The Furious Flashbacks – Available Online #2

The Furious Flashbacks – Available Online #2

Lots of great stuff, some stupid stuff and Giant Baba v Raja Lion

Hope you all enjoyed the last one of these. I’ll try and keep them as frequent as possible. This time I’ll be taking a continued look at Japan in the late 80s and early 90s with occasional wandering elsewhere.

All matches are available on YouTube unless otherwise stated.

25th May 1989.

IWGP title – Vader (c) v Salman Hashimikov

When Vader won the title it looked like he was in for a very long run with the belt BUT this is a mere 31 days after his win. Russian wrestlers were becoming the ‘in’ thing for a while with the NWA showing an interest and Inoki falling in love with Hashimikov for his shoot style. Here he’s incredibly effective against Vader. He gets in too close for Vader to hit him and targets the arm that was injured beforehand. When Vader establishes space he’s able to take over and dominate, which is how he beats everybody. After a particularly stiff sequence of punches Salman bails to discuss this with his corner. They obviously tell him to get back in there and suplex Vader around FOR MOTHER RUSSIA! Because that’s what he does. Dr Death is unimpressed by this turn of events because Hashimikov looked completely beaten just a minute beforehand. You get the feeling Vader has underestimated Salman. It’s a little like Rocky IV only with Rocky being the Russian. Vader looks a little lethargic and Hashimikov completes the upset in under 10 minutes then runs around like, well, Rocky. Vader is NOT happy and attacks him immediately while he’s celebrating like a big Soviet goofball. **3/4. Not really Vader at his best. I suspect he was a bit pissed off about taking the job.

Don’t have a date for this next match but I really don’t care because look at what it is! Probably around March 1989.

NWA title – Ricky Steamboat (c) v Tiger Mask II

Its only two of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen going head to head with a major world title on the line. It’s a big early for Misawa as he didn’t quite hit ***** territory until the following year but Steamboat is at his very best so the timing is almost perfect. Misawa plays Steamboat to Steamboat’s Flair in the early going by using his speed to get flash roll up’s and takeovers. And yes, Misawa is faster than Steamboat and this is 1989 when Steamboat was insanely fast compared to everyone else. You could argue that Steamboat is making him look good, which is the whole point of the NWA champion being in Japan; to make the natives look better than they are. Unfortunately after a HOT, HOT, HOT opening they settle into chinlockery, which is disappointing. There’s a fantastic dropkick from Misawa right afterwards though and Steamboat bumps it like a motherfucker; landing on his neck and staying there all folded over like a delicious savoury pancake. A pancake made of awesome. Misawa does something cool when Steamboat skins the cat. He lets him expend the energy then just dropkicks him over the top. Steamboat takes exception and brings the CHOPS~! Misawa responds with a swank frogsplash and a near perfect German suplex. The crowd is losing its shit expecting a Misawa victory btw, which makes the near falls all the more exciting. He goes for a killer piledriver but that leads into a near falls, which leads into Steamboat holding Misawa down for the win. ***1/2. Not great as far as dream matches go but they had freakish chemistry and I don’t think it’s the only time they’ve wrestled each other so I’ll be taking a look around to see if they did better.

You ain’t from around here, are ya boy?

Strange seeing some people in Japan. Almost as if they got lost in Atlanta’s airport and mistakenly headed for Tokyo. For example…

22nd February 1989.

Tatsumi Fujinami v Vicious Warrior

The “Warrior” is none other than Sid Eudy so I’m not expecting a technical mat classic, which is what Fujinami specialises in. This is before Sid joined the WWF and I’m 90% sure that it’s an IWGP title match. As soon as the match gets underway Sid gets a headlock takeover and works the shit out of the mat. What the fuck? Where did this match come from? I guess Sid hasn’t learned to work New York Style yet and is actually, wait for it, WRESTLING. It’ll never catch on. The wrestling is pretty much limited to trading headlocks until Sid breaks out a DROPKICK. Its horrible and barely waist high. Then Sid improvises a powerbomb that the Dragon refuses to lie down for so Sid breaks out the WHIRLYBIRD SLAM. What the fuck is this match? Sid’s so green but he’s doing all manner of crazy shit that you never see him even consider post 1989. Fujinami changes gears, takes the wheels away from the big man and that’ll be all she wrote. Sid should have stayed in Japan and learned how to work before going and making his money because he’d have been way better than he was. At this point he couldn’t sell and his strikes sucked but he was ambitious. And raw. Dragon takes this with a half crab but beforehand he had a Sharpshooter on and that was EVIL. He sat right down on it. *. Interesting curio but you could see Sid’s shortcomings. They were very obvious. All he really did was stop wrestling and added a better powerbomb to his repertoire and that was his career. Still, he was world champion so fair play to him.

1st November 1990

IWGP tag titles – Keiji Mutoh/Masa Chono (c) v Hiroshi Hase/Kensuke Sasaki

I’ve never given this one a shot because I hate Muta so much but if there’s a period I would watch Muta wrestle, given the choice, it’d be around 1990 when he gave a shit and could still move about. Crowd is SUPER HOT for all this with Sasaki popping off power moves and Muta locking up with Hase gets a massive pop. Muta-Hase is usually pretty good because they’re so evenly matched. Kinda boring here though. Muta hits a move then goes to a rest hold. Rinse, repeat, switch in Chono, rinse, repeat. Except Chono doesn’t even have the decency to hit a move before going to the rest hold. Hase, with his Mexican porn star moustache, makes a point of applying the gayest submission hold I’ve seen in some time; basically a rear mount with an armbar. Muta works in his better spots like the elbow, springboard back elbow and the Mutalock. Its Sasaki who makes the match happen by coming in and just PUNCHING Chono in the face. BAM! Right in the jaw. It looked like a KO in a boxing match. Chono crumpled on the mat like yesterday’s work shirt. Chono’s receipt is fantastic too. A pair of Yakuza kicks to the face. Then its STF time but twice Sasaki escapes so Muta comes in to take the leg instead. Sasaki really wasn’t very good back then. He’s gotten better. At least his dropkicks are at head height, Sid. As bad as Sasaki can get, Muta is worse. His spots in this one get progressively shoddier as the match goes on. Like a horrible backbreaker, a sloppy back suplex and a moonsault that practically misses. Then it all goes crazy and Hase picks off Muta with a Northern Lights suplex for the titles. **1/2. I can’t see the love for this one. The first half of the match is dull, the second half disjointed. I guess I just can’t deal with Muta matches. Sorry, Muta fans.

27th April 1991

Jushin Liger v Owen Hart

This is all SO good. Its constant counters, lucha and all done at such high speed. Owen leaves it all in the ring and hits a plancha about 2 minutes in. Liger will not be outdone and suplexes Owen to the floor. Hey, wait a minute, that’s STILL Owen’s bump. You cheeky fucker. Owen spends a while working the arm, which is highlighted by a jumping armbreaker and Liger switching it around and doing the ‘eye for an eye’ thing. In this case; an arm for an arm. Liger seems to have a few difficulties setting stuff up, so opts for a clean break and a koppou kick. As much as I like high flying Liger I actually prefer his later work where he relies more heavily on strikes and treating his opponents like bitches. Closest he gets here is dropkicking a flipping Owen out of the air. They botch a Tombstone counter and Owen has to pick Liger up to finish it. Oops. Owen then befriends the ropes and starts using high spots like a motherfucker. Three times he mounts the buckles for near falls; the best being a slick moonsault. The finish is down to Owen going to the well and Liger catching him with a SIIIIIIIIICCCCKKK TOP ROPE DDT. Owen pretty much head spiked it. ****. Mostly smooth and flew by (17 minutes) but lacking in the intensity department until the finish. Still a great matchup.

Because I’m hungover and because wrestling is just getting way too serious for me here I needed a spot of comic relief. Hence this match from 2009…

Bret Kikuhart vs Shawn Antonio Honda Michaels

Yes, its Japan’s take on the Montreal Screwjob. Honda’s God Loving HBK is pretty funny especially as he has to do his own pyro by extending his hands and making PUTPUTPUT noises. Bret is played by the former Ebessan, the all-time superstar of comedy matches, Kikutaro. He can’t give a kid his shades though because they’re part of the mask. Ebessan does love his mockery and most of the lock up’s in this one involve them both posing. “Shawn” adjusting his hair and “Bret” doing the jacket pose sans jacket. Honda’s Shawn is more accurate than Kikutaro’s Bret but they both work in trademark spots. The ref helps Shawn do his nip up but that makes his wig fall off. Haha. Shawn briefly stops off to pray for victory so Kikutaro has to remind him, from lying on the floor, that he’s supposed to be warming up the band. Comically bad wrestling follows before the superkick leads to the Sharpshooter and the ref is trying to find his contact lens so misses Bret tapping out. I don’t remember any of this taking place in Montreal. Bret puts the Sharpshooter on and the ref calls for the bell without even looking at it. That is NOT how I remember it going down. I do love my comedy matches but this wasn’t anything near the level of Ebessan-Kuishinbo Kamen, which is the five star bar of comedy matches. I’ll probably throw one of those in at some point during this Available Online series.

Enough of this nonsense, back to ALL JAPAN, where its all awesome, all the time. Or it used to be anyway.

11th October 1989.

Triple Crown – Genichiro Tenryu (c) v Jumbo Tsuruta

Yep, its Jumbo’s re-match for all the gold with turncoat Tenryu planning on leaving the company and company man Jumbo out to regain the belts before he does so. A bit like Cena-Punk only not quite as urgent as Tenryu didn’t even leave until April. They work in some tidy familiarity stuff like Tenryu side-stepping the high knee or Jumbo blocking the gamengiri with both arms. Its clever and reminds us how intense their rivalry is and how much homework both men have done. But Tenryu smacks Jumbo in the ear and that causes tempers to be lost, hands to get slappy and chairs to be used. Crowd are NOT happy with Jumbo being a prick even though he was slighted AND he’s fighting for the companies honour. Tenryu feels the need to be an even bigger jerk, kicking Jumbo’s bad arm, then the back of his head in a DISRESPECTUL fashion. It’s a battle of who can be the bigger asshole and it’s a tough call. With 10 minutes left in the match they start going into near falls territory, which would be another great staple of AJPW in the 90s; the million false finishes. Jumbo comes close with the Thesz Press and a lariat but he’s just not done enough damage beforehand. He keeps plugging away and wearing Tenryu down although not expending the same levels of energy that cost him the title to begin with. Tenryu’s comeback is cut short by another dick move; a stamp to the face and the Bomb’s Away gets 2. Here Tenryu learns from his failure to stop the knee drops and cuts Jumbo off after the first one before hitting him in the head with a table! Again, the contest to see who can be the biggest jerk is close. Jumbo starts no selling so Tenryu goes after the powerbomb and Jumbo avoids it. After all that’s the move that cost him the title. Tenryu starts his own countering campaign so Jumbo LARIATS HIS FACE. BACKDROP DRIVAAAAARRRR but Tenryu gets into the ropes. Jumbo considers stealing the powerbomb so Tenryu SLAPS HIM IN THE FACE. Another powerbomb attempt but Jumbo breaks out the reversal and takes home the gold! Fuck you, Tenryu! He leaves immediately with his contingent looking thoroughly pissed off. ****1/2. Not quite as great as the first match despite having an ending and structure that made more sense. Still a flat out awesome bout between two great workers.

Time for some ladies wrestling. And not that bullshit that the WWE or TNA parade around as wrestling with pretty women and such. No, we’re going plain ugly.

14th November 1990

Cage match – Aja Kong v Bull Nakano

Both ladies are a bit chunky so its hard to say who has the size or power advantage. The hairspray industry actually went into decline when Nakano retired. She must have gone through 2 or 3 cans of the stuff on a single night to get that effect. Aja nearly levels the hair with a pair of sickening spinning backfists. Then another pair. Then a brace. The repeated punches to the face have drawn blood and it looks like a bladejob. Just when Kong seems to have this in hand Nakano breaks out the nunchucks! I swear Kong must have hit at least 15 spinning backfists and they all landed. I love Kong trying to no sell plunder shots and Bull’s reaction where she looks more stunned with every no-sell. Try no selling nunchucks, bitch! So, Kong is bleeding. That one might even be hardway. The thing I love most about this match is just when you think it can’t get anymore brutal it does. Like Kong’s response to the nunchucks; HEADBUTTS. Keeping in mind she’s already busted open. Bull’s response? Jumping off the ropes and kicking Kong in the head. That sprays blood onto the ring side camera. EWWWWW! So Kong starts hitting plunder shots TO THE LEG. Nakano does NOT like that. Oh fuck, is that a pair of scissors? Bull goes all SID VICIOUS on Kong and stabs the hell out of her arm. Holy shit, that is absolutely sickening. Good lord. You can hear her screaming while Nakano stabs away at the arm. More blood onto the ringside camera from the arm. Classy. Kong wants revenge for the stabbing and gets the idea of killing Nakano with a length of rope. Tempers are getting a wee bit frayed! The seconds all get into a fight because Bull tries to kill Kong with a length of chain. Nakano would win but her legs are a bit fucked. They proceed to take it in turns to drop each other on their heads, which at least gives Nakano’s leg a bit of a break. Nakano then busts out the awesome with a LEG JAM OFF THE CAGE, which I don’t much care for the selling on, as she just pops back up afterwards and climbs out for the win. ****. Brutal match with a sensational finish.

Time for a quicky before heading to bed on a weary eyed Sunday evening…

DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship: LADDER (c) v Cocolo

I love DDT. They’re insane people. This bout, lasting 24 seconds, features the reigning hardcore champion (a ladder) defending against a dachshund. The dachshund wins by virtue of outside interference and following the STAY command after being placed on its opponent. Fifty million stars. Oh, and if you think this is daft this is one of THREE different ladders that have held the title. Among other champions are a baseball bat, a poster and Misutero, an invisible wrestler.

8th June 1990.

Triple Crown – Terry Gordy (c) v Stan Hansen

Gordy won the belts just 3 days prior to this and was the first gaijin champion. This is unfortunately the clipped version, which would be a first for this column but I don’t see the full match on YouTube. I’ve never seen it either way, just Gordy’s first title win. Most of Gordy’s offence is out of desperation while Hansen at least does it justice by selling it with a level of shock usually associated with having a stroke. Gordy can’t quite get Hansen into the killer positions though and Hansen is using the bizarre tactic of being sneaky. Since when does Hansen use flash roll up’s? Its to sell Gordy’s dominance but at any moment Hansen can win with a lariat and doesn’t seem to apply his more aggressive tactics. Just as I type “lariat” Hansen hits a lariat and gets the pin. Clipped to about 6 minutes its not rateable but a nice moment if you’re a fan of Hansen. Which I actually am because he’s so fierce and antagonistic.

POST MATCH Dr Death comes out to check on Gordy and he’s so angered by Hansen winning without brutalising anyone that he attacks the champ. The announcer responds with something that sounds suspiciously like “these gaijins are crazy”.

17th February 1984

Dynamite Kid v Cobra

We all know DK v Tiger Mask was an awesome match and I’d hope you’ve seen most of their matches but Cobra was cool too. Another Japanese native in a mask he hailed from Uganda; home of all African wrestling. Both guys are athletic and can land all the flippy stuff but hell, this ain’t gymnastics and when Cobra really comes good is in the grappling. You could argue he’s better at grappling than TM. Sayama’s strengths tended to lie in other areas. Cobra isn’t without high spots though and busts out what looks like a variation on the Sasuke Special with him tumbling into a dive where he faceplants into concrete. Cobra’s lack of selling on the Tombstone is pretty shameful though. Who’s he think he is? Roadwarrior Hawk? DK is NOT impressed and spends the rest of the match throwing him around until Cobra can’t stand anymore. No sell another Tombstone, bitch, I dare ya! ***. One of those great matches under 10 minutes. Kid wasn’t quite as his suicidal best but this match had some cracking spots in.

1st September 1990.

Mitsuharu Misawa v Jumbo Tsuruta

Ever have one of those moments where you realise you’ve been spelling a word wrong for YEARS. For some reason I always thought it was Mitsuhara Misawa but apparently its MitsuharU. Embarrassing. Anyhow, this is the big rematch that Tsuruta & Misawa had after Misawa’s huge victory over Jumbo in June. I’ve seen the June match 3 or 4 times and it’s a hell of a bout. Massive breakthrough match for Misawa. When searching for this look for “Tsuruta vs Misawa the rematch”. Crowd is molten magma hot before they even lockup and every single move in the match is popped like the end of the world. Interesting to see Jumbo shrug off Misawa’s elbows. He was probably the last person to do that. After that Misawa changes tack and looks for the flash pins, probably thinking that Jumbo is a bit old and perhaps susceptible to the youthful hustle he possesses. Jumbo shrugs it all off and just carries on with his basic gameplan of power, dominance and grumpiness. He’s aiming to grind Misawa into submission. But now Misawa isn’t the same man. He’s beaten Jumbo so he knows he can do it again. Compared to last time Misawa is far more patient. He’s content to go at Tsuruta’s pace and wait for his opening. Compare this to his work under the mask and it’s a massive contrast. If anything its Jumbo who’s more aggressive and feels he has something to prove. But there’s always a line and when you cross it and lose control you leave yourself open. First of all Misawa is able to counter the backdrop driver because Jumbo rushes into it. Then another attempt leads directly into a STIFF Misawa elbow assault but THAT FIRES JUMBO UP! Misawa’s response is to up the tempo, as his strikes aren’t enough, and his flying discombobulates Jumbo. The Time’s They Are a Changin’. As Misawa then beats Jumbo down and stands tall over him you can see the guard has been changed. Jumbo is a broken man, twice bested by the upstart Misawa. He responds the only way he can; with extremes of violence but its all the work of a desperate man. True, Misawa is rattled somewhat by how far Jumbo goes (a headbutt leads the comeback) but like in his first match with Tenryu, Jumbo finds himself low on energy and struggles to hit big moves. A case in point is the powerbomb where Misawa counters his way out after Jumbo uses all his strength getting him up there. Now Misawa can pick him off with strikes and suplexes at will. They really flub a victory roll where Misawa just slips off but Jumbo is so aware he’s able to turn it into a pin. Its Misawa’s naivety that costs him the match. He keeps going after high risk when he doesn’t need to and gets caught in the BACKDROP DRIVAAAAAAA…for 2. He bumped that in a sickening manner too. Landing on his neck and his toes, in that order. Another one, with bridge, finishes the comeback; Jumbo has got his win back! ****1/2. A human chess match between two masters of the psychology game.

At the end of the Available Online #1 I asked the question; “is Vader the best big man of all time?” and generally got a positive response. Some mentioned the Undertaker, which I totally get. He has been great for a long time although I’d question whether all Undertaker matches are enjoyable (check out 1991-96 for a load of shit ones). Vader generally has no terrible matches. The other name I had in mind also came up, which I was quite happy about, and that was Bam Bam Bigelow (thank you, Baron Skinny). He was certainly one hell of a talent. Mobile, athletic and versatile. Sadly there’s no match against Vader on YouTube BUT there is this gem…

22nd June 1992.

The Steiner Brothers v Vader/Bam Bam Bigelow

From New Japan. This being 1992, Scott is a fucking MACHINE. He’s at that ‘Kurt Angle at his peak’ level where he has freakish speed and grappling skill. Bigelow actually uses his SPEED to counteract Scotty’s abilities, which shows you how ridiculously fast he was for a big man. He also bumps like a maniac considering his size. Vader is more systematic in his approach. This is where you could argue Bigelow was more entertaining but Vader’s offence is terrific to watch and he even takes a few suplexes. He wasn’t afraid of bumping or showing ass, but he was such a dominant character that it didn’t make sense most of the time. Back to Bigelow and he uses more conventional big man holds than Vader. He slows it down and grabs chinlocks. I think Vader is far more unique for his aggressive approach. When he goes to a rest hold it’s a submission attempt; the dragon sleeper and he doesn’t hang around in it. I love his powerbomb. Compare it to Sid’s or Nash’s and he always drove his opponent into the mat. It always looked good. Maybe there was less protection but you have to trust your opponent can take that bump. Let’s face it, being careful is boring. If we loved careful wrestlers the likes of Juvi & RVD would have no fanbase. We love a bit of crazy combined with a lack of respect for the constraints of the human body. It shouldn’t be expected of everyone or everyone over 30 would have two broken knees and a bad back. Vader takes as good as he gives. He even takes the Frankensteiner in this match even though he has NO chance of getting over on it and lands on the top of his noggin. There are some fucking GREAT spots towards the end of this match. Like Bigelow catching a flying Rick into a Hot Shot. Rick then kicking out of all manner of shit in his heat segment including the powerbomb. Just when Bigelow has it won the ref gets knocked over and Rick shocks Bigelow with a belly to belly. ****. Not keen on the finish but a fine look at two of America’s best big men, ever against arguably the best tag team America has ever produced.

And just so I’m not overlooking the Dead Man…

8th October 1990.

Mean Mark Callous v Bill Dundee

From Memphis & USWA and is the first round of a title tournament. Honestly, Mark wasn’t much of a worker before heading to the WWF but he had potential. Vince obviously saw that and while he started out as a gimmick he aged into an excellent all-rounder. You can see in this match why Vince wanted Mark as the Undertaker because he’s methodical but extraordinarily athletic. All the best big men have something else in the locker beyond the basic big man moveset. Look at Mike Awesome, for example. Part big man offence (powerbombs and lariats) and part high flier! This match ends with Mark’s manager Downtown Bruno tripping Dundee up and causing Bill to get counted out.

So where do I stand on the debate? I still think Vader. Obviously that’s not one of Taker’s better matches to judge him on but I’ve always found Vader more entertaining.

REQUEST CORNER

Tiger Mask 69 writes…

Oh man, PLEASE review Giant Baba VS. Raja Lion! Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3tklC5ZeTY

You can all use the same link to enjoy Raja’s unique fighting style.

9th June 1987.

Giant Baba v Raja Lion

Ok, if you don’t know Raja Lion he’s a bit like Great Khali only skinnier and less talented. Keep in mind this is against BABA who needs to be carried at the best of times. Baba’s tactic in this one almost echoes the Inoki approach to the Island match where he just hangs back and does nothing. But in this case IT WORKS because Raja is incapable of doing ANYTHING without falling over so eventually he’ll just injure himself. Seriously, TWO kicks and he falls over on both of them. He switches up to chops and Baba just grabs his arm, because the chops SUUUUUUUUCK, and schools him. Basically Baba, despite his total lack of mobility, could actually win this at any point of his choosing. If he didn’t look like the skeleton of a Ming Dynasty warrior come to life and squeezed into tiny red trunks. This is akin to something you could see after hours at the circus. Two of the freaks got drunk and the stupid one is trying to attack the wrestler. Oh, he’s fallen over again! Apart from his shitty looking chops Raja is basically treating this like a shoot, which it might actually be. I don’t think he’s aware he’s in a match. I swear Baba considers a German suplex, which would be the greatest thing ever, but settles for a submission and Raja gives up to END THE SUFFERING (of everyone else). And just to complete the nonsense TIGER ALI SINGH runs in and attacks everyone with his sword. I won’t rate this but I will say that when Baba is made to look like a technical master then his opponent is not technically skilled.

That’ll do for this week.

The 411: NEXT – Misawa! Kawada! Kobashi! Muta vs Chono, Can-Am Express rule, the case for Mike Awesome being awesome and Manami fuckin’ Toyota rocks your world! Any requests reviewed! And that’s probably going to be it!
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]