NWA World Title In Japan DVD Set DIsk Six
Nov 9, 2016 7:41:00 GMT -5
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Post by Shatter Machine on Nov 9, 2016 7:41:00 GMT -5
1987.03.07 AJPW Akita Prefectural Gymnasium in Akita, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Yoshiaki Yatsu
No idea how Yatsu rated an NWA title match here, but here he is. I guess all the other natives were doing other, more important things. They shake, and Yatsu mows him down. Right to the mat, and Flair sits out. Yatsu takes him down with an armbar, and there we are for a bit. Flair squirms to standing, but Yatsu stays on the arm. Flair fires back, chopping him in the corner. They go to another corner, and Yatsu reverses a whip and hits a powerslam for 2. He blocks a hiptoss and gets a backslide for 2. Flair goes into a wristlock, then they go back to the corner again. More chops. Yatsu blocks a suplex, so Flair punches him in the face. Snap mare over, and Flair drops the knee for 2. Flair gets a chinlock, but Yatsu goes to the ropes. He gets a sledge to the back, then a running knee to the gut. Backdrop, and Flair is begging off. Yatsu gets the setup of the Scorpion Deathlock, then he turns it over. Flair gets the ropes, I guess, so Yatsu releases it. Backbreaker, then another backdrop for 2. This is quite the pace by these two. Flair goes for a hip toss, and Yatsu just shoves him off. They lock up, and Yatsu takes him over with a headlock. Flair fights out and hits a back elbow. Gut – wrench suplex gets 2. Flair gets an abdominal stretch, but Yatsu hip tosses him out. Flair gets a back suplex for 2. Yatsu headbutts him in the gut, then hits a bulldog out of the corner. Flair does a cross – body, but they go tumbling over the top, just like the previous match. Flair sends Yatsu to a table, then to the railing. Suplex by Flair gets 2. He misses a badly telegraphed elbow, and Yatsu hits an enziguiri. Flair flip in the corner, but he falls on the apron. Big dropkick by Yatsu, and he gets a Saito suplex. He hits a missile dropkick, then a LARIATOO! Flair gets a rollup for 2. Yatsu with a German for 2. Flair goes to the apron for a breather, and trips Yatsu, wrapping his knee around the post. On the floor, and Flair back suplexes him. They start trading shots, and Yatsu hits a bulldog on the floor. Back in, and Flair gets the shinbreaker into the Figure – Four. Yatsu reverses into the ropes, and they wind up rolling to the floor, where Flair reapplies the hold, and we get yet another double countout. Fuck. That was a really good match marred by a shitty ending. No wonder they did massive business when they went to all clean finishes. (**** 17:08)
1987.03.10 AJPW at City Gymnasium, Koriyama, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Jumbo Tsuruta
My DVD set says this happened in May, but it’s March 10, 1987; since that’s the only time that Flair and Jumbo wrestled in 1987, and as far as I can tell, it’s the last time they ever wrestled each other for the NWA World Title. Jumbo takes him down with a wristlock, then a shoulderblock, and finally a hiptoss. Flair gets a hammerlock, and they stay on the mat again. This is the same start as every other Flair – Jumbo match. They trade chops, then Jumbo nails him with a clothesline. They brawl on the floor, with Flair running him to the railing. Flair abuses him a bit on the apron, then Jumbo comes in with a sunset flip for 2. He starts working the knee, but Flair cuts him off. Flair goes to the top, but pauses to woo, and Jumbo slams him off and stomps him. Jumbo gets a sleeper, but Flair gets the shinbreaker and Figure – Four. Jumbo makes the ropes after a reversal and sends him over the top in the corner. Jumbo with the jumping knee, but Flair’s foot is on the ropes at 2. Another jumping knee gets 2, with Flair kicking out this time. Flair fires back, running Jumbo to the buckles and taking him down with a headlock. They do the bridging backslide spot, with Jumbo getting 2. Jumbo with a sleeper, and they’re just running through the motions here, with no real rhyme nor reason to what they’re doing. It’s kind of sad, because this was still both guys in their respective prime. Flair with a suplex, but he hurts his own back and it only gets 2. He sinks in an abdominal stretch. Jumbo fights out and gets a Figure – Four. He drags Flair to the middle and puts on the Scorpion Deathlock, but Flair won’t give up and squirms to the ropes. Suplex gets 2. Rolling cradle gets 2 for Jumbo. Flair ducks a clothesline, and Jumbo murders the referee with it. Jumbo hits a couple of backdroppers, but there’s no ref. The ref comes in, and Flair gets a rolling cradle, still no ref. Jumbo gets an inside cradle, but the ref won’t count, so Jumbo shoves him down for the DQ. Not their best work here. Still better than most guys best work. (*** 18:45)
1987.03.12 AJPW at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Hiroshi Wajima
This is Flair on the riding the carousal of AJPW mid-carders. I don’t know why they scheduled him to be there to wrestle these guys. Wajima is not impressive looking in the slightest. I don’t know much about him, and this is the first time I’ve seen him. Seems he was a disgraced Sumo who was forced to resign after some scandals, and went to Baba for a job. Since he was a former Yokozuna, Baba pushed him as a star, but he was too old and beat up, and didn’t last very long as a pro wrestler. He works an armbar, and Flair tries to make him look good, but Wajima is just too limited. They exchange chops, and Wajima gets down in a sumo stance, so Flair bails out. Back in, and Wajima flattens Flair a few times with running shoulders, so Flair goes to the floor again. This is, to be delicate, not very good. Wajima grabs a headlock, because nobody can fuck that up. Flair backs him into the corner with chops, then works the arm wringer. Flair takes him down with a hammerlock and gets a couple of near-falls, then starts stomping the hammerlock. This is so, so bad. Flair is leading him through this, and Wajima is getting more and more lost. Flair does the flip in the corner, but winds up on the apron and rolls back in underneath. They trade shots, and Flair tries for the shinbreaker, but Wajima is just dead weight. Flair works the knee with the usual, then locks in the Figure – Four. Wajima sells it, then reverses it, but Flair breaks. Wajima gets an odd choke takedown for 2, then a lariat for 2. Shoulderblock, then Wajima gets a spinning toe – hold. Flair knocks him down, but Wajima keeps kicking him. Wajima goes for the Figure – Four, and Flair counters into an inside cradle for the pin. Wow. I’ve seen that happen to him a ton, but I’ve never seen him do it to someone. Even Flair couldn’t save this one. (* ½ 18:29)
1989.03.08
Rick Steamboat (Champion)
Vs
Tiger Mask II
I actually did this one on my review of the “Legend of Tiger Mask” DVD set, so I can just cut and paste. Baba apparently didn’t think that Steamboat was credible as a world champion, so this match was fairly far down the card, and not against a truly top guy. Mask puts on a display early, hitting a dropkick, then grabbing a headlock. I guess this is Steamboat filling the dates that Ric Flair had been scheduled for as champion. Mask hits a cross-body for 2, but Steamboat grabs a head scissors. Good GOD this whole disk is head locks and head scissors followed by insane head dropping. Steamboat goes to a chinlock, but misses a chop of the ropes, and Mask hits a knee strike for 2. Mask grabs his headlock, and works a couple of 2-counts out of it. Big chop gets 2, and Mask goes to a chinlock. He turns it into a headlock, then hits a dropkick for 2. Steamboat fires back with chops, then hits a knee drop for 2. Chop to the head gets 2. Mask hits a chop of his own, then an elbow to the head. Steamboat with an atomic drop and a clothesline for 2. Powerslam gets 2, but Mask gets a backdrop and a spin kick for 2. Another spin kick gets 2. Mask dropkicks him out and hits the baseball slide THEN PILEDRIVES HIM ON THE FLOOR. HOLY SHIT. Steamboat shrugs this off, and they just chop the fuck out of each other and go back in. Mask hits a backdropper and the frog splash, but it only gets 2. German gets 2. Big elbow from Mask, but Steamboat fires back. Mask rolls through a cross-body for 2. Steamboat sets him for a piledriver, but Mask counters, causing him to fall over backwards, and Mask sits on his chest for 2, but Steamboat reverses that into a sunset for the pin to retain the title, with Mask kicking out right at 3. Jesus, Baba had zero time for Steamboat as champion, did he? Gotta keep his natives strong. (** ½ 13:44) This was probably the worst Steamboat match I’ve ever seen before his second WWF run.
The Bottom Line: This whole set is full of amazing goodness, with very few stinkers. You’ll get sick of Flair versus Jumbo, you’ll get sick of Baba after two matches, you’ll wonder how they managed to keep Kerry Von Erich upright long enough to get the title on him, then back off of him, and you’ll wonder why Mitsuharu Misawa was enough of a dick to put on a bad match against Rick Steamboat of all people. This is really a set for wrestling purists, and not for sports entertainment fans, as the matches are formulaic, and the most recent one is 27 years old. Strongest possible recommendation for this set, if you can find it.
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Yoshiaki Yatsu
No idea how Yatsu rated an NWA title match here, but here he is. I guess all the other natives were doing other, more important things. They shake, and Yatsu mows him down. Right to the mat, and Flair sits out. Yatsu takes him down with an armbar, and there we are for a bit. Flair squirms to standing, but Yatsu stays on the arm. Flair fires back, chopping him in the corner. They go to another corner, and Yatsu reverses a whip and hits a powerslam for 2. He blocks a hiptoss and gets a backslide for 2. Flair goes into a wristlock, then they go back to the corner again. More chops. Yatsu blocks a suplex, so Flair punches him in the face. Snap mare over, and Flair drops the knee for 2. Flair gets a chinlock, but Yatsu goes to the ropes. He gets a sledge to the back, then a running knee to the gut. Backdrop, and Flair is begging off. Yatsu gets the setup of the Scorpion Deathlock, then he turns it over. Flair gets the ropes, I guess, so Yatsu releases it. Backbreaker, then another backdrop for 2. This is quite the pace by these two. Flair goes for a hip toss, and Yatsu just shoves him off. They lock up, and Yatsu takes him over with a headlock. Flair fights out and hits a back elbow. Gut – wrench suplex gets 2. Flair gets an abdominal stretch, but Yatsu hip tosses him out. Flair gets a back suplex for 2. Yatsu headbutts him in the gut, then hits a bulldog out of the corner. Flair does a cross – body, but they go tumbling over the top, just like the previous match. Flair sends Yatsu to a table, then to the railing. Suplex by Flair gets 2. He misses a badly telegraphed elbow, and Yatsu hits an enziguiri. Flair flip in the corner, but he falls on the apron. Big dropkick by Yatsu, and he gets a Saito suplex. He hits a missile dropkick, then a LARIATOO! Flair gets a rollup for 2. Yatsu with a German for 2. Flair goes to the apron for a breather, and trips Yatsu, wrapping his knee around the post. On the floor, and Flair back suplexes him. They start trading shots, and Yatsu hits a bulldog on the floor. Back in, and Flair gets the shinbreaker into the Figure – Four. Yatsu reverses into the ropes, and they wind up rolling to the floor, where Flair reapplies the hold, and we get yet another double countout. Fuck. That was a really good match marred by a shitty ending. No wonder they did massive business when they went to all clean finishes. (**** 17:08)
1987.03.10 AJPW at City Gymnasium, Koriyama, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Jumbo Tsuruta
My DVD set says this happened in May, but it’s March 10, 1987; since that’s the only time that Flair and Jumbo wrestled in 1987, and as far as I can tell, it’s the last time they ever wrestled each other for the NWA World Title. Jumbo takes him down with a wristlock, then a shoulderblock, and finally a hiptoss. Flair gets a hammerlock, and they stay on the mat again. This is the same start as every other Flair – Jumbo match. They trade chops, then Jumbo nails him with a clothesline. They brawl on the floor, with Flair running him to the railing. Flair abuses him a bit on the apron, then Jumbo comes in with a sunset flip for 2. He starts working the knee, but Flair cuts him off. Flair goes to the top, but pauses to woo, and Jumbo slams him off and stomps him. Jumbo gets a sleeper, but Flair gets the shinbreaker and Figure – Four. Jumbo makes the ropes after a reversal and sends him over the top in the corner. Jumbo with the jumping knee, but Flair’s foot is on the ropes at 2. Another jumping knee gets 2, with Flair kicking out this time. Flair fires back, running Jumbo to the buckles and taking him down with a headlock. They do the bridging backslide spot, with Jumbo getting 2. Jumbo with a sleeper, and they’re just running through the motions here, with no real rhyme nor reason to what they’re doing. It’s kind of sad, because this was still both guys in their respective prime. Flair with a suplex, but he hurts his own back and it only gets 2. He sinks in an abdominal stretch. Jumbo fights out and gets a Figure – Four. He drags Flair to the middle and puts on the Scorpion Deathlock, but Flair won’t give up and squirms to the ropes. Suplex gets 2. Rolling cradle gets 2 for Jumbo. Flair ducks a clothesline, and Jumbo murders the referee with it. Jumbo hits a couple of backdroppers, but there’s no ref. The ref comes in, and Flair gets a rolling cradle, still no ref. Jumbo gets an inside cradle, but the ref won’t count, so Jumbo shoves him down for the DQ. Not their best work here. Still better than most guys best work. (*** 18:45)
1987.03.12 AJPW at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Hiroshi Wajima
This is Flair on the riding the carousal of AJPW mid-carders. I don’t know why they scheduled him to be there to wrestle these guys. Wajima is not impressive looking in the slightest. I don’t know much about him, and this is the first time I’ve seen him. Seems he was a disgraced Sumo who was forced to resign after some scandals, and went to Baba for a job. Since he was a former Yokozuna, Baba pushed him as a star, but he was too old and beat up, and didn’t last very long as a pro wrestler. He works an armbar, and Flair tries to make him look good, but Wajima is just too limited. They exchange chops, and Wajima gets down in a sumo stance, so Flair bails out. Back in, and Wajima flattens Flair a few times with running shoulders, so Flair goes to the floor again. This is, to be delicate, not very good. Wajima grabs a headlock, because nobody can fuck that up. Flair backs him into the corner with chops, then works the arm wringer. Flair takes him down with a hammerlock and gets a couple of near-falls, then starts stomping the hammerlock. This is so, so bad. Flair is leading him through this, and Wajima is getting more and more lost. Flair does the flip in the corner, but winds up on the apron and rolls back in underneath. They trade shots, and Flair tries for the shinbreaker, but Wajima is just dead weight. Flair works the knee with the usual, then locks in the Figure – Four. Wajima sells it, then reverses it, but Flair breaks. Wajima gets an odd choke takedown for 2, then a lariat for 2. Shoulderblock, then Wajima gets a spinning toe – hold. Flair knocks him down, but Wajima keeps kicking him. Wajima goes for the Figure – Four, and Flair counters into an inside cradle for the pin. Wow. I’ve seen that happen to him a ton, but I’ve never seen him do it to someone. Even Flair couldn’t save this one. (* ½ 18:29)
1989.03.08
Rick Steamboat (Champion)
Vs
Tiger Mask II
I actually did this one on my review of the “Legend of Tiger Mask” DVD set, so I can just cut and paste. Baba apparently didn’t think that Steamboat was credible as a world champion, so this match was fairly far down the card, and not against a truly top guy. Mask puts on a display early, hitting a dropkick, then grabbing a headlock. I guess this is Steamboat filling the dates that Ric Flair had been scheduled for as champion. Mask hits a cross-body for 2, but Steamboat grabs a head scissors. Good GOD this whole disk is head locks and head scissors followed by insane head dropping. Steamboat goes to a chinlock, but misses a chop of the ropes, and Mask hits a knee strike for 2. Mask grabs his headlock, and works a couple of 2-counts out of it. Big chop gets 2, and Mask goes to a chinlock. He turns it into a headlock, then hits a dropkick for 2. Steamboat fires back with chops, then hits a knee drop for 2. Chop to the head gets 2. Mask hits a chop of his own, then an elbow to the head. Steamboat with an atomic drop and a clothesline for 2. Powerslam gets 2, but Mask gets a backdrop and a spin kick for 2. Another spin kick gets 2. Mask dropkicks him out and hits the baseball slide THEN PILEDRIVES HIM ON THE FLOOR. HOLY SHIT. Steamboat shrugs this off, and they just chop the fuck out of each other and go back in. Mask hits a backdropper and the frog splash, but it only gets 2. German gets 2. Big elbow from Mask, but Steamboat fires back. Mask rolls through a cross-body for 2. Steamboat sets him for a piledriver, but Mask counters, causing him to fall over backwards, and Mask sits on his chest for 2, but Steamboat reverses that into a sunset for the pin to retain the title, with Mask kicking out right at 3. Jesus, Baba had zero time for Steamboat as champion, did he? Gotta keep his natives strong. (** ½ 13:44) This was probably the worst Steamboat match I’ve ever seen before his second WWF run.
The Bottom Line: This whole set is full of amazing goodness, with very few stinkers. You’ll get sick of Flair versus Jumbo, you’ll get sick of Baba after two matches, you’ll wonder how they managed to keep Kerry Von Erich upright long enough to get the title on him, then back off of him, and you’ll wonder why Mitsuharu Misawa was enough of a dick to put on a bad match against Rick Steamboat of all people. This is really a set for wrestling purists, and not for sports entertainment fans, as the matches are formulaic, and the most recent one is 27 years old. Strongest possible recommendation for this set, if you can find it.