Hey yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies:
Azores living is agreeing with me so well. Swimming in the ocean, lingucia & pulvo on demand and time for watching and writing about wrestling.
I wrote these reviews about a month ago, but my interest was piqued in some 70s puroresu featuring some top flight gaijin, NWA Champions like Jack Brisco, Terry Funk and Harley Race. Here we look at four most prominent Jack Brisco matches against Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta. The Inoki match on youtube only had the last half and honestly I was not feeling the one hour Brisco/Funk draw even though it is referenced so frequently I feel an obligation towards.
I am up against a dinner reservation for a family dinner on the islands, so I will have to keep this short. I really liked the real-sports feel of these 70s two out of three falls matches. The strategies were well-laid out with Jack as the amateur champion that would slowly overwhelmed by the hometown boys and have to resort to roughhousing tactics to gain an advantage. The Baba matches were fun to watch because it is rare for the Japanese to win the title and this was the first title reign by a Japanese wrestler in history so to watch that was really cool and see the awesome reaction for it. The first Jumbo match really shows how good Jumbo was from a young age. Much like the Baba matches, the 1976 United National Championship match saw Jumbo get the biggest hitherto win of his career against Jack Brisco. These victories cant be taken for granted having watched so many countout, double disqualification, draw finishes between the Japanese and gaijin champion. So seeing the Japanese win in front of their hometown crowd is really cool.
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco vs Jumbo Tsuruta -
AJPW 1/30/74 2 out of 3 Falls
Check out those sideburns on Jumbo! This is baby Jumbo Tsuruta who just debuted earlier in 1973 and was only recently dubbed "Jumbo". He does not look out of place one bit against the NWA Champ Jack Brisco. I just love these sports-feel world championship bout: great tie-ups, leg dives and struggle for every move. Basic, fundamentals-oriented layout let the rookie shine with strong holds and coming back to that hold, lose control due to an underhanded tactic, a nice hot run up to the close of the first fall before Brisco puts him away. Jumbo's home base was an armbar. Every time, there was movement Jumbo was able to wrangle it back on using some great armdrags. I loved the Brisco hiptoss into a Jumbo armdrag! Brisco was great at shining Jumbo up with verbal selling and the desperation to not get hit by the butterfly suplex. I am a big mark for tests of strength and there was some great top wristlocks coming out of the armbars. Eventually, Brisco uses the hair to bring him down into a vicious headlock. Jumbo is able to comeback into a crossface chickenwing, which Brisco uses a great drop toehold to transition into a deathlock with great strikes into the ribs. Jumbo was eventually able to catch Jack riding high into a facelock, but Brisco was in the ropes. Tsuruta sees his opening and just unloads bodyslams (not his badass body slams, but still very good), but he misses one elbow drop. Brisco gets a Robinson backbreaker to win the first fall. Brisco 1-0
Awesome, awesome second fall. Wow! Just a great barrage of Jumbo Tsuruta offense throughout the fall. Brisco works a tight headlock, but Jumbo grabs a kneecrusher and never looks back. He works a great fucking bridging toehold and Brisco sends him flying. He is hobbling and tries to meet him on apron, but Jumbo gets sunset flip into a drop toehold into a great deathlock. Brisco escapes to the floor and JUMBO IS FIRING UP! He wants Brisco in the ring, BABY! Jumbo applies the Boston Crab and is working the back. Then he just throws Brisco around with a butterly and just an incredibly overhead belly to belly that was just an incredible feat of strength. I loved that suffocating run of offense to finish the fall. Tied 1-1.
Third fall was killer. Jumbo stays on the back and is jazzed. Brisco is selling it like he is absolutely done. Jumbo applies a abdominal stretch. You actually buy it as a finish given it is 1974 and Jumbo is so excited. This converted into a hold on the ground into an amazing, amazing Jumbo bridge into a bodyscissors working that back! Bearhug! I have never popped for a bearhug until today. Jumbo is fucking awesome. Brisco looks dead. Brisco is desperate and is just like fuck it. He throws a wicked closed fist. I have been disapointed by Brisco working punch, which misses by a mile, but damn that was good. Brisco throws a nasty knee to head in the corner. He hurls Jumbo in a butterful suplex, damn! Robinson backbreaker KICK OUT! JUMBO BACK DROP DRIVER!!! Head collision. Jumbo dropkick he gets up to Brisco's but kinda wiffs and then he actually misses because Brisco averts it. A reversal of O'Connor Roll with Brisco ends up on top to win.
Wow! That is how you make a rookie a star in one match. Just amazing work. Jumbo ripped it up this match. He was excited and just kicking ass. He never looked out of place. Brisco was totally selfless in this match. It was a bit too lopsided to be a contender for greatest match of all time, but it was an awesome display of both talents. I have it ahead of both the Baba matches because it had more energy. ****1/2
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NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco vs Giant Baba - AJPW 12/2/74 2 out of 3 Falls
Giant Baba is just one freaky looking dude. I had to get it out there. Those shoulder blades are something else. Great sporting contest from these two wrestlers for the World Heavyweight Championship. It was a breath of fresh air to watch two men work so hard at surfboard taking the time to widen their base or drop to a knee to really sell the hold. I loved the opening matwork. Brisco looked world class taking the Giant down at will. He had a game plan go after the legs and he was tenacious with his drop toe holds and leg pick ups. The only thing keeping Baba in it was his natural size. When he got a hold of Brisco in that surfboard, he demonstrated how damn athletic he is being able to put a foot between Brisco's shoulderblades in a standing surfboard. I loved Brisco's reaction to the surfboard to start letting the fists fly. He was feeling vulnerable so the wrestling went out the window. Baba responded with GIANT CHOPS! Dropkick and Russian Legsweep score one for the hometown hero. Baba starts off hot, but Brisco backs him into the ropes and refuses to give him a clean break. Brisco is just wrenching a nasty chinlock. I love all the tests of strength in this match. They trade suplexes and Briscos follows his up with a figure-4 to even the match. I surprised they did not go with the quick submission, but Baba writhed in pain for a while before the ref called it. The last fall was very dramatic. It was definitely the best selling of the match with Baba playing up the knee injury and Brisco tenaciously working the leg. Baba responds with GIANT CHOPS to avoid the figure-4 and Brisco does a great job selling these. The Russian Legsweep that won the first fall is used a false finish with Brisco making the bottom rope. That was a expertly laid out spot. Baba hits a clothesline similar to Kobashi falling clothesline to win the match and the World Heavyweight Title. That makes that Kobashi move all the cooler knowing it is a tribute to Baba.
I really enjoyed this match as a struggle between two opponents for the world title in a classic game of human chess. Yes, Brisco was a bit of a dick here and there, but overall, it was a relatively clean fight. It is funny, I think if all wrestling was like this, I probably would not be a fan. It is too similar to real sports in the sense that it is two talented performers executing at a high level, but it just lacked that narrative to really sink my teeth into until the closing stretch. That is a minor quibble because what they presented was awesome. If Brisco moving from the mat to strikes back to the figure-4 all the while selling Baba's chops like death. Baba worked hard in this match and was great at providing the highspots. It did not click with me on that next level, but still something I would have as a MOTYC in any year. ****1/2
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NWA World Heavyweight Champion Giant Baba vs Jack Brisco - AJPW 12/5/74 2 out of 3 Falls.
Baba had won the NWA World Championship from Brisco three days prior so I presumed this would be switch back to Brisco, but I was wrong which made for a very surprising finish. It always fun when these historic matches finish the opposite from what you expect. Now I have robbed that from anyone who reads this review. Well hopefully, you just skip to the bottom see the ****1/2 and skipped the whole review so you can be just as surprised.
Jackie B tries a different tact in this match working the side headlock rather than leg takedowns, which I think is a horrible approach against GIANT Baba. Baba is just too long and will use his leverage advantage to break via top wristlock. This happens on two occasions. Brisco tries to cheat, but to no avail and digs himself into an early hole with Baba working the arm. Brisco tries to create movement, but Baba stymies him with shoulder tackles and arm drags. Baba has a great armbar takedown into a really neat submission. Brisco picks the leg and looks to go to work. There is a really cool moment when Birsco is riding high in a deathlock and Baba looks to pull back in a chinlock and Brisco bridges out. Nothing comes of the Brisco leg work. Airplane spin by Baba! Baba looks to win with the same string of moves from the previous match hitting a Russian Legsweep for two and then looks to follow up with the falling clothesline, but Brisco has seen this movie before and NAILS him with a beautiful dropkick. This sets up the belly to back suplex to send Brisco up 1-0.
Brisco starts hot with elbows to the back of Baba's head, but this is not sustained. Brisco misses a kneedrop and this is the demise of Jack. We get to see more selling from Brisco than in the previous match and this seems to be an area where he excels. It is too bad more babyface stuff does not exist. Baba is relentless on the knee ultimately setting up the Boston Crab into the backbreaker. Brisco is really good working underneath and selling. Baba is an effective monster. It is too bad they fought exclusively in Japan.Russian Legsweep only gets two! Swinging neckbreaker ties it at one a piece
With it all knotted up and Brisco in a bad way, Baba looks to press his advantage at the start of the 3rd fall, but Brisco tries to use the outside to break his rhythm. I am loving this urgency It turns into a slugfest, which I don't love between these two. Brisco's big weakness is his working punch/forearm, which looks to miss by a mile everytime. Baba's overhead chops are fine given his size, but they are not the best either. Both wrestlers start going to the well to finish their opponent off but their opponent is able to block (Brisco dropkick and Baba's swinging neckbreaker). Baba is really pouring it on and I don't see how Brisco can win this. Baba pushes off ropes on a Brisco back suplex (winning first fall combination) to land on top and win. The finish was a little botch.
Again another great 70s style match, but still missing that extra gear that really gets my blood pumping. I liked this one for Brisco getting to sell more and I loved the move psychology. Brisco countering the falling clothesline with a dropkick to win the first fall was cool as all get out. The Brisco missed kneedrop was a great transition in fall #2. The third fall was a perfect culmination of everything before it. Excellent match, I would say about the same as their first match, but I give this one the nod. ****1/2
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Jumbo Tsuruta vs Jack Brisco - AJPW 8/28/76
NWA United National Heavyweight Tournament Final
This was actually the match that revived the United National Heavyweight Championship after JWA closed and became an All Japan belt, first Jumbo's belt, then Tenryu's belt and ultimately as a part of the Triple Crown. Brisco was no longer the World's Heavyweight Champion relinquishing that position to Mr. Terry Funk. This is a two out of three fall match.
The first fall features Jumbo at his offensive best. He is laser focused on Brisco's back and ain't never going to let up. Brisco actually had an early advantage countering into a crossface/deathlock and applying a bearhug, but after Jumbo hiptossed out it was all Jumbo. Tsuruta scored two backbreakers (one out of a headlock, a nice counter) and was working holds like the Camel Clutch and Boston Crab. Brisco for his part sold being overwhelmed very well, but still having his wits about him to avoid the butterfly suplex and try to punch his way out of trouble. His best hope was a sunset flip that everyone in 1976 and I bit on. Alas, it was not to be as it was little too late as Jumbo rattled a string of dropkicks and a very impressive overhead belly to belly suplex to go up 1-nil.
If the first fall was all about Jumbo on Jack's back, this fall was Jack targetting the leg of Jumbo to yield a submission. The fall began with Brisco trying to buy time by sticking his body through the ropes, but Tsuruta was relentless and Bisco ends up tried up in the ropes hanging upside down by his waist. It is a crazy spot and needs to be cribbed. Once Brisco gets free, he uses the ref admonishments to pick the ankle and go to work on his legs. He wraps it around the post. Jumbo tries to mount a comeback but he succumbs to the kneecrusher/figure-4 combo.
The final fall begins as the second fall ended with Brisco destroying the leg of Jumbo. Both men are obviously fatigued, but Brisco is compensating by being extra nasty. Jumbo is fighting valiantly but it looks like he is in too much of a hole as Brisco is always able to go back to the knee to keep Jumbo at bay. Brisco is very close to applying the figure-4 in one of the more dramatic moments in wrestling right before he sits back Jumbo punches out of it. Both men knock heads and the playing field is levelled. Brisco up first misses a kneedrop and this Jumbo's chance. Can't wrangle the Boston Crab because Brisco hooked the ropes, but he lifts him for the butterfly suplex, but Brisco lands feet first and by not taking all the impact on his back he is able to kick out. Brisco hits a back suplex late in the game to set up this devastating figure-4, but Jumbo reverses into an inside cradle for the biggest win of his career up to that point.
It does not get much bigger than beating the former NWA World Champion for a new championship. Unfortunately for the Japanese they were forced to leave their world championship matches empty-handed because of the nature of the beast. So for Jumbo this early in his career to defeat Jack Brisco in singles clean to win the United National Championship, I think only the bigger victory would have been over Terry Funk for the World's Championship. Excellent match and we really get to see a fully dynamic Jumbo performance. Tsuruta is one of the all-time great offensive wrestlers as displayed in the first fall, but in the second fall we see his mettle as he fights back from adversity to take the match. He sold great in the second fall and you really believed damn, it is just not the kid's night. Jack is just too ruthless and too experienced. The kid is on the cusp, but he is just not there. He keeps plugging away and he is hanging in there and just when you think he is finish he snags the inside cradle for the win. An awesome, dramatic match! ****1/2