To anyone trying to get into puro in the late 90's this match along with the 1994 Super J-Cup were prerequisite viewing. In 1998 I paid 20 dollars (American!) for a tape that featured this match. Today, it's a simple click of a mouse away. So let's celebrate the life of MitsuharuMisawa and the 20th anniversary of what many still consider the greatest match of all time, Toshiaki Kawada vs Mitsuharu Misawa from the famous Nippon Budokan Arena.
Scott, did you ever review this?
Nope, although obviously it's a ***** match. You can also get DVDs full of this stuff from Rudoreels.com and IVPvideos.com.
http://new.ivpvideos2.com/index.php?cPath=3_79
so the Arena name translates to Nipple Booty Arena right? Named by Scott Steiner.
ReplyDeleteThis match is wonderful, but I don't know if new viewers will be able to fully appreciate it without knowing the history between the two leading up to the match.
ReplyDeleteWhile we're sharing bad-ass AJPW matches, here's one the best six-man tags i've ever seen.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni_EaWu9qi0
Man, Japanese matches seem to take forever to actually start
ReplyDeleteThey enjoy their pageantry, that's for sure.
ReplyDelete1994 is late 90's?
ReplyDeleteCorrect. There's a story behind each powerbomb attempt.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bigger fan of Misawa/Kobashi from January of '97. You don't need to know nearly as much before going in.
ReplyDeleteNo, but if you read what he was saying, he meant it as, "Before you could fully get into puro in the late 90's, this match and the Super J Cup were things to watch to get prepared for puro." Prerequisite: Required beforehand.
ReplyDeleteSheesh that double underhook powerbomb at the end.
ReplyDeleteI got this on a Highspots tape called 'Misawa vs Kawada: History of the Feud' when I was eighteen. Absolutely blew my mind.
ReplyDeleteI loved the apron dive into a forearm shot.....it doesn't always have to be a chair or a complicated finisher.....The best thing about puro is how every punch or kick is meant to hurt and actually looks like it does. And when someone goes to the same move too many times too soon, they pay for it, like the blocked wheelbarrow kick that lead to the finish. It's not for everyone, but I get my soap opera fill from Raw and when I just want to see two people beating each other up almost for the sport of it, Japan is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteJust want to say that ivpvideo is awesome. I bought a real cool set of mPro stuff that basically covered the entire history of the promotion. Recently they added a giant set covering the history of Jerry Lawler. I can't imagine how it's legal but I've emailed the guy that runs the site and he says he's been around a long time with no problems. If you follow them on Facebook they put up deals all the time.
ReplyDeleteBULL HAMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Lawler and Jerry Jarrett were secretly in charge?
ReplyDeleteAnd March 6 was three months ago
ReplyDeleteHe's using the western European dating format. So it is June 3
ReplyDeleteTJ: Seth Rollins alleged first match ever as Gixx
ReplyDeletehttp://youtube.com/watch?v=9z2V8nyeneQ
Nah, he left for the money. Plain and simple. If Vince had matched it , he said he would have stayed and i believe him.
ReplyDeleteWhen exactly does his contract expire?
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to think the BoD needs to introduce Loser Leaves Town matches. Two feuding posters can agree to put it to a vote and the loser must retire from posting until reinstated by Jack Tunney.
ReplyDeleteFrom reports at the time Owen was unhappy in the WWF and the wrestling business in general so I believe him when he said he had planned on retiring in the next few years, but I believe with Russo out of the company and Jericho and Radicalz coming into the company that Owen would have reestablished his passion for the wrestling business again and stayed a lot longer.
ReplyDeleteThe second that Reigns mentioned that they were brothers, I knew the turn was coming...from Ambrose. I was really surprised that Rollins was the guy, but I think he has earned the opportunity to be featured. I think the crowd is going to boo the ever-loving shit out of him when he shows up in a suit next week.
ReplyDeleteAmbrose has really grown on me and while I think he would have made the most sense as the heel turn, I'm hoping they really let him unleash on the mic in response to Rollins.
As far as Rollins' motivations, I don't think it needs to be foreshadowed. I don't think it needed to be a plan in place until after the PPV. He and his "brothers" destroyed Evolution so H came along with a better offer and Rollins sold out. He doesn't want to be part of the best team ever, he wants to be the future of the business and he turned on them because H offered him that opportunity. If they want to tie it into the past, he can point out how his teammates cost him a shot at that individual success at the Royal Rumble.
I was confused. I thought Reigns was their golden boy. The one who was gonna get the rocket strapped to his back. Did he fall out of favor?
ReplyDeleteWell 1995 WWF was setting the world on fire. I'm sure Vince was really sad to not pay Kevin Nash a bunch more money after that! Great analysis mar!!!
ReplyDeleteI think Vince liked Savage as the beloved legend and on top of not wanting him in the ring for whatever reason probably didn't want to turn his beloved legend into a psychotic heel.
ReplyDeleteNWA basically did that with Nikita took on Magnum TA for the US title in their Best of 7 series. The heat for that was off the charts.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, it's not a stretch to say Nikita in the WWF would be getting nuclear-level, "make Andre's heel turn sound like a Diva's match" heat.
Even on the syndicated shows, if there was a "big match" that was something other than Star vs. Jobber, the big match would kick off the program. I think, when they were still pretending that everything was rigged and that they were "live," you want to make sure your main match gets shown in entirety.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same reasoning why WCW would put on a main event match with a couple of the undercard matches still waiting to air during Clashes. If the big match finishes early, you have others to air afterwards.
Yeah - Savage was already crazy. Turning him heel would've had good matches, but the fans wouldn't have liked it. Backlund as the out-of-touch former champ made more sense.
ReplyDeleteThat was horrible. Not that his outfits were the manliest of attire to begin with, but once he turned face they were gayer than usual, combined with an old guy following him around rubbing his shoulders...really lame. I cheered him anyway because I was a fan prior to that but it's hard to blame those who didn't rally behind that character.
ReplyDeleteSavage could have used WWF firing Hogan and all the other 80s guys as his catalyst for a heel turn where Savage can say that he sees management is getting rid of all his friends, but the only way they can get rid of Savage is if they kill him.
ReplyDeleteVince always seemed to be trying to do better than Bret Hart. Bret was popular and dependable enough to hold the title but Vince was always looking for his real next big thing - Hogan, Luger, Diesel, Shawn.
ReplyDeleteGood point. Then he can come out and brag about winning the Rumble and people see through it and know it was a cheap victory. As it was he bragged about winning the Rumble and he seemed to have every right to, seeing as how he entered 1st and won the whole thing. In retrospect they were turning him into a face long before they knew they were.
ReplyDeleteI was a huge mark for Shawn too and loved it when he finally won the title at WM12 but as '96 wore on my love for the guy did wane and I became more of a Vader/Ahmed guy.
ReplyDeleteAlso as a added note, as a huge Shawn Michaels fan, I REALLY wanted to buy his merchandise but all of HBK's merchandise basically screamed gay if you wore it so I didn't buy it, but I'm sure WWF lost a lot of business with not making HBK's merchandise cooler to wear.
It was a great example of a heel believing in his cause, no matter how misguided he may be.
ReplyDeleteHe did look badass as a heel though.
ReplyDeleteThe way he was booked always confused me because he was big, which they like, and he was really over as a face, so it was right there for them. His heel turn was similar to Tatanka's where he seemed to be turned for one specific program and they had nothing for him beyond that.
I think pairing Shawn with Sid was WWF's way of making HBK into more of a chickenshit, but that didn't work either as Shawn didn't need Sid to win his matches and won most of his matches cleanly. Heck, Sid wasn't even a good bodyguard as he cost Shawn the title at WM11 giving even more sympathy for Shawn.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I found it weird Crush wasn't given more of a push as he seemed to be a guy Vince liked so he really must have rubbed someone the wrong way. Crush was rumored to be given a push in '95 before he got arrested and plans went to hell.
ReplyDeleteIt's really just take on of what was really happening. The company's deemed Savage too old to compete, they're shoving this New Generation in his face, forcing him to sit at ringside and promote the guys taking his place...he snaps and goes on to prove he still has it.
ReplyDeleteLeather zebra striped hats, heart-shaped sunglasses, t-shirts with Shawn posing on the front, red biker gloves....yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to wear that to school.
ReplyDeleteYou have to change a new babyface SOMEWHAT. Anyone who says Austin "stayed the same" from '97 to '98 is lying or blind. Diesel and Luger, though, did character 180s in the span of like 24 hours each. In Shawn's case, he didn't change more than was necessary, but the announcing and coverage did.
ReplyDeleteLARIATOOOOOOOOOO!
ReplyDelete"t-shirts with a half naked Shawn posing on the front"
ReplyDeleteFTFY
TIGADRIVAAAAAAAAAAAA!
ReplyDeleteI guess you could make the argument WWF wanted Shawn to evolve where they would make analogies that Shawn was still a "boy" pre-1995 and when he finally won the world title, he became a "man".
ReplyDeleteI was 12 and I thought Shawn was one cool dude, even with Lothario following him around. Looking back I can see the problems, but at the time I was in.
ReplyDeleteI can immediately see him screaming that with a straight face in a promo
ReplyDeleteI'd put Survivor Series '95 over that one...man, I still love that one. Diesel's "fucking MOTHERFUCKER!" included.
ReplyDeleteHe became a better all-around wrestler when he was off them.
ReplyDeleteLOVE heel Backlund! What a great character.
ReplyDeleteGive me him over HTM any day in the "troll heels" department.
I couldn't believe they brought up the not guilty right off the bat, I thought that wasn't talked about at all on TV back then....you know until Stephanie compared it to 9/11
ReplyDeleteWCW realized there was money in this and did it less than two years later.
ReplyDelete"I'm throwing a special party, slim jims for everyone!"
Jobber, you should post thirty more comments about a show you didn't watch.
ReplyDelete"I don't think Vince liked Savage as the beloved legend on top of his daughter."
ReplyDeleteFTFY
Which is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteOnly if you agree to count each one off individually and then make a post wondering why Vince didn't want to resign Kevin Nash in 1996.
ReplyDeleteI remember Backlund wrestled at MSG a month before the title change and guaranteed that he would return the following month as champion. There was a lot of people in shock when that happened.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Vince had two no name slugs comes out as "Diesel" and "Razor" later that year, yeah, I think he wanted those guys still.
ReplyDeleteThey couldn't have been as bad as Diesel vs Mabel. I mean, it was the Summer Slam main event, back when Summer Slam was the only other "normal" 3 hour PPV besides Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteI would have preferred Diesel vs Sid anytime compared to Diesel vs Mabel. Even in an one hour iron man match with only submission rules. ;););)
I know right!
ReplyDeleteHBK/Razor WM10
HBK Razor SS95
HBK/Razor from this RAW
Diesel/Razor from Superstars
Diesel/Razor Summerslam94
Diesel/Shawn vs, HBK/Kid Action Zone
Diesel/Shawn Good Friends Better Enemies
Diesel/Shawn WM11
Kid/Razor RAW93
Diesel/Razor Raw93
Razor/Kid In Your House
And I havent even got into matches with Hunter yet
In 1984, McMahon wanted Backlund to turn heel and dye his hair black. Backlund refused and went to the AWA in summer of 84
ReplyDeleteAnd be crazy?
ReplyDeleteBy "they," I meant the fans. Not VKM. In the 80s, with enough coke, I'm sure he ran every possible scenario by people.
There were also two good Shawn/Kid matches on Raw in 93 and 96.
ReplyDeleteLol!
ReplyDeleteGhb use was huge among the clique and talent around that timeframe. It burned fat amazingly
ReplyDeleteI look back and laugh that 37 year old Bret and 35 year old Diesel were the young new generation lol. Atleast Owen, kid and Shawn weren't 30 yet.
ReplyDeleteI always figured they were mid-late segments of a house show that they would tape for TV.
ReplyDeleteThat one shot when he has Bret in the chicken wing, bug eyed, teeth gnashing, haunted me for days, ha. It was like seeing Mickey Mouse stabbing someone to death. It's hard to believe the original plan was Backlund was going to be possessed by Papa Shango. The idea of the old former champ finally snapping after his one last shot at the title made much more sense. Well, hell, anything other than the Shango idea made more sense.
ReplyDeleteWhether it ends well or not isn't the point. Christ says - deny Me and I will deny you to my Father. Therefore, regardless of what people believe - a believer is required to preach to the nations. If you happen not to believe, what is the harm? Unless I speak the truth, and the truth angers you because you are not a part of it.
ReplyDeleteI know , respectfully there are plenty of unbelievers here. I don't have the issue with you. I am a lowly sinner that needs to seek repentance to my Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ. None of us is righteous - no not one.
As C. S. Lewis once said -- he tried his best to debunk Christianity and finally kneeled down in defeat and accepted Him. It is interesting in out world that you don't hear swear words based on Islam or Greek Mythology or Hindu deities - but people easily should the Lord's name in vain. It is something to ponder, accept or reject. As Christ said - they hated Me - they will hate you.
Owen would've been great, actually.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this. It's one of my all time favorite matches. ***** for sure.
ReplyDeleteBacklund lost a KOTR qualifier to Luger in 1993. Not much of a match (a styles clash, as you'd expect) though it did feature a funny spot where Backlund just ties Luger up in knots with mat wrestling, leading Lex to bail out to ringside and yell WHAT WAS THAT in confusion.
ReplyDeleteBacklund was also tossed from the 1994 Rumble in about twenty seconds by, you guessed it, Diesel.
Yeah, Owen cheating his way to winning the title, and the over-the-top obnoxious celebration that follows, with Diesel crushing him days later would have been fitting.
ReplyDeleteHe definitely did. Vince wanted them, they wanted to stay, but it simply came down to money. Nash and Hall talk about it on any shoot or podcast they do, they didn't want to leave, but the contract offers from WCW were just too good to realistically turn down. And if Vince matches those, he's going to have Shawn, Bret and Undertaker expecting the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThere was an article in a Raw magazine after Nash left talking about him leaving, the reasons behind it, etc....which you never saw back then. Vince didn't want to lose them and it was a big deal to him that he did.
I forgot about Sid. And yeah, I guess the idea is that Shawn's a chicken shit because he got a big bodyguard to help him win matches, but he didn't help him win matches, he won them on his own. The only thing Sid did was inadvertently cost Shawn the title at WM.
ReplyDeleteHe seemed to be well-liked, Savage liked him, Bret liked him, he'd been around since 1990...I believe that he was supposed to be pushed again in 1995 because he sort of randomly showed up at the Rumble and was in the final four, seemed like he may have been being positioned for something....but I suppose Kama did the same thing the next year.
ReplyDeleteFuck you and your Christ.
ReplyDeleteSeriously.
Loved Crazy Bob. Don't think it would have hurt to let him have the belt slightly longer. In fact I wouldn't have done Diesel vs Bret at the rumble. I'd have put Diesel going over Bob there. Shawn at mania. Sid at the two IYH's. Then the tag match at KOTR I'd have had Bigelow turn on Diesel and set up a match for summerslam. Because, well, fuck Mabel and Bigelow made a better heel. Then so forth and so on. Survivor series stays the same with Bret going over Diesel.
ReplyDeleteHis post match promo was GLORIOUS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVEyE9F-fGQ
And I've always found it a refreshing difference from the last match always starting with thirty minutes (or whatever) left in the program.
ReplyDeleteI think so, too. I've seen nothing to convince me that Owen was just going to walk away in 1999, and the Radicals came in the following January, so I think he would have been around.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit...
ReplyDelete