follow.
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi
As part two of my favorite spot of the match, Taue Irish whipped Kobashi into the guardrail and Kobashi went to do a rebound lariat only for Taue to catch him this time and throw him back into the guardrail. That was sweet! Taue follows this up with a HUGE Nodowa (Chokeslam, his finisher) off the apron onto the floor! Kobashi sells it like death. Taue has to bring him back in to get the pinfall, but Kobashi kicks out. Kobashi is working under the “lights are on, but no one is home” guise just trying to extend Taue to a 30 minute draw by rolling to outside. Taue obliges him by powerbombing him on the floor. Taue is such a prick and the fans love it oddly enough as they cheer his name. Taue polishes him off with the DYNAMIC BOMB~! (Sitout Powerbomb). This is Taue’s new and improved finisher to add a bomb to his arsenal.
I liked this match a whole lot as Taue really blew me away with his performance. He reigned Kobashi in and made sure that Kobashi never ate him alive with all his offense. Taue worked hard to impress and deliver some great offense. The match did a great job to put over two moves: the Nodowa off the apron and the Dynamic Bomb. In addition, it really Taue over as a scrappy, ruthless competitor that would never let a match get too far out of control. Kobashi was able to work his moves in a logical fashion and his facial expressions added to put over how much of a struggle this match was. His most important role was selling like he dead after the Nodowa to the floor and really putting Taue over as a threat. It felt like he was one moonsault away from winning, but at the day he went for one too many rebound lariats and got caught. That was turning point because it allowed Taue to set up the Nodowa to the floor. A fantastic start to the tournament and I think one that places the bar very high for all the matches to follow.
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| BURNING~! |
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi
March 26, 1995
Kobashi will look to get himself back on track against his tag team partner while Misawa will be looking to prove he is the Undisputed Ace of All Japan. I was surprised at how vicious Kobashi was towards Misawa. Even after Kawada left Misawa for Taue, Misawa always seemed to wrestle Kawada diplomatically. Going into this match, I expected Kobashi and Misawa grapple until it got to a boiling point and then they went balls to walls. Instead, Kobashi came out to prove a point and he made it loud and clear with his thunderous chops on Misawa’s chest.
Kobashi will look to get himself back on track against his tag team partner while Misawa will be looking to prove he is the Undisputed Ace of All Japan. I was surprised at how vicious Kobashi was towards Misawa. Even after Kawada left Misawa for Taue, Misawa always seemed to wrestle Kawada diplomatically. Going into this match, I expected Kobashi and Misawa grapple until it got to a boiling point and then they went balls to walls. Instead, Kobashi came out to prove a point and he made it loud and clear with his thunderous chops on Misawa’s chest.
Misawa and Kobashi work well together because Kobashi wants
to do a ton of shit and Misawa wants to take a lot of shit until he gets to
make his extended comeback. Kobashi’s opening shine segment is fun with lots of
good moves and plays to both men strengths. Cool spot at the beginning with
Misawa doing a monkey flip out of the corner as a hope spot because I had not
seen that before. Misawa, of course, goes to his trusty elbows when in doubt.
There is this fuckin wild sequence out of a surfboard that just has to be seen to be fully appreciated. A great instance of Misawa selling is when Kobashi roundhouse kicks in him the gut and he begins to cough. This is a great exhibition for how stiff and violent the strikes in All Japan can be as Misawa delivers some great Fuck You Elbows and Kobashi with Burning Lariats. Kobashi begins to pour it on with Backdrop Driver and German Suplex, powerbomb and moonsault triggering “Mi-Saw-wah” chants and a loud pop on the kickout from the moonsault. I was shocked to as I expected a foot on the ropes rather than a straight kickout. Things are looking bleak for Misawa as he rolls out and trying to extend the match. ROARING ELBOW~! From Misawa regains control for Misawa. Tiger suplex, frog splash get near falls and trigger “Ko-Bashi” chants. I do not know if it was a split crowd or if they just respected the hell out of both men. Kobashi does his dramatic crawl away but a Tiger Driver followed by a Sleeper Suplex finishes off Kobashi.
This is a great match to get a feel for the All Japan style if you are a first timer. There is pretty of fantastic sequences full of heated strikes and big bombs. Kobashi comes off once again as a wrestler on the cusp of making it big, but doesn’t have enough to put away one of the big guns. Misawa does a good job giving Kobashi a lot before making a typical great comeback (though a bit shorther than his usual). I preferred Kobashi/Taue for the interesting story and heated struggle. Misawa/Kobashi had better strike exchanges and more fluid sequences, but Kobashi/Taue had more emotion.
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada
There is this fuckin wild sequence out of a surfboard that just has to be seen to be fully appreciated. A great instance of Misawa selling is when Kobashi roundhouse kicks in him the gut and he begins to cough. This is a great exhibition for how stiff and violent the strikes in All Japan can be as Misawa delivers some great Fuck You Elbows and Kobashi with Burning Lariats. Kobashi begins to pour it on with Backdrop Driver and German Suplex, powerbomb and moonsault triggering “Mi-Saw-wah” chants and a loud pop on the kickout from the moonsault. I was shocked to as I expected a foot on the ropes rather than a straight kickout. Things are looking bleak for Misawa as he rolls out and trying to extend the match. ROARING ELBOW~! From Misawa regains control for Misawa. Tiger suplex, frog splash get near falls and trigger “Ko-Bashi” chants. I do not know if it was a split crowd or if they just respected the hell out of both men. Kobashi does his dramatic crawl away but a Tiger Driver followed by a Sleeper Suplex finishes off Kobashi.
This is a great match to get a feel for the All Japan style if you are a first timer. There is pretty of fantastic sequences full of heated strikes and big bombs. Kobashi comes off once again as a wrestler on the cusp of making it big, but doesn’t have enough to put away one of the big guns. Misawa does a good job giving Kobashi a lot before making a typical great comeback (though a bit shorther than his usual). I preferred Kobashi/Taue for the interesting story and heated struggle. Misawa/Kobashi had better strike exchanges and more fluid sequences, but Kobashi/Taue had more emotion.
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada
April 5, 1995
I would hate this to be the first Misawa/Kawada match anyone
watches. It is such a classic rivalry and this match disappoints. It
disappoints because about 30 seconds into the match Kawada breaks Misawa’s
orbital bone legitimately. This obviously causes Misawa immense pain and it is
a real tribute to his actual toughness that he continued on for the next 29:30
of the match. It did cause him to botch a couple moves of his routine and for
the match to start a bit slower, but he did find his groove eventually.
The spot of the match is Kawada actually busting out a dive onto the outside of his own, which made me go nuts. Misawa blocks a piledriver on the floor delivers a Tiger Driver for the first big move of the match approximately 12 minutes into the match. Kawada still goes after the eye, which makes me cringe. As I mentioned earlier, Kawada had never pinned Misawa before. The injury forced their hand to structure a match where Kawada would be offense for a majority making it feel like Kawada would eventually get that victory. Kawada is really good at nuances like the struggle over a powerbomb. Kawada keeps going back to the stretch plum because of the pressure it puts on the eye.
The spot of the match is Kawada actually busting out a dive onto the outside of his own, which made me go nuts. Misawa blocks a piledriver on the floor delivers a Tiger Driver for the first big move of the match approximately 12 minutes into the match. Kawada still goes after the eye, which makes me cringe. As I mentioned earlier, Kawada had never pinned Misawa before. The injury forced their hand to structure a match where Kawada would be offense for a majority making it feel like Kawada would eventually get that victory. Kawada is really good at nuances like the struggle over a powerbomb. Kawada keeps going back to the stretch plum because of the pressure it puts on the eye.
Misawa lands a spin kick and goes through his offensive arsenal
and the Tiger Suplex gets a good pop as a false finish. My second favorite spot
of the match is when Kawada is clutching the ropes for dear life fending off a
sleeper suplex attempt and then fires off this nasty chop to Misawa’s throat.
It was a perfect confluence of desperation, fatigue and dickishness. Kawada
lands a brainbuster and a powerbomb but time expires with him in control.
The general theme of Misawa/Kawada matches is Kawada getting closer and closer to pinning Misawa. In 1993, Kawada worked over Misawa’s arm to eliminate Misawa’s vaunted elbows. In 1994, Kawada worked over Misawa’s neck and was even more aggressive in his stance. In this match, he was in control of the match before time limit expiring looking that with just a minute more he would have secured his first victory over Misawa. This was a great effort from both men given the circumstances of Misawa’s unfortunate injury so early in the match. It is match that was very good, but does not hold up against the greatness of the previous two matches.
The general theme of Misawa/Kawada matches is Kawada getting closer and closer to pinning Misawa. In 1993, Kawada worked over Misawa’s arm to eliminate Misawa’s vaunted elbows. In 1994, Kawada worked over Misawa’s neck and was even more aggressive in his stance. In this match, he was in control of the match before time limit expiring looking that with just a minute more he would have secured his first victory over Misawa. This was a great effort from both men given the circumstances of Misawa’s unfortunate injury so early in the match. It is match that was very good, but does not hold up against the greatness of the previous two matches.
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| Focus Group Studies Show: This Chick Brings Eyeballs |
Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue
April 8, 1995
THE HOLY DEMON ARMY EXPLODES~! Had to. Taue has a victory on
Kobashi and Kawada has drawn Misawa thus for Kawada to advance to the Champions
Carnival he needs a victory here and a victory over Kobashi and hope Taue does
not beat Misawa. This match is wrestled with this idea in mind. Kawada needs
the win more than Taue and thus goes out there and wrestles more aggressively
than his partner. Taue, much like in the Kobashi, does his usual throwdown defense,
but Kawada catches him early with a wicked, short spinning heel kick.
Kawada is on offense for the majority of the match and
employs some wicked submissions, which is something that All Japan matches
lacked. This works twofold to put Kawada over a sadistic sum bitch who needs
the win and Taue as a sympathetic underdog. Taue times his hope spots well
using a Tenryu-style enziguri and his snake eyes moves well, but Kawada remains
in command. Kawada relies heavily on his explosive kicks to stymie any Taue
flurries. The tension in the match is derived from Kawada’s urgency to win, but
Taue is not letting it become a Kawada exhibition. Taue does deliver a DDT onto
exposed concrete and a couple Nodowas. In the ultimate display of desperation
in puroresu, Kawada uses a closed fist to quash this turn of events.
I never thought I would say so-so is the greatest wrestler
at using apron (the edge of the wrestling ring), but Godamnit Taue is the
greatest apron wrestler ever. The best sequence of the match is when Kawada
Yakuza Kick (high kick to face) on Taue on the apron. Taue returns the closed
fist from earlier to set up Taue’s big bomb: the Nodowa to the floor!!!!
Kawada, similarly to Kobashi, sells it like death and the
end is inevitable for Kawada as he falls to Super Nodowa (rolls away) and
ultimately the DYNAMIC BOMB~!
Best match of the Carnival so far, it does not blow away the competition, but I liked this match the most because of Taue coming from behind and besting Kawada in the upset. As these two are partners, I think Kawada busting out new tricks was his way of keeping his partner off balance. However, Kawada was not able to wrangle Taue into his powerbomb or DANGEROUS~! Backdrop driver, which are his bread and butter. Taue kept his offense very true to form and used his size advantage over his partner to connect with his moves. It almost felt like some an act of hubris with Kawada willing to engage his junior partner on the apron knowing full well what happened to Kobashi. Taue with two victories is guaranteed a trip to the finals with this victory.
Best match of the Carnival so far, it does not blow away the competition, but I liked this match the most because of Taue coming from behind and besting Kawada in the upset. As these two are partners, I think Kawada busting out new tricks was his way of keeping his partner off balance. However, Kawada was not able to wrangle Taue into his powerbomb or DANGEROUS~! Backdrop driver, which are his bread and butter. Taue kept his offense very true to form and used his size advantage over his partner to connect with his moves. It almost felt like some an act of hubris with Kawada willing to engage his junior partner on the apron knowing full well what happened to Kobashi. Taue with two victories is guaranteed a trip to the finals with this victory.
I’m skipping the Carnival match between Misawa and Taue
because they will be meeting in the finals. I will be covering the Finals
between those two.
 |
| Kobashi Defies Death |
Toshiaki Kawada vs Kenta Kobashi
April 13, 1995
In January, Kobashi extended Kawada to the limit in his only
successful defense of the Triple Crown in a one hour draw. This is their first
meeting since that match with both men eliminated from a spot in the finals
these men will be battling for personal honor and the fact they plain just
don’t like one another.
Kawada immediately indulges Kobashi by engaging in a test of
strength, which Kobashi wins. Kobashi delivers a Tiger Suplex out of it and
some of his patented leg drops across stuff (guard rails and the middle rope).
Kobashi has a lot to prove remember because he is yet to garner a victory over
any of the other members of the Four Corners of Heaven. At the same time,
Kawada is looking for some positive momentum, but the early going indicates that
Kobashi is the aggressor.
Kawada fires off some kicks and then backs Kobashi into a
corner before unleashing a barrage of vicious knees to the face. I’m sorry, Mr.
Kawada for thinking you were not the aggressor. Kobashi is able to connect with
a favorite All Japan spot the rebound lariat off the guardrail. Then we arrive
at the hook of the match, Kobashi in his overzealousness high knees the
guardrail. Kawada works the knee really strongly. Kawada delivers a shinbreaker onto the
neighboring timekeeper’s table another favorite All Japan spot. I approve,
Kawada.
Kawada works over the leg some more with a half-crab and
Scorpion Deathlock. Of course when Kobashi makes him comeback, Kawada
immediately cuts that off with a dropkick to the knee. God Bless Dangerous K!
Kobashi dropkicks Kawada’s trick knee (hurt it back in 1993) and then delivers
his own shinbreaker onto the announce table. I love the symmetry as now Kobashi
utilizes a half crab and Texas Cloverleaf. I am just excited about all this
because it means Kawada gets to sell the knee. Kawada on jello legs and his
fall across the ring after a Kobashi Irish whip is some of the best wrestling
theatre ever.
Lets take this bad boy home! Kawada manages a desperation DANGEROUS~! Backdrop Driver, but
Kobashi blocks the stretch plum attempt. Kawada gets a 2 off one powerbomb, but
his leg buckles on the second and Kobashi gets a 2 count just from landing on
top of him. Kobashi sets up for the moonsault, but Kawada rolls away. Finally
Kobashi connects with a moonsault and it only gets two. The expression of shock
on Kobashi’s face says it all.
Kobashi runs through the rest of his bag of tricks: the
Burning Lariat, the Rolling Cradle and another moonsault, but he misses that
time to give Kawada a near-fall. Kawada delivers another powerbomb and
DANGEROUS~! Backdrop Driver for nearfalls, but Kobashi keeps crawling away as
the time limit expires.
All Japan was doing its damndest to prove these two men were
exact equals with multiple draws in 1995 and 1996. Once again, Kawada was in
control when the time limit expired, but did not have enough to put his
opponent away. This match is a lot of fun because the symmetrical leg
psychology, Kawada’s selling and the great finish run. I would place this
behind Kobashi/Taue and Kawada/Taue (remember how I said Taue was the fourth
best that argument seems weird now doesn’t it?) because while it was heated, it
did not have the emotion of the two Taue matches.
 |
| DYNAMIC BOMB~! |
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue
April 15, 1995
Champions Carnival Final
I am just going to get this out of the way. This is one of
the greatest matches of all time and in top 10 of the greatest All Japan
matches of all time. Full Stop. Don’t pass Go and collect $200, sit your ass
down and watch this match. I was skeptical of the rep this match has because I
did not think Taue as a singles competitor could deliver that time of
performance. Who am I to doubt Akira Taue?
The match begins with a series of counters to put over their
familiarity with each other. Taue side-steps a Misawa flying lariat and drives
him into the ground sending Misawa to the outside. All of sudden, we get Air
Taue as he dives onto Misawa on the outside and Misawa chants begin in earnest.
I loved this because it established that with both men so familiar with each
other that they would have to wrestle outside their moveset to keep their
opponent off-balance.
The hook of the match is Taue aggressively attacking the
injured eye of Misawa (remember Misawa legitimately broke his orbital bone in
match with Kawada earlier). Taue utilized this tactic to cut off Misawa
offensive flurries and to setup his own offense. A good example of this is when
Misawa slides over the back of Taue on a suplex attempt only to receive a stiff
elbow to his eye. Misawa for his part puts on a offense clinic of his own.
Against Kawada and Kobashi, Misawa is more than willing to let them have their spotlight, but against Taue Misawa has more free reign to take larger chunks of the match to himself. Misawa actually taking so much offense is indicator to the viewer that his normal rope-a-dope strategy would not work here because the injury is that much of liability. Thus Misawa is looking to end this match much earlier rather rely on his normal strategy of extending his opponent and then taking advantage. This gives a different feel from normal Misawa matches as he is much more aggressive and urgent with his offense. After a flurry of spin kicks, elbows, two elbows dives and a ROARING ELBOW~!, they actually tease Taue losing by countout. I have to mention the normally stoic Misawa seems a bit pissed that Taue was so willing to take advantage of his injury.
Against Kawada and Kobashi, Misawa is more than willing to let them have their spotlight, but against Taue Misawa has more free reign to take larger chunks of the match to himself. Misawa actually taking so much offense is indicator to the viewer that his normal rope-a-dope strategy would not work here because the injury is that much of liability. Thus Misawa is looking to end this match much earlier rather rely on his normal strategy of extending his opponent and then taking advantage. This gives a different feel from normal Misawa matches as he is much more aggressive and urgent with his offense. After a flurry of spin kicks, elbows, two elbows dives and a ROARING ELBOW~!, they actually tease Taue losing by countout. I have to mention the normally stoic Misawa seems a bit pissed that Taue was so willing to take advantage of his injury.
At around the 12:00 minute mark, all hell breaks loose as
Taue claws Misawa’s eye repeatedly to stop his elbow flurries. This culminates
with Taue stepping on Misawa injured eye. The Japanese crowd and announcers
collectively lose their shit at the ruthlessness and audacity of Taue. I have
watched a lot of Japanese wrestling and never remember a crowd actually booing
a wrestler that is how heated this got. Seventeen years after the fact that
spot is still fuckin sweet.
Taue tries to negotiate his kill shot: the Nodowa off the
apron to the floor, but Misawa elbows his way out of it. Misawa in desperation
runs through more of his arsenal: spinkick, senton, frogsplash, german suplex,
Tiger Driver, but can not garner the victory. Then we arrive at the spot of the
match and maybe my favorite sequence in all of pro wrestling.
Misawa floats over Taue back on a vertical suplex attempt and lands on the apron. UH OH! Taue immediately takes the edge of his hand and drives it into Misawa’s injured eye. Taue goozles him, but Misawa is clinging to the ropes for dear life, but Taue chops his hand. NODOWA TO THE FLOOR!!!! Now the entire ending is in doubt. Before, Misawa was the favorite even with eye injury because he was the ace and none of the Four Corners had beaten him. However, this is the move that killed Kobashi and Kawada dead. Either ending is totally satisfying to customer as Misawa will either overcome this adversity as before or Taue will prove be the Misawa-Slayer. As a smart wrestling fan, I can predict 95% of the outcomes of all matches because I have just watched that much wrestling. Sometimes the journey is more fun than the ending. However, then there are matches like these when the irresistible force (Nodowa on the floor) and the immovable object (Misawa) meet and I don’t know who will win, but fuck it is going to be one helluva ride.
Misawa floats over Taue back on a vertical suplex attempt and lands on the apron. UH OH! Taue immediately takes the edge of his hand and drives it into Misawa’s injured eye. Taue goozles him, but Misawa is clinging to the ropes for dear life, but Taue chops his hand. NODOWA TO THE FLOOR!!!! Now the entire ending is in doubt. Before, Misawa was the favorite even with eye injury because he was the ace and none of the Four Corners had beaten him. However, this is the move that killed Kobashi and Kawada dead. Either ending is totally satisfying to customer as Misawa will either overcome this adversity as before or Taue will prove be the Misawa-Slayer. As a smart wrestling fan, I can predict 95% of the outcomes of all matches because I have just watched that much wrestling. Sometimes the journey is more fun than the ending. However, then there are matches like these when the irresistible force (Nodowa on the floor) and the immovable object (Misawa) meet and I don’t know who will win, but fuck it is going to be one helluva ride.
Taue runs through his offense and punctuates this run with a
DYNAMIC BOMB~! MISAWA KICKS OUT!!!! O SHIT!!!! The ending is a great
illustration of why Misawa one of the best ever. John Cena would have hulked up
and ran through his offense to get the win, but Misawa presents his twist on
the babyface comeback. Misawa strikes with his elbows, but with each elbow he
is falling down or powdering. He is using these desperation elbows to create
breathing room for himself to recover. You get the feeling as a fan that he
just did not stop being injured or fatigued, but that he is fighting through
it. Taue is both dazed by these vicious elbows and fatigued from running
through most of his offense. Taue is still able to kick out of a german suplex
and a Tiger Driver. Taue, sensing that the end is near, tries one last ditch
effort by clawing at the eye and the crowd is molten with heat at this. Misawa
elbows through the claw and TWO Tiger Suplexes finish it for Misawa.
One of the greatest matches I have ever seen. It is one of those matches where you feel like you reached a Pro Wrestling Nirvana as a pro wrestling fan. This is one of the best individual Misawa performances I have ever seen as he puts over Taue as a force to reckoned with and himself as a resilient wrestler that overcomes adversity with his heart and elbows. Taue stepped up his game huge throughout the Carnival and there was no brighter moment than this match where he ate Misawa’s offense well and was totally ruthless against the eye. This match represents what pro wrestling should be: the simulation of human struggle. Taue is struggling to step out from Misawa’s shadow and is willing to do anything to finally end his “Reign of Terror”. Misawa is struggling with overcoming his broken orbital bone and an opponent willing and able to exploit it. When pro wrestling is done right, I do not think there is a greater medium of entertainment. On April 15, 1995, Mitsuharu Misawa and Akira Taue did pro wrestling right.
One of the greatest matches I have ever seen. It is one of those matches where you feel like you reached a Pro Wrestling Nirvana as a pro wrestling fan. This is one of the best individual Misawa performances I have ever seen as he puts over Taue as a force to reckoned with and himself as a resilient wrestler that overcomes adversity with his heart and elbows. Taue stepped up his game huge throughout the Carnival and there was no brighter moment than this match where he ate Misawa’s offense well and was totally ruthless against the eye. This match represents what pro wrestling should be: the simulation of human struggle. Taue is struggling to step out from Misawa’s shadow and is willing to do anything to finally end his “Reign of Terror”. Misawa is struggling with overcoming his broken orbital bone and an opponent willing and able to exploit it. When pro wrestling is done right, I do not think there is a greater medium of entertainment. On April 15, 1995, Mitsuharu Misawa and Akira Taue did pro wrestling right.
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