26) 10/19/1990 Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi AJPW
The Tsuruta vs Misawa feud has continued since the previous match in the great year that was 1990 AJPW. This is the first five-star match featuring the four pillars of All-Japan with Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi and Taue but it is far from the last. Taue and Kobashi start the match together and throw some forearms at each other to start. Taue goes after Misawa and Kawada and then takes an armdrag from Kobashi. Kawada tags in starts kicking the hamstring of his future tag team partner. Misawa tags in and hits a big dropkick. Jumbo tags in and is dismayed at the Misawa chants. Misawa hits him with some big elbows but is humbled by Jumbo’s knee-strike. Fuchi tags in and Jumbo’s team has Misawa in peril. Taue comes in and applies an abdominal stretch broken up by Kawada. Kobashi tags in and hits a dropkick but Taue responds with a back elbow. Jumbo comes in and destroys Kobashi’s gut with a knee and then bodyslams him. Jumbo applies a Boston Crab and transitions into a single-leg crab. Fuchi comes in and dropkicks Kobashi who comes back with a bodypress off the second rope. Taue comes in and punches Kobashi but takes a lariat. Kawada tags in and hits a spinkick on Taue and fights into the crowd with him. Taue bodyslams Kawada on the floor. Kobashi helps Kawada back to the ring where Taue and company basically beat him up. We see a bodyslam from Jumbo and a back suplex from Fuchi who also applies a single leg crab. Taue tags in and drops elbows on Kawada but Kawada kicks him and tags in Misawa who hits a flying lariat. Taue rolls outside where he takes Kawada kicks and a vertical suplex on the floor. Misawa gives Taue a gutwrench suplex in the ring and Kobashi tags in, bodyslams Taue and puts him in the single leg crab. Fuchi interferes and starts punching Kobashi. As the referee removes Fuchi, Jumbo comes in but takes a lariat from Kobashi. Kawada enters and kicks Taue around and hits a senton. Taue takes a big backdrop from Misawa and a powerslam from Kobashi. Taue fights back and DDT’s Kobashi. Jumbo tags in gives Kobashi a lariat and a rolling neckbreaker. Fuchi takes Kobashi outside and hits him with a chair. Fuchi works over Kobashi in the ring and Taue comes in and gives him an atomic drop and a back suplex. Fuchi hits Kobashi with an enzuiguri. Jumbo comes in and hits a lariat. Kobashi comes back with chops and a spinkick but Jumbo keeps him under control. Taue gives Kobashi a bulldog and a big Samoan Drop. Taue goes for a vertical suplex but Kobashi floats over and hits a back suplex. Kawada tags in and throws a ton of kicks but Taue fights back with tsuppari slaps (that’s sumo talk). They go back and forth including Kawada kicks and a lariat by Taue. Jumbo tags in and Kawada hits him with elbows. Jumbo attempts a lariat but kawada avoids and hits a leg lariat. Misawa tags in and throws many elbows at Jumbo and bodsylams him. Misawa hits a flying elbow from the top rope. Jumbo hits a knee-strike and Kobashi saves Misawa from a suplex. Taue is in and Misawa brawls to the outside with Jumbo allowing the big Taue to hit him with a tope suicida. Taue and Misawa trade strikes in the ring and Kobashi tags in and eats a Taue lariat. Kobashi hits a lateral press but takes a powerslam from Taue. Fuchi tags in and dropkicks Kobashi who then grabs Fuchi in a rolling cradle. Kobashi legdops Fuchi and hits him with a moonsault. Kobashi does a bridging German suplex on Fuchi who fights back with an enzuiguri. Jumbo tags in and lariats Kobashi. Jumbo sets him up for a powerbomb but cuts off Misawa who attempts the save. Jumbo powerbombs Kobashi for a near-fall. Jumbo goes for a back suplex and Kobashi counters into a bodypress. Kobashi does two legdrops and bodsylams Jumbo and goes for the moonsault but is cut off by Fuchi. Jumbo hits a back suplex off the second turnbuckle on Kobashi for another near-fall. Jumbo then givs Kobashi some elbows and a backdrop driver for the pinfall win. This match was ridiculously phenomenal and was all action. Taue and Kobashi are the stars of the match in my mind as Taue is the workhorse for his team and Kobashi shows crazy fire at the end. This match is five stars for sure and is must-see.
27) 1/4/1991 Bull Nakano vs Akira Hokuto AJW
This is a first-time viewing for me and I expect it to be nuts. I look at Nakano’s hair and think about Spike from Degrassi Junior High. Hokuto grabs Nakano right away in a bridging German Suplex and then a piledriver. Hokuto does a splash off the top but Nakano gets her knees up. Nakano then gorilla presses Hokuto and slams her face-first on the mat. Nakano misses a clothesline and they trade roll-ups. They spill outside and Nakano runs Hokuto into the ringpost and then slams her head on the timekeeper’s table and a chair. Nakano hits Hokuto with a clothesline in the ring but Hokuto hits one of her own. Hokuto starts slapping Nakano but Naknano beats her down to the mat and starts kicking her in the face. Nakano beats her on the mat and chokes her. Nakano stretches Hokuto in the ropes and starts biting her. Hokuto fights back with chops but Nakano applies a leg-scissors to Hokuto’s arm and then her throat in what is close to a cross armbreaker. Nakano applies a sleeper but Hokuto kicks her way out and applies a Boston Crab and leans back like Jericho in a WCW lion-tamer. Hokuto grabs a single leg crab and Nakano sells it big. Hokuto transitions into a surfboard and eventually a camel clutch. Hokuto has Nakano in a body-scissors but Nakano counters into a mount and then rolls into a Boston Crab. Nakano hits a baisaku kick and then rolls Hokuto into a sharpshooter (I know there is a better name for it, relax). Hokuto grabs a Fujiwara armbar and Nakano gets out with headkicks. Hokuto hits two dropkicks and a piledriver. Hokuto applies a sleeper but Nakano goes back to head-kicks. Nakano hits two bridging German suplexes on Hokuto who fights out both time. Nakano kicks Hokuto outside and hits her with a springboard plancha. Hokuto comes back inside and Nakano hits a top rope legdrop for a near-fall. Naknano gives Hokuto a piledriver and does another top-rope legdrop but Hokuto moves and hits a bridging tiger suplex. Hokuto hits four missile dropkicks in a row. Hokuto charges Nakano but gets caught in a DDT. Nakano jumps off the ropes with an enzuiguri on Hokuto. Nakano gets on the ropes again but Hokuto dropkicks her to the floor and then does a twisting plancha. Nakano is back insdie and Hokuto goes to the top but gets cut off by someone interfering for Nakano (I know I should know who it is) and gets placed in Nakano’s grip, with Nakano hitting a top rope tombstone. The referee won’t count the pin and Nakano powerbombs Hokuto for a near-fall. Hokuto fights back and superplexes Nakano and then gives her a brainbuster. Nakano avoids a leg lariat and then hits a bridging German suplex for the pinfall win. This match had a crazy pace that was ahead of its time. By modern standards I might rank this slightly lower due to the amount of moves taking away the realism but I don’t always worry about that as much as others.. Placing this match in context it is revolutionary and important and as such I would give it five stars.
28) 1/23/1991 Bull Nakano vs Yumiko Hotta
This is a cage match and Hotta starts kicking Nakano right away with Nakano selling it well. Hotta hits a back elbow but Nakano punches her away and then this a clothesline. Nakano is throwing some crazy punches and kicks. Nakano rams Hotta’s head into the cage repeatedly and clotheslines her into the cage. Nakano runs Hotta’s head into the ringpost and then snapmares her and elbows her in the head. More ramming of the face into the cage. Nakano givs Hotta a piledriver. Nakano sits on the top rope, elbows Hotta in the head and gives her a facebuster. Nakano continues with strikes and elbows and Hotta is working well underneath. Hotta comes back and rams Nakano’s head into the cage and girls are running around ringside yelling at them. Hotta hits a clothesline and a legdrop.and rams Nakano’s face into the cage. Hotta hits a piledriver and does some headkicks and a kneedrop. Hotta starts headbutting Nakano and hits a flying back elbow off the second rope. Hotta starts climbing out of the cage but gets stopped by Nakano and thrown to the mat. Hotta starts kicking Nakano in the hamstring and rakes her face on the cage. Hotta hits a tiger-bomb and climbs the cage but again gets thrown to the mat. Nakano hits a back suplex and climbs the cage but see Hotta coming and jumps at her with a clothesline. Nakano’s nunchuks get thrown into the ring and she beats Hotta with them. Nakano climbs the ropes again and hits Hotta with a flying knee. Nakano hits Hotta with two fling kicks and then beats her on the mat. Hotta gets the nunchuks and starts beating Nakano around the ring with them including in the head. HOtta climbs the cage and Nakano whips her in the legs with the nunchuks and I feel weird writing that so many times. Nakano gives Hotta a piledriver and then hits her with giant-sized nunchuks that have been thrown in the ring. Nakano goes back to the normal nunchuks until a chain gets thrown in the ring and HOtta chokes her with it and then ties her to the ropes. Hotta hits a leg lariat but misses a second one and Nakano beats her with the chain. Nakano ties Hotta toe the cage and then starts climbing. Hotta escapes and cuts her off then runs her into the ringposts and rakes her face on the cage. Hotta slams Nakano and climbs the cage but Nakano whips her with the chain. Nakano bodyslams Hotta but misses a top rope legdrop. Hotta hits a bridging German suplex and then a tiger-bomb and cimbs the cage. Nakano throws her back to the mat again and then sets her up and dropkicks her into the cage. Nakano powerbombs Hotta and hits a top rope somersault legdrop. Nakano climbs to the top of the cage and does a legdrop from there in a crazy spot. Nakano then climbs over the top of the cage and escapes to the floor. Nakano is attacked by Aja Kong after the match and they have a pull-apart brawl. One observation is that I will often try to sell joshi to people as athletic women’s wrestling that is different than what we see from men, and this match really changes that perception as it is quite the brawl. I also should note that I am someone who has believed in Bret Hart vs Owen Hart from 1994 as the best example of an escape the cage match but this at least equals it. I wasn’t sure at first but given that finishing stretch and especially the finish I would have to stick with the five-star rating here, making it Nakano’s second one that month.
29) 2/24/1991 Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham, & Sid Vicious vs. Sting, Brian Pillman, Rick Steiner, & Scott Steiner WarGames, WrestleWar ‘91 WCW
Tony Schiavone explains the rules to the audience which would be much more entertaining if it was Michael Buffer. Pillman has an injured shoulder and runs in to start against Windham before his partners can stop him. He hits a flying clothesline. Pillman grabs the top of the cage and dropkicks Windham and then grabs it again and gives Windham a flying headscissors. Windham whips Pillman into the corner and Pillman jumps to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick. Pillman goes for a splash but Windham gets out of the way. Pillman gives Windham a low blow and rams his head into the cage repeatedly and then rakes his face on the cage and busts him open. Pillman gives Windham a facebuster and starts biting his forehead. Pillman is biting and punching Windham and he runs him into the cage again. Pillman goes to the top rope and hits a flying clothesline. Pillman throws Windham over the ropes into the second ring and rams him into the cage again. This is awesome. Pillman hits a standing leg lariat and starts dropping working Windham’s knee. They start trading punches and chops. Windham goes for a pilledriver but Pillman backdrops him. Pillman jumps off the top rope with a punch and then drops an elbow on Windham. The Horsemen win the cointoss at the end of the first round and Flair comes in and starts trading chops with Pillman. Windham attacks from behind and he and Flair throw Pillman into the cage. Windham puts Pillman on his shoulder and runs Pillman’s shoulder into the cage. They continue to work his shoulder until Sting enters the match and goes wild on both Horsemen with punches and then a double clothesline. Sting hits his facebuster on Windham and then Flair as Pillman. All four men brawl until Zbysko comes in. Sting jumps from one ring to the other and hits a flying shoulder-block on Zbysko. Windham and Zbysko double-team Sting until Rick Steiner enters and starts throwing Steiner-lines at all three opponents. Rick gives Flair and overhead belly-to-belly suplex and throws him into the cage. Rick furiously rakes Flair’s face on the cage. A lot. Sid is in next and attacks Rick, holding him for a low blow from Flair. Sid clothesline Sting and there is brawling everwhere in both rings including more face-raking of Flair by Rick. Flair starts chopping Sting in the corner but Flair ends up throwing him into the cage. Scott is in next and the Match Beyond begins. Scott ducks a double clothesline from Flair and Windham and clotheslines them in return. Scott gives Zbysko a tiger-bomb. We then get the infamous spot in which Sid and Rick are caught on camera talking through their spots. Rick reverses an Irish Whip sending Sid into a clothesline from Scott who throws Sid into the cage. Sting hits Flair with the Stinger Splash and puts him in the Scorpion Deathlock. Sid puts Pillman in a hammerlock and slams him on it and then rams his shoulder into the turnbuckle. Sid unwraps the tape from Pillman’s arm. All the members of Sting’s team put all of the members of Flair’s team in figure four leglocks. They break the holds and Sting starts military pressing Flair into the cage. Sid clotheslines Rick while Pillman wears down Zbysko. Flair and Pillman start trading chops and Pillman bites Flair’s bleeding forehead. Flair beats Pillman down and Sid starts slamming Pillman into the top of the cage. Sid gives Pillman a crazy powerbomb on his neck and shoulder and then gives him another powerbomb. El Gigante runs down and rips the cage open to save Pillman and the referee calls the match as Pillman cannot continue. Gigante carries his buddy Pillman to the back. This is probably the best War Games match I can think of. It made great use of the psychology of the match. Sid’s powerbomb on Pillman was reckless but the match itself was amazing and every bit of five stars.
30) 4/20/1991 Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue & Masanobu Fuchi AJPW
Taue rushes Kawada on the apron and slaps him across the face to start. Kobashi then starts with Taue who hits a shoulder-block and slaps poor Kawada again, knocking him to the floor. Fuchi tags in and dropkicks Kobashi and Kawada appears to be out on the floor. Misawa and Tsuruta are in and they trade elbows and Tsuruta takes over. Fuchi is in and Misawa puts him in the abdominal stretch. Tsuruta is back in and he roughs up Misawa who hits a flying headbutt. Kobashi tags in, bodyslams Tsuruta and gives him a legdrop. Tsuruta fights back and tags in Fuchi who works a mean wristlock into a Fujiwara armbar. Taue tags in and does his own Fujiawara homage and transitions into a cross armbreaker. Kawada breaks it up and he and Taue have an awesome brawl with Kawada hitting headbutts and all six men are in the ring. Things settle and Kobashi applies an abdominal stretch to Taue. Misawa comes in and hits a dropkick and a toehold/armlock combination. Kawada tags in and hits Taue with chops and elbows. Taue fights back with tsuppari slaps and a DDT. Fuchi tag in and hits an enzuiguri. He throws Kawada outside where Tsuruta throws him into the guardrail and gives him a piledriver on the floor. Kawada is back inside and Fuchi guillotines him on the top rope. Tsuruta comes in and boots him in the face a couple times. Taue is in and gives Kawada a facebuster and a legscissors. Taue throws Kawada outside where Fuchi gives him another piledriver on the floor spiked by Taue off the apron. Fuchi puts Kawada in a hammerock and then a headscissors in the ring. Tsuruta tags in and puts Kawada in a sleeper. Taue comes in for more sleeper action and he then hits a clothesline. Taue is thrown outside again where Taue clotheslines him over the guardrail. Taue takes Kawada back inside and gives him a Samoan Drop. Kawada fires back with a leg lariat and tags in Kobashi who hits a missile dropkick. Kobashi dropkcisk both Fuchi and Tsuruta. Fuchi hits him with an enzuiguri but Kobashi powerslams him and gives him a rolling cradle. Misawa tags and hits a flying elbow off the top on Fuchi and Tsuruta breaks up a pin attempt. Misawa gives Fuchi a bridging German suplex and goes for a tiger-bomb. Tsuruta tags in and elbows Misawa who hits him with a lateral press. Tsuruta avoids a dive attempt by Misawa but gets hit with a pescado by Kobashi.
This match is so long I feel the need for a new paragraph. Tsurutua is rolled back inside for repeated Kawada kicks. Kawada attempts a leg lariat but Tsuruta brushes him off. Tsuruta goes for a suplex but Kawada catches him in a Fujiwara armbar. They get to their feet and Kawada kicks Tsuruta in the face and gets another Fujiwara armbar. Tsuruta gets the ropes and takes more kicks before tagging in Taue who gives Kawada a back suplex. Taue gives him an atomic drop but Kawada gets him in a sleeper. Fuchi breaks it up and Kawada keeps a chinlock on Taue who gets to the ropes. Kobashi tags in and hits a shoulder-block and puts Taue in a Boston Crab. Tsuruta tries to interfere but Kobashi hits him with a lariat. Kobashi bodyslams Taue and tags in Misawa who hits a frog splash. Misawa drops an elbow and tags in Kobashi who gives Taue a Finlay roll. Kobashi applies a Texas Cloverleaf that Tsuruta breaks up. Misawa is in and he hits a clothesline on Taue and then throws him outside where Kawada bodyslams him on the floor. Kawada rolls Taue inside where Misawa hits an elbow. Kobashi comes in and puts Taue in an octopus that is broken by Tsuruta. Kawada is in for a clothesline on Taue and they go outside where Fuchi and Tsuruta stop Kawda’s piledriver attempts. Back inside, Kawada hits an enzuiguri and tags in Kobashi who kicks away at Taue. Kobashi gives him a piledriver and tags in Misawa who hits a sidewalk slam. Kawada tags in and applies a single leg crab. Misawa comes in and kicks Taue around. Taue fights back with chops but is downed with an elbow. Kobashi comes in and hits a big lariat and then a DDT off the second rope. Misawa hits a baseball slide dropkick and then gives Kobashi a rocket launcher off the top rope to Taue on the floor which cinches the five stars for me. Kobashi and Taue are in the ring and Kobashi goes for a suplex but Fuchi runs in and dropkicks him in the knee. Fuchi tags in and kicks Kobashi’s knee. A lot. Fuchi throws Kobashi to the floor where Tsuruta drops him knee-first on the guardrail. Tsuruta brings Kobashi in the ring and they trade elbows until Tsuruta goes back to the trusty knee-kicks. Tsuruta hits a monster lariat. Tsuruta throws Kobashi to the floor where Fuchi sets up a chair on the apron and drops Kobashi knee-first on it. Fuchi hits Kobashi’s knee with the chair and then takes him inside. Kobashi hits some slaps but takes a dropkick to the knee and Fuchi puts him in the STF. Kobashi gets the ropes a couple times to break up different knee-work by Fuchi so Taue tags in and works the knee. Kobashi kicks him in the head and Tsuruta tags in, bodyslams Kobashi and puts him in a single leg crab. Kobashi gets a rope break and his seling of the knee is epic. Kobashi gets a sunset flip and tries for a tag but Tsuruta jams his knee in to the mat a couple times. Fuchi tags in and works Kobashi’s knee in the ropes. Fuchi throws him outside where Taue drops his knee on the guardrail again and then hits the knee with a chair. Fuchi attempts a back suplex in the ring but Kobashi twists into a splash. Tsuruta tags in and stomps on the knee and then appies a leglock. Taue tags in and hits a top rope elbow-drop on Kobashi’s knee and then applies a figure four leglock. This is a long heat sequence on Kobashi but the fans are into it so it is really effective. Kobashi reverses a suplex attempt by Fuchi and tries for a tag but Tsuruta tags in and hits a big boot. Tsuruta tries for a piledriver but Kawada cuts it off. Taue is in and gets a single leg crab with Kobashi getting a rope break. Fuchi is in and kicks the knee. Kobashi elbows him in the head and Kawada gets the big tag and throws nasty elbows and a clothesline on Fuchi. Kawada starts chopping him and tags in Misawa who trades strikes with him. Fuchi fights off Misawa and Kobashi and tags Tsuruta who hits Misawa with elbows and a knee-lift. Tsuruta gives Misawa a powerbomb for a near-fall. Tsuruta lifts Misawa for a top rope neckbreaker from Taue who then puts Misawa in an over-the-shoulder backbreaker. Misawa fights out and hits a leg lariat and then a tiger-bomb for a near-fall. Kobashi comes in and bodyslams Taue and hits a moonsault. Misawa is back in and goes for a German suplex that is stopped by Tsuruta. Taue gives Misawa a DDT and a version of a sidewalk slam. Everyone else spills outside and Misawa hits Taue with a tiger suplex for the pinfall to end this epic match. Some might say that the working of Kobashi’s knee went on too long but in the context of the time he was still on the rise and I’m sure the fire he showed helped to make him a star. This match was phenomenal and definitely lives up to the rating. Taue is so underrated today it is a tragedy.
Overall ratings:
1) 4/2/1989 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat
2) 6/8/1990 Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
3) 5/7/1989 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat
4) 6/5/1989 Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu AJPW
5) 12/16/1988 Toshiaki Kawada & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy AJPW
6) 1/28/1986 Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichrio Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu AJPW
7) 4/20/1991 Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue & Masanobu Fuchi
8) 2/14/1986 Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham (NWA Battle of the Belts 2) CWF
9) 2/20/1989 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat
10) 2/24/1991 Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham, & Sid Vicious vs.Sting, Brian Pillman, Rick Steiner, & Scott Steiner WarGames
11) 8/22/1985 Lioness Asuka vs. Jaguar Yokota AJW
12) 7/31/1987 Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and War Machine War Games JCP
13) 10/19/1990 Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi
14) 11/15/1989 Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (“I Quit” Match, NWA Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout) NWA
15) 2/26/1987 Chigusa Nagayo vs. Lioness Asuka AJW
16) 1/20/1987 Ric Flair vs Barry Windham
17) 3/18/1989 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat
18) 1/23/1991 Bull Nakano vs Yumiko Hotta
19) 1/31/1990 Jushin Liger vs Naoki Sano
20) 1/4/1991 Bull Nakano vs Akira Hokuto
21) 12/5/1984 Kazuo Yamazaki vs. Nobuhiko Takada UWF
22) 1l28/1989 Genichrio Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, Yoshiaki Yatsu/Masanobu Fuchi AJPW
23) 4/11/1987 Ric Flair vs Barry Windham JCP
24) 3/9/1985 Tiger Mask II vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi AJPW
25) 4/21/1983 Tiger Mask I vs. The Dynamite Kid NJPW
26) 3/20/1987 Keiji Mutoh & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Akira Maeda & Nobuhiko Takada NJPW
27) 9/30/1990 Mitsuhara Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada vs Jumbo Tsuruta and Akira Taue
28) 4/19/1986 Sheepherders vs. Fantastics (Bobby Fulton/Tommy Rogers) JCP
29) 12/8/1984 Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk & Terry Funk
30) 12/6/1987 Lioness Asuka/Mika Komatsu/Kazue Nagahori/Mitsuko Nishiwaki/Etsuko Mita/Sachiko Nakamura vs. Chigusa Nagayo/Yumiko Hotta/Mika Takahashi/Mika Suzuki/Yachiyo Hirata/Yumi Ogura AJW
