AJPW Summer Action Series, Tokyo, Japan
A request! And it makes me think, like, never think to yourself if considering a request, “Aw, that’s a classic, he’ll surely get around to re-watching or watching that one.” Man, revisiting classics is often weirdly tough to motivate for, not sure why but it can be. I’m often the same about watching a highly-regarded movie I haven’t seen. I’ll let that shit sit around forever while I watch Demolition Man again. In this case, Demolition Man would be, like, some random ass 1985-91 WWF or NWA/WCW TV match or Coliseum Video thing or whatever.
From the Budokan! Misawa has held the Triple Crown title since August 1992, when he beat Stan Hansen, and has made seven successful defenses against Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue, Hansen, Kawada again, Steve Williams, Hansen again, Kawada again in the legendary “6/3/94” match, and now Dr. Death gets a second chance, 10 months after his loss to Misawa in this same venue.
(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)
I have seen this but not in FOREVER. The streamer toss for Misawa, still building his incredible legend, is wild. And Dr. Death is one of the greatest gaijin in history, hugely respected, tough, great, a real threat to be the guy who ends Misawa’s reign after 705 days, even if he has failed before. Everyone on the roster wasn’t considered qualified for a shot, which is why Kawada got three, Hansen got two, Williams is getting a second.
There’s a struggle for positioning early, Misawa grabbing a front facelock from it, Williams taking him down with a drop toehold and trying to get on top on the mat, but Misawa knows that’s a dangerous game, so he gets clear of that as soon as he can.
Then they slap each other. Williams starts that, Misawa fires back until Williams stops and nods his head. He may be bigger, stronger, more experienced, but he’s already faced Misawa. He knows what he’s getting into. He wants to judge his temperament this time around. He has now judged it. Misawa is a pro and he’s focused. He’s a great champion.
Misawa firing the first significant blow with a spin kick, then a jumping lariat with Williams coming off the ropes. Misawa tries a sleephold, and Williams is fighting that immediately, throwing Misawa over, but Misawa is right back to it. Williams widens his base to keep Misawa from really locking in, then hurls him over again. And yet Misawa, dogged, goes back to it, this time wrapping the legs on the mat, so Williams has to work from there, which is a lot more difficult, and exactly what he was trying to prevent. He does get his foot to the bottom rope.
When they stand it up, Misawa has the front facelock again, the veins in Williams’ neck and arms popping as he tries to power his way out of it, eventually picking Misawa up enough to run him into the turnbuckle pads.
Williams gets Misawa face-down on the canvas and pulls back on both arms, keeping Misawa at a total disadvantage; even just getting up from that is going to hurt some, and risk hurting a good deal. But Misawa does it:
Misawa sends Williams off the ropes, tries a crossbody block, but is caught and slammed down. The Japanese commentator calls it a “spinebuster,” which I will simply not tolerate. Williams drops a big, heavy elbow down onto Misawa’s loser back, then unleashes some hard chops when they’re back standing, but Misawa turns that around, hits a dropkick, and then a sliding dropkick to push Williams out to the floor for his elbow suicida.
Back in and Misawa follows with a flying elbow smash from the top rope (Williams standing, not on the mat). With Misawa picking up steam, now Williams hits a proper spinebuster. It’s no Arn spinebuster or even a better HHH one, but it is a spinebuster with the catch, turn, and slam.
Look at that dipshit Johnny Ace out there.
Crowd chanting for Misawa as Williams hits a nasty belly-to-belly suplay for two. Outside, Williams picks Misawa up and rams his back into the ringpost. Back in, Williams gets a two count on a pin attempt, then grabs a half-crab type move for a moment, but Misawa is right to the ropes. Williams stands up and tries to get a more serious one on, and Misawa gets to the ropes before he can clamp down.
But it’s all Dr. Death right now, and Misawa’s return fire elbow feels desperate already. OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE attempt, but Misawa grabs onto the ropes and clings for dear life. So that doesn’t hit, but Williams gets that snappy powerslam off the ropes for a two count, and the feet rumble in the Budokan for just a moment.
Williams with a sorta Boston crab, kinda bad Liontamer style, but it’s enough to keep the pressure on Misawa and keep working on that back; maybe, in fact, the move isn’t so great because Misawa’s back is clenching up on him.
Misawa pressed and dropped down onto the turnbuckle pad face-first, but he spins around and drops Williams with a vicious elbow strike. Still, not enough, and Williams continues to dominate the match.
Folks, we’ve got a bearhug! We even get a one-count on a bearhug. But here comes Misawa with a series of elbows, a jumping kick, another, a spine kick is caught and Williams just throws him down to the canvas.
You get the sense at this point that maybe tonight, Williams is just not going to be deterred. When Misawa stands back up, Williams throws a series of hard right hands out of a southpaw stance, then hits the taunt button.
Williams winds up for a lariat, it misses, but he goes for the backdrop driver, and the crowd panics immediately. It doesn’t go, and Misawa falls to the outside after a quick clothesline to the back of the neck. Williams paces around the ring for a moment while Misawa recovers, and then big ass Dr. Death flies like a brick with his own elbow suicida.
Back in and Williams hits a flying shoulderblock. DOCTOR BOMB gets two! The rumbling! The crowd trying to will Misawa to a rally, but you really can feel it. This feels like Williams’ night. Backdrop driver is short and violent, as Misawa hooks his leg to try and stop it, but Williams powers him up anyway. It’s not the full move, though; they continue to save that.
Williams goes for it again, Misawa rolls out of it and grabs a sleephold, but Williams gets the bottom rope. Williams blocks the rolling elbow, but catches a standing elbow, and then the rolling hits. Two count.
Suddenly, and this is a mark of a truly great champion on a sincere run in a promotion, it no longer feels like it must be Williams’ night. The perception can swing that fast. And then, when Misawa’s tiger driver hits but only gets two, that Misawa momentum takes a hit, and again when a frog splash hits but doesn’t get the win.
Now we’re at a point where if it’s not 50/50 in feeling, it’s no more than, like, 53/47 either way. Misawa with a senton, another frog splash, and another two count. Both men are now down, beaten up, fatigued — at Williams’ size and this match length, the period he was dominating came at the cost of real gas in the tank, too.
Misawa goes for another tiger driver, gets backdropped out. An elbow connects, a rolling elbow misses, and Williams hits the backdrop driver! Misawa is to his feet first, kinda, but basically just falls out of the ring in a shocked heap. He’s out on the floor. Others try to smack him in the face to get him stirring so he’s not counted out.
But Williams isn’t going to take a countout, either. He goes out to the floor, pulls Misawa up, and rolls him back into the ring to try for the pin. It gets two.
As Williams goes for another backdrop driver, Misawa unleashes what he has left, a sharp elbow, another, and he falls to the canvas as he rocks Williams down to his ass, but still sitting up, a bit glassy-eyed, but in the better shape of the two of them. Doc has the upper hand, tries for another backdrop driver, and though Misawa tries to catch the ropes with his feet, he can’t, and he’s crushed once again.
When Williams hits the Oklahoma Stampede and Misawa kicks out, the roar of the crowd is insane. Immediately deafening. But after a Misawa elbow, it’s another backdrop driver, the absolute most diabolical of the bunch. Williams pins. It’s a three count. And the Triple Crown championship belogns to Dr. Death.
The ring is flooded immediately by their fellow wrestlers, who had been around the ring all match, of course.
It’s an incredible match. There are aspects of this I like even more than the Kawada match the month prior; overall, that one probably edges this out for me, but it’s not by a ton or anything. If you’ve never seen Dr. Death at his best, this is one to seek out. It’s not hard to find on YouTube and is absolutely worth the time. More than just the punishing offense and all that, it’s the incredible drama of this match that makes it something special. Misawa’s reign has been an all-timer. Williams has tried and failed to end it once before. There’s no gimme in a win for either man, but the move is made.
5/5
One other thing: Williams would hold the belt for 86 days, defending successfully against Kenta Kobashi in September before losing it to Kawada in October, with Kawada getting his first stint with the title. It’s a “transitional” move, sure, but transitional champs don’t have to be the stereotypical examples we have seen so many times in the States over the last 50 years — Ivan Koloff and Stan Stasiak with WWWF title wins in the 70s, Iron Sheik with a WWF win in the 80s, even Sgt. Slaughter getting 64 days with the WWF title in ’91, Backlund in ’94, Randy Savage’s last two WCW title wins, and so on. Williams is fully credible as a champion, even if the purpose is quite clear.
Tape Machines Are Rolling 