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DIR Return to: Sheriff Lonestar's PPV of the Week
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#Post#: 21603--------------------------------------------------
Sheriff Lonestar's PPV of the Week; Fit for a King
By: SheriffLonestar Date: December 21, 2013, 2:37 am
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Today we have an interesting history lesson young folks. The
year 1997, when the wrestling scene world wide was about to hot
up. However in Japan it had been hot for a while, and one of the
hottest places was All Japan Pro Wrestling. Thanks to four
sterling individuals on display into today's showcase of talent.
We are in Budakon Hall, Tokyo.
All Japan's Final Battle and our main event is Mitsuharu Misawa
vs Doctor Death Steve Williams for the Triple Crown. This video
is only 90 minutes long, however there are only three matches
with three post match interviews. Let me put it another way
every match went over 25 minutes. The reason why it is an
important document to wrestling fans, or should be, is the
incredible intensity, stiffness and historical presentation of
the event. Our opener features Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue
defending their Unified World Tag Team Championship (The Double
Cup) versus Gary Albright and Yoshihiro Takayama. In All Japan
there has never been a secondary title. The tag titles therefore
served as a gateway to the Triple Crown. Here perennial
contenders Taue and Kawada (The Holy Demon Army, All Japan
always came up with great team names) are in the early stages of
their reign they would drop them to Johnny Ace (John Laurinitis
to you sir) and Kenta Kobashi later in the year. Albright was a
Nebraska stand out who had a long standing shoot background and
had mainly wrestled in shoot organisations prior to his pro turn
in Japan at least. In North America at the time he was best
known as Mike Shaw's tag team partner in Stampede. Yoshihiro
Takayama is a most interesting character though. He began his
wrestling life in UWF International, Nobihiku Takada's shoot
style promotion and as that folded up he moved on to more
traditional pro wrestling styles, if you look closely in then
opening he is wearing a UWF T shirt for his ring entrance and is
very proud of his roots. UWFI folded after a series of inter
promotional feuds didn't save its waning audience. As the last
stop in inter promotional wars was All Japan that's where
Takayama staid. He went on to be on of the few men to hold the
Triple Crown, GHC Heavyeight and IWGP Heavyweight titles in a
long and storied career that rested entirely on his unbelievable
threshold for punishment. He was also a shoot fighter having
four MMA fights with a record of 2 and 2. He gained notoriety in
his PRIDE match with Don Frye where he took an incredible
beating to go the distance with the UFC great which is still
rated highly today nearly 15 years later. Kawada and Taue where
two of the “Four Kings” of AJPW. They led the way to the
companies resurgent popularity in the 1990s offering up a stiff
and realistic style that blended the traditional styles of pro
wrestling that had been predominant in the promotion with shoot
style mat work. If you watch this match closely you will realise
that a) no one uses the ropes except for breaks and b) no one
really leaves their feet and it is still and incredible dramatic
performance from all four.
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Doctor Death is another showcase of what
AJPW was all about. The Oklahoma stand out in football and
wrestling Williams was the kind of Gaijin Giant Baba (who you
can here mumbling away on colour commentary in his own
inimitable style) loved. He was athletic, he was tough and he
was charismatic. A true wrestling heel, he used his size and
skill to intimidate opponents and the crowd. Mitsuharu Misawa
was everything Baba loved about a home grown talent, hard as
nails and bump-tastic. This isn't just one match where they are
trying to out tough each other, they did this every night. Whom
ever they where with, and it was part of an epic series of bouts
involving the Four Kings versus many of the Gaijin talents that
permeated the AJPW locker room in that era.
As a bonus we have Kenta Kobashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru VS Jun
Akiyama & Kentaro Shiga which tells another story about the
Japanese style in general. That of the master and student.
Kanemura and Shiga have clearly been taken under the wing of
Kobashi and Akiyama and its a story that is being replayed in a
more subtle way today with Akiyama's stable in All Japan,
Burning. Burning are all the protégés of Kenta Kobashi and
featured heavily in the Final Burning show NOAH put together
this year (Kobahsi's much revered retirement do).
All in all this card is historic, and a little sad. Kawada is
semi retired, Taue is retired and currently president of NOAH
upon Kobashi's departure. Albright, Williams and Misawa are
sadly no longer with us, and none of them reached 60. The only
two big stars on this card still active are Akiyama and Takayama
who have held 2 Triple crowns 2 GHC Heavyweight titles and an
IWGP title between them. I would also point out they are still
main event level talents that receive immense respect from fans
and wrestlers alike with a combined age of 91 years. Not bad
going really when you think about it.
Enjoy the show;
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R19NNCSpyBc
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