Post by Shatter Machine on Dec 10, 2016 8:25:44 GMT -5
DISK THREE “The Triple Crown”
1991.10.24
AJPW Triple Crown
Jumbo Tsuruta
Vs.
Toshiaki Kawada
I love Jumbo’s music. Very disco. Misawa had beaten Jumbo, and now it was Kawada’s turn to face the legend. The streamers are threatening to totally overrun the ring here, it’s amazing. I wish they’d allow that in the states. Jumbo towers over Kawada, who might be about 5”6” (He was billed at 6’, but there’s just no way). He takes Jumbo down with a headlock, but that doesn’t last long. Jumbo knees out of it and throws him to the floor. Kawada rushes right back in and gets the headlock again and takes him right back down. Amazing. Misawa is shown watching the match from the crowd with his usual puzzled look on his face. Jumbo forces the break on the ropes, then gets a running knee to Kawada’s stomach. He hits another, but Kawada nails him with a couple of forearms and takes him back down with the headlock. Jumbo hits a knee crusher, then gets a half – crab. Kawada kicks him to get out of it, so Jumbo pounds his back. Kawada gets an abdominal stretch, but he isn’t tall enough to execute it properly on Jumbo, so Jumbo just walks over to the ropes and dumps him to the floor. Kawada tries the abdominal stretch on the floor, but that’s dumb, so Jumbo rolls back in. Kawada controls with knees, then gets a half – crab of his own. Jumbo escapes and murders him with a lariat, but when he tries another, Kawada jumps up and kicks him, hard, right in the face for 2. They trade slaps, then Jumbo hits the jumping knee. He locks in a sleeper, but Kawada is still fighting and makes the ropes. He tries again, but Kawada gets a judo throw and locks in a sleeper of his own. They start trading slaps again, and Jumbo hits ANOTHER jumping knee. Kawada floats over on a suplex and gets the sleeper again, but they go to the ropes. To the floor, and Kawada sends him to the railing. He locks in a sleeper again, and again they break in the ropes. Kawada slams him and hits a back elbow from the top for 2. He counters a Jumbo backdropper into a near fall, then Jumbo gets one. Jumbo gets a boot for 2. Kawada counters the backdropper for 2 again. Jumbo blocks the clothesline to the front, so Kawada clotheslines him from behind and locks in a choke sleeper. They go to the ropes, so he gets it again. This happens a couple of times, then Kawada tries a piledriver but just lets go and drops Jumbo on his head. Jumbo hits a boot for 2, but Kawada blocks the backdropper for 2. Jumbo hits a sick clothesline to the back of Kawada’s head, then a backdropper that almost kills him, but only gets 2. Kawada kicks him in the face, but Jumbo hits a lariat followed by a Thesz press for 2. Dropkick, and a backdropper gets the pin for Jumbo. That was really good. (**** 19:05)
1992.08.22
AJPW Triple Crown
Stan Hansen (Champion)
Vs
Mitsuharu Misawa
Hansen was such a monster compared to Misawa. He tries to bully him, but Misawa is having none of it as they trade early on. Misawa uses his quickness to avoid a shot near the ropes, so Hansen grabs an overhand wristlock and drives him to the mat. Misawa gets the ropes, but Hansen cheap shots him and starts pounding. He grabs the wrist and drives him back to the mat again, but Misawa forearms him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Hansen regroups and comes back in. Misawa gets a headlock, and they go to the mat again, working the whole time. To the ropes for a break, but Hansen just headbutts the shit out of him. Misawa fires back with kicks, then he grabs a chinlock. They go to the mat again, then to the ropes, then to the floor… almost. Back in, but Misawa won’t let it go. Hansen finally sends him to the buckle and they break. Hansen lets him have it in the corner and won’t let him up, drawing cat calls from the crowd. He gets a head and arm lock that drives Misawa to the mat, and he turns that into an armbar. He works the arm, but Misawa reverses into an overhand wristlock. Hansen finally leverages his way free and starts dropping elbows. They fuck up a spot on the apron, leading to Misawa selling when he didn’t get hit. Hansen literally stands on Misawa’s neck, then kicks him to the apron. He drags Misawa to the floor, where he hits a shoulder breaker. Hansen goes back in, then comes out briefly to attack again. He won’t let him in, then goes to the floor to work his arm even more. The ref is hilarious, screaming at Hansen in perfect English to go back in the ring. Again, Misawa tries to go in, and again Hansen bull rushes him, knocking him to the apron. Misawa fights him off, then splashes him coming in. He starts working Hansen’s arm, but that gets cut right the fuck off, and Hansen drops an elbow for 2. Misawa floats over on a suplex, and they fuck up an armbar takedown, but Hansen goes down anyway, so Misawa grabs it on the mat. They start fighting it out, and Hansen busts out a motherfucking DROPKICK, then a shoulderblock. DDT gets 2. He readies the Lariat, but Misawa hits a spin kick. He goes for a German, but has to nail Hansen with a forearm to the back of the head for 2. Suplex, and Misawa goes up. He hits a top rope forearm for 2. He goes for a sleeper, but Hansen fights it off, but he gets it again. Hansen fights for the ropes, but Misawa drags him back and re-applies the hold. He lets go and gets a 2 count and a Senton. He goes up, but misses the Frog Splash. Hansen gets 2. They start trading on the mat, and Hansen nails him with a knee for 2. Misawa blocks a piledriver, so Hansen kicks him and tries again, this time getting a powerbomb. He hauls Misawa up, then slams him and pulls his kneepad down. Kneedrop gets 2. He readies the Lariat again, but Misawa gets a crucifix but can’t take him over. Hansen turns it into a Samoan drop. Hansen with another shoulder breaker, then he gets the cross armbreaker, but Misawa is in the ropes. Misawa forearms him in the face, but Hansen hits a boot. Misawa turns and floors him with an elbow. That’s enough for the pin and the title! Holy shit that was anticlimactic! It was a lot of resting early on, then some brawling, then the usual near-fall stuff, then an odd ending out of nowhere. Throw in some blown spots, and you’ve got a match that pretty much just missed on every possible level. Kind of disappointing for Misawa’s first big title win. (*** ½ 24:24)
1992.10.21 Nippon Budokan
AJPW Triple Crown
Mitsuharu Misawa (Champion)
Vs
Toshiaki Kawada
The sound on my DVD is really bad, as it keeps going high and low. This is their first singles match between these two in about ten years, and it’s the first time it’s ever meant something. Lord James Blears reads a proclamation before the match. There’s no program between them, it’s just that Kawada had earned a title shot, and Misawa gave it to him. The crowd is jacked for this, and Kawada just drops him right on his fucking head right away. No wonder Misawa died young. Jesus. Kawada works an armbar and won’t let it go. He keeps working the arm, taking him down a few times, eventually into an armbreaker. Misawa gets the ropes, and then they start trading, with Misawa beating him down. He’s stiff as hell, and Kawada is reeling all of the sudden. Misawa gets a surfboard, and the struggle over that begins. Kawada fails a couple of times to reverse it, so he gets a mule kick and breaks free completely. He takes Misawa down and gets some riding time with a crossface. They roll around, then go to standing and start trading kicks. Misawa monkeyflips him out of the corner, then turns him over in a Boston Crab. He lets one leg go, but Kawada grabs the rope. Backbreaker gets 1. Misawa goes to rear chinlock and I start getting bored with this. Misawa works the back with elbows and a leg submission hold. Suplex gets 2, then to a surfboard on the mat. Kawada gets a spin kick out of nowhere for 2. He sets for a Scorpion Deathlock and turns Misawa over. His damn legs are too short, so he turns it into a crossbow, and Misawa rolls to the floor. When he comes back in, Kawada works the back, hitting a senton for 2. Into a chinlock, but that doesn’t last long. Misawa fights out and hits a dropkick, but Kawada hits a heel kick. Misawa goes for a suplex, but Kawada takes him down with an armbar. Misawa wiggles to the ropes, and they start exchanging chops, kicks and elbows. Misawa hits a spin kick, then a diving elbow to a standing Kawada from the top. He goes for a butterfly suplex, but Kawada blocks. He backs him into the corner, so they start exchanging kicks. Kawada hits a clothesline to the back for 2. They tease a powerbomb, and Kawada gets it for 2 after a couple of tries. Misawa backdrops out of another one, and Kawada hits a slam. Knee from the second rope for 2. He goes for the abdominal stretch, but Misawa escapes. Kawada gets the Stretch Plum, but Misawa won’t give up. The crowd is convinced that this is it, but they go tumbling to the floor. Huge lariat by Kawada for 2. He gets a kick, but Misawa blocks a second. Kawada hits one for 2, but Misawa is in the ropes. They fight over a German, with Misawa getting it for 2. Tiger Driver ’91 gets 2! Misawa gets the facelock, but Kawada goes to the ropes. He snap mares him to the middle, and locks it back in. He releases it and gets 2. Back to the facelock, but Kawada makes the ropes. Slam by Misawa, and he hits a frog splash for 2. Kawada bails, so Misawa nails him with a tope suicida! Big running forearm on the inside by Misawa gets 2. Jumping kick out of nowhere by Kawada and we’ve got a double down. Kawada starts kicking, then goes for the Dragon Suplex, but Misawa blocks it. German suplex instead gets 2. Dragon Suplex gets 2. He goes for the facelock, then locks in the sleeper on the mat, although it’s more of a choke. Misawa rolls to the ropes. Misawa hits a reverse enziguiri (to the FACE) then a forearm to the back of the head for 2. The crowd was convinced that was the finish. Another Tiger Driver ’91 gets another near-fall. Tiger Suplex! Only 2! He kicks Misawa several times in the leg, but Misawa forearms him, then a huge Tiger Suplex gets the pin! That was a hot finishing sequence that went about eight minutes. Got hot at the end, which really made up for the boring as hell opening segment. (**** ¼ 29:52)
1991.10.24
AJPW Triple Crown
Jumbo Tsuruta
Vs.
Toshiaki Kawada
I love Jumbo’s music. Very disco. Misawa had beaten Jumbo, and now it was Kawada’s turn to face the legend. The streamers are threatening to totally overrun the ring here, it’s amazing. I wish they’d allow that in the states. Jumbo towers over Kawada, who might be about 5”6” (He was billed at 6’, but there’s just no way). He takes Jumbo down with a headlock, but that doesn’t last long. Jumbo knees out of it and throws him to the floor. Kawada rushes right back in and gets the headlock again and takes him right back down. Amazing. Misawa is shown watching the match from the crowd with his usual puzzled look on his face. Jumbo forces the break on the ropes, then gets a running knee to Kawada’s stomach. He hits another, but Kawada nails him with a couple of forearms and takes him back down with the headlock. Jumbo hits a knee crusher, then gets a half – crab. Kawada kicks him to get out of it, so Jumbo pounds his back. Kawada gets an abdominal stretch, but he isn’t tall enough to execute it properly on Jumbo, so Jumbo just walks over to the ropes and dumps him to the floor. Kawada tries the abdominal stretch on the floor, but that’s dumb, so Jumbo rolls back in. Kawada controls with knees, then gets a half – crab of his own. Jumbo escapes and murders him with a lariat, but when he tries another, Kawada jumps up and kicks him, hard, right in the face for 2. They trade slaps, then Jumbo hits the jumping knee. He locks in a sleeper, but Kawada is still fighting and makes the ropes. He tries again, but Kawada gets a judo throw and locks in a sleeper of his own. They start trading slaps again, and Jumbo hits ANOTHER jumping knee. Kawada floats over on a suplex and gets the sleeper again, but they go to the ropes. To the floor, and Kawada sends him to the railing. He locks in a sleeper again, and again they break in the ropes. Kawada slams him and hits a back elbow from the top for 2. He counters a Jumbo backdropper into a near fall, then Jumbo gets one. Jumbo gets a boot for 2. Kawada counters the backdropper for 2 again. Jumbo blocks the clothesline to the front, so Kawada clotheslines him from behind and locks in a choke sleeper. They go to the ropes, so he gets it again. This happens a couple of times, then Kawada tries a piledriver but just lets go and drops Jumbo on his head. Jumbo hits a boot for 2, but Kawada blocks the backdropper for 2. Jumbo hits a sick clothesline to the back of Kawada’s head, then a backdropper that almost kills him, but only gets 2. Kawada kicks him in the face, but Jumbo hits a lariat followed by a Thesz press for 2. Dropkick, and a backdropper gets the pin for Jumbo. That was really good. (**** 19:05)
1992.08.22
AJPW Triple Crown
Stan Hansen (Champion)
Vs
Mitsuharu Misawa
Hansen was such a monster compared to Misawa. He tries to bully him, but Misawa is having none of it as they trade early on. Misawa uses his quickness to avoid a shot near the ropes, so Hansen grabs an overhand wristlock and drives him to the mat. Misawa gets the ropes, but Hansen cheap shots him and starts pounding. He grabs the wrist and drives him back to the mat again, but Misawa forearms him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Hansen regroups and comes back in. Misawa gets a headlock, and they go to the mat again, working the whole time. To the ropes for a break, but Hansen just headbutts the shit out of him. Misawa fires back with kicks, then he grabs a chinlock. They go to the mat again, then to the ropes, then to the floor… almost. Back in, but Misawa won’t let it go. Hansen finally sends him to the buckle and they break. Hansen lets him have it in the corner and won’t let him up, drawing cat calls from the crowd. He gets a head and arm lock that drives Misawa to the mat, and he turns that into an armbar. He works the arm, but Misawa reverses into an overhand wristlock. Hansen finally leverages his way free and starts dropping elbows. They fuck up a spot on the apron, leading to Misawa selling when he didn’t get hit. Hansen literally stands on Misawa’s neck, then kicks him to the apron. He drags Misawa to the floor, where he hits a shoulder breaker. Hansen goes back in, then comes out briefly to attack again. He won’t let him in, then goes to the floor to work his arm even more. The ref is hilarious, screaming at Hansen in perfect English to go back in the ring. Again, Misawa tries to go in, and again Hansen bull rushes him, knocking him to the apron. Misawa fights him off, then splashes him coming in. He starts working Hansen’s arm, but that gets cut right the fuck off, and Hansen drops an elbow for 2. Misawa floats over on a suplex, and they fuck up an armbar takedown, but Hansen goes down anyway, so Misawa grabs it on the mat. They start fighting it out, and Hansen busts out a motherfucking DROPKICK, then a shoulderblock. DDT gets 2. He readies the Lariat, but Misawa hits a spin kick. He goes for a German, but has to nail Hansen with a forearm to the back of the head for 2. Suplex, and Misawa goes up. He hits a top rope forearm for 2. He goes for a sleeper, but Hansen fights it off, but he gets it again. Hansen fights for the ropes, but Misawa drags him back and re-applies the hold. He lets go and gets a 2 count and a Senton. He goes up, but misses the Frog Splash. Hansen gets 2. They start trading on the mat, and Hansen nails him with a knee for 2. Misawa blocks a piledriver, so Hansen kicks him and tries again, this time getting a powerbomb. He hauls Misawa up, then slams him and pulls his kneepad down. Kneedrop gets 2. He readies the Lariat again, but Misawa gets a crucifix but can’t take him over. Hansen turns it into a Samoan drop. Hansen with another shoulder breaker, then he gets the cross armbreaker, but Misawa is in the ropes. Misawa forearms him in the face, but Hansen hits a boot. Misawa turns and floors him with an elbow. That’s enough for the pin and the title! Holy shit that was anticlimactic! It was a lot of resting early on, then some brawling, then the usual near-fall stuff, then an odd ending out of nowhere. Throw in some blown spots, and you’ve got a match that pretty much just missed on every possible level. Kind of disappointing for Misawa’s first big title win. (*** ½ 24:24)
1992.10.21 Nippon Budokan
AJPW Triple Crown
Mitsuharu Misawa (Champion)
Vs
Toshiaki Kawada
The sound on my DVD is really bad, as it keeps going high and low. This is their first singles match between these two in about ten years, and it’s the first time it’s ever meant something. Lord James Blears reads a proclamation before the match. There’s no program between them, it’s just that Kawada had earned a title shot, and Misawa gave it to him. The crowd is jacked for this, and Kawada just drops him right on his fucking head right away. No wonder Misawa died young. Jesus. Kawada works an armbar and won’t let it go. He keeps working the arm, taking him down a few times, eventually into an armbreaker. Misawa gets the ropes, and then they start trading, with Misawa beating him down. He’s stiff as hell, and Kawada is reeling all of the sudden. Misawa gets a surfboard, and the struggle over that begins. Kawada fails a couple of times to reverse it, so he gets a mule kick and breaks free completely. He takes Misawa down and gets some riding time with a crossface. They roll around, then go to standing and start trading kicks. Misawa monkeyflips him out of the corner, then turns him over in a Boston Crab. He lets one leg go, but Kawada grabs the rope. Backbreaker gets 1. Misawa goes to rear chinlock and I start getting bored with this. Misawa works the back with elbows and a leg submission hold. Suplex gets 2, then to a surfboard on the mat. Kawada gets a spin kick out of nowhere for 2. He sets for a Scorpion Deathlock and turns Misawa over. His damn legs are too short, so he turns it into a crossbow, and Misawa rolls to the floor. When he comes back in, Kawada works the back, hitting a senton for 2. Into a chinlock, but that doesn’t last long. Misawa fights out and hits a dropkick, but Kawada hits a heel kick. Misawa goes for a suplex, but Kawada takes him down with an armbar. Misawa wiggles to the ropes, and they start exchanging chops, kicks and elbows. Misawa hits a spin kick, then a diving elbow to a standing Kawada from the top. He goes for a butterfly suplex, but Kawada blocks. He backs him into the corner, so they start exchanging kicks. Kawada hits a clothesline to the back for 2. They tease a powerbomb, and Kawada gets it for 2 after a couple of tries. Misawa backdrops out of another one, and Kawada hits a slam. Knee from the second rope for 2. He goes for the abdominal stretch, but Misawa escapes. Kawada gets the Stretch Plum, but Misawa won’t give up. The crowd is convinced that this is it, but they go tumbling to the floor. Huge lariat by Kawada for 2. He gets a kick, but Misawa blocks a second. Kawada hits one for 2, but Misawa is in the ropes. They fight over a German, with Misawa getting it for 2. Tiger Driver ’91 gets 2! Misawa gets the facelock, but Kawada goes to the ropes. He snap mares him to the middle, and locks it back in. He releases it and gets 2. Back to the facelock, but Kawada makes the ropes. Slam by Misawa, and he hits a frog splash for 2. Kawada bails, so Misawa nails him with a tope suicida! Big running forearm on the inside by Misawa gets 2. Jumping kick out of nowhere by Kawada and we’ve got a double down. Kawada starts kicking, then goes for the Dragon Suplex, but Misawa blocks it. German suplex instead gets 2. Dragon Suplex gets 2. He goes for the facelock, then locks in the sleeper on the mat, although it’s more of a choke. Misawa rolls to the ropes. Misawa hits a reverse enziguiri (to the FACE) then a forearm to the back of the head for 2. The crowd was convinced that was the finish. Another Tiger Driver ’91 gets another near-fall. Tiger Suplex! Only 2! He kicks Misawa several times in the leg, but Misawa forearms him, then a huge Tiger Suplex gets the pin! That was a hot finishing sequence that went about eight minutes. Got hot at the end, which really made up for the boring as hell opening segment. (**** ¼ 29:52)