Superstar Sleeze

Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody - AJPW 4/28/84 The biggest native team vs the biggest gaijin team! Had a big fight feel to it even though no titles were on the line. Very much in the All Japan style of a lot of action and frequent tags for both teams. So heat is not sustained a single person with the idea to build to the hot tag, but rather there is just a steady state of heat from the perpetual motion of both teams. I would say the story of the match was that native team just could not get anything going. Jumbo starts hot out of the gate with a Thesz Press and the native team would not take the lead again until the end of the match. I loved Hansen shortening the distance between him and Tenryu on that criss cross exchange and really hitting him with that elbow. The big gaijin brutes used a lot of double teams to maintain their advantage. Brody takes a bump for Tenryu's enziguiri! Actually this was a pretty good Brody performance much more giving than usual. There felt like there were a shit ton of dropkicks in this match. Every time the natives would get a tag, the gaijin team found a way to almost immediately overwhelm them, usually with double team moves. Double shoulder block to Jumbo or that wicked blind uppercut knee from Brody to Tenryu. In one case, Hansen targeted the arm of Jumbo and the work on Jumbo's arm was pretty good and the most sustained heat of the match. The problem was that gaijin team could never maintain enough control to keep their opponent on their side of the ring so that allowed for frequent tags for the natives too. Great suplex struggle between Tenryu & Brody. Brody does not take the bump but forces Tenryu back to his corner. Hansen muscles Tenryu up for a suplex. Great meaty exchange there between the powerhouses. Hansen piledriver! Really classic Hansen a total tornado in there, double back body drop. Hansen telegraphs back body drop and Tenryu bodyslam and tags out to Jumbo. JUMBO IS ON FIRE! Big jumping knee to Hansen who tags out. Brody gets whipped so hard he falls to outside and is busted open on the ringpost, nice bladejob over one eye. Jumbo is incensed. He is relentless on Brody. Hansen tries to pull him off to no avail! That's how pissed Jumbo is! Tenryu SUPLEXES BRODY!!!! Mark out city! I think there have been a dozen dropkicks. Even Hansen hit one and it was great! Tenryu reverse flyng elbow! Enzguiri to Hansen. Natives finally have the gaijin on the ropes. Stereo BACK SUPLEXES!!! It is breaking loose in Tokyo! Brody misses the King Kong Kneedrop and Everybody ends up outside in a fracas. Hansen drives Jumbo's bad arm into the post. Tenryu double teamed. He is on apron when Brody dropkicks him off and the Monster Heels win by countout. A story of oh so close after being dominated for much of the match, the natives finally wake up and kick ass, but once the match spills to the floor it is anybody's ballgame and the heels are able to isolate Tenryu and win by countout. Interesting take on the tag match. Instead of building to one or two hot tags. There was no hot tags and it was just fluid on both babyfaces. I thought while novel it was not as dramatic as the formula. There was plenty of action, but I didn't think it added up to a compelling narrative. That being said the action made it so it was never boring, there was plenty of effort and the finish was hot. ***3/4

LOL! When kayfabe gets smart

PWF World Heavyweight Champion Stan Hansen vs Giant Baba - AJPW 3/22/84 Every time, I go to watch a Hansen/Baba match I think this is the time Hansen is going to break Baba. Baba looks so frail and Hansen is so vicious. Yet every time they make it work. It is not that Hansen holds anything back (throwing the PWF World Championship Belt at him was nasty). It is that he finally sells and bumps like a traditional heel. Which means so much more now because he NEVER does it for anyone else. So it makes Baba look like a giant world beater. Lets be honest 1984 Baba aint moving around that great and those chops are all that impactful, but Hansen bumping through the ropes and THEN WIPING OUT THE RAILING AND THE FIRST TWO ROWS OF PEOPLE makes you believe! People get on Hansen for his selling, which is silly because he totally sells (just not traditionally), but it when came time do the over the top bumping for the boss, he nails it! Plus he is so great as the wounded bear. Baba is relentless on the Lariat arm of Hansen. Some really great armbar takedowns and cross armbreaker attempts. Hansen was great selling on the run and throwing these errant kicks and swipes that would connect. Instead of that bull in the china shop, he was not the wounded bear powerful, but vulnerable. Baba was great about always keeping this on the arm. My second favorite spot after Hansen's ridiculous bump at the beginning was when Baba used a drop toehold to avoid a lariat! Love a good drop toehold. They end up on the outside, Hansen lariats the ring post and wipes out the railing again. I thought they were going for the double countout, but instead Hansen's arm gets tied up in the ropes. Baba attacks it until the ref is focused to call for DQ. I am going to call a spade a spade those strikes by Baba at the end wouldn't event even tear a wet paper bag. Weak as hell and really took me out of what should have been a hot finish that was well-built from all the arm work. Love Baba, but Hansen carried this and made this work. I thought their 82 match was a match of equals. Baba looked old and weak here. Hansen through his unholy powers of selling, bumping and desperation offense carried this to greatness. I really thought this one of those amazing all time individual performances. Baba brought his larger than life persona & stature and focus on the arm so I cant deny that, but this was a Hansen match through and through. ****

Stan Hansen vs Terry Funk - AJPW 8/23/85 BODYSLAM OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR! HOT DAMN THATS HOW YOU START A MATCH! No this is not as good as their 82/83 output, but holy shit is it awesome still! Just a great sprint brawl. Every single moment saw them fighting each other for every single hold or move. It was just a struggle between the two toughest sons of bitches that ever lived. I thought this match Funk felt a bit more like an equal. Hansen dominated the first three minutes after the bodyslam to the floor just suffocating him with nasty shots and whipping him into hard objects. Funk wipes out the press. It felt like two of the baddest gunslingers dueling it out one more time. Hansen piledriver! Hansen missed an elbow so Funk just starts throwing nasty JYD- headbutts and then normal headbutts and great punches. Funk goes after the leg and now it is Spinning Toeholds everywhere in the ring and out of the ring. Such hard fucking shots in this. Every single move is earned. The way Hansen kicks Funk off with the boot to face is nasty. Funk getting back into the ring is met by Hansen just mauling him rom his knees. So gritty! Im glad Funk is back. Funk ducks the Lariat and grabs a sleeper. Hansen him head over heels to the outside. FUNK CHOPS HIS HEAD!!!! Hansen back suplex! WAR! Theyre fighting from their knees with nasty punches, I love it! Funk piledriver! Funk goes flying over the top on next piledriver attempt. Hansen tries to finish what he started in 1982/83 by strangling Funk with the bullrope. He throws Funk into the ref and that's DQ. Hansen's new tag partner, Ted DiBiase (seems like a weird fit on paper, but will check out their matches soon) comes out gets some licks on Funk. 1980s Match Teacher Dory Funk complete with tie and short sleeve button down shirt makes the save with a cowboy boot. He just goes crazy protecting his brother. Wild scene to end it with them all throwing chairs as the Funks retreat to the back. As Hansen and DiBiase are ringside all of sudden a chair is thrown at Hansen, I thought it was a fan, but it was the Funks returning to kick some ass. Crazy ending! I want to see Hansen/DiBiase vs Funks now! My only complaint was that it was so short. Even then that's not much of a complaint because they were cutting such a pace and just killing each other out their withese nasty shots you knew it was not going to last long. The rivalry was reborn and these two did not miss a beat. They just tore into each other with a chaotic brawl that felt like a real street fight. ****1/2

NWA International Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu & Killer Khan - AJPW 8/2/85 I can see why people prefer Tenryu to Jumbo during the work in this match as Tenryu is fired up from the start blitzing Choshu and Khan with chops. Whereas Jumbo takes the more scientific approach in the early going. It is only after Tenryu is being blatantly choked by Khan that Jumbo gets worked up into a lather. I think Jumbo did work hot from then with lots of slaps and emotion down the stretch. He bled for his promotion! Jumbo had an elbow pad on his arm and apparently it was injured as he is really selling after two lariats. Choshu hits a monster back suplex! BIG TIME LARIAT! Jumbo is sprawled out to the floor. Khan really adds the heel touches to this match. Bashing his bad arm to post and then attacking with ring bell. Jumbo is really cut open. Khan & Choshu beat the shit out of Jumbo. Khan is great here gnawing the cut and then attacking the bad arm. It is just an all out assault. Baba did not teach his boys lariats as Jumbo & Tenryu are nowhere as good as Choshu at the lariat. Choshu finally gets the Scoprion Deathlock but Tenryu hits a lariat. Khan makes the mistake to Irish Whip Jumbo near his corner. Tenryu SLAPS the taste out of Khan's mouth. AWESOME! Khan over hand chops. They both tag out. JUMBO HOUSE AFIRE! Pretty amazing comeback given how bloody he is. High knee, lariat and super back suplex. Didn't like transition of Choshu shooting him off into the Hotshot. Would have liked him to catch him into the move. They double team Jumbo with kneedrops from the top. Jumbo ends up outside. CHOSHU DECKS TENRYU WITH A LARIAT. Countout victory for the invading force! Putting over Choshu & Co. strong. Drawing blood on Jumbo and kicking his ass so bad he couldn't respond to a ten count. Great booking and good execution. Tenryu was fired up, Jumbo was great at selling and the blood was awesome, Khan is such a great dick and Choshu is the badass rockstar. Good installment in the series. ***3/4

NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu - AJPW 6/21/85 Choshu takes the UN Championship and just throws it away like yesterday's garbage. Oooooooooooooooooo! They take a couple swipes at each other before the ref even checks them. Things are definitely chippy. Choshu definitely got under Tenryu's skin as Tenryu starts off red hot, but makes the mistake of trying to go up top early and Choshu is able to chuck him off. Choshu was definitely in favor of grinding this out and looking for opportunities to put on the Scorpion Deathlock. Tenryu was revved up with the focus being on taking away Choshu's lariat by targeting the right arm with wristlocks and punches (good punches). It was nice tit for tat with Tenryu supplying the energy and Choshu focusing on the Scorpion Deathlock. Lots of meaty struggle. I liked the symmetry of back suplexes changing the complexion of the match. Tenryu hits his out of a headlock. He goes after the arm, but also looks to end with a bulldog (never him use that) and his powerbomb. He goes for a second bulldog, but Choshu stops him in his tracks and BACK SUPLEX! Big pop! It was a nice one. Choshu hits a wicked lariat. So Im torn, it was clear that was Tenryu's strategy to dismantle the arm, but it was not like he made serious in-roads. What bothered me more was Choshu finally gets the Scorpion Deathlock in the middle of the ring and lets go after a minute or so. I hate that. You hold that until you win. Tenryu has a couple desperation enziguiris in him, but Choshu is just relentless with the lariats and stiff chops. He brutalizing Tenryu and Tenryu's loopy selling Is great. LOVED THE FINISH! Choshu slams Tenryu's head into the metal turnnuckle and draws blood. Then just relentlessly targets the open wound with fists and keeps throwing the ref off so finally he has to call it. Match was awesome in a totally different way of their awesome Clash of Titans sprint. Everything felt big, but it as firey. Loved the dueling strategies early. Neither one is particularly great on the mat so the first half dragged in parts but I thought it made sense. After the first Tenryu back suplex, the finish run was just excellent! Big bombs with a great momentum shift with Choshu's back suplex. The ending was hot as hell and really sets the mood for the next year and half. ****1/4 What was up with Hara coming out to defend Tenryu and then beating Tenryu up??? Russo booking AJPW in 1985? Just weird. I thought Hara & Tenryu are inseparable.

Thanks for all the responses! Some really interesting stuff! It seems like the All Japan native vs native matches happened as part of round robin tournaments rather than feuds. Sounds Inoki dabbled in some interpromotional stuff, round robin stuff, but the first major native vs native blood feud was him against Ueda. Is that right?

I understand that Japanese booking philosophy was very nativist with the general archetype being to bring in foreigners from all over the world to face the major stars of the promotion and that had been the booking philosophy dating back to Rikidozan. My understanding is that changed in All Japan with Riki Choshu invasion in 1985, which was the first native vs native feud in that promotion and due to the success of Choshu invasion angle: Jumbo vs Tenryu was born and the rest was history. So my questions are the following: 1. Were there ever any major native vs native matches in All Japan pre-Choshu? I am pretty sure the answer is no, but I just wanted to check. The one I am more curious about is New Japan. 2. Inoki ran some round robin tournaments in the mid-70s which required him to face Masa Saito and Seji Sakaguchi, which look like the first ever main event native vs main event native matches in puroresu history? Is the 1974 World League the first of its kind? 3. It seems like Umanosuke Ueda is the first ever Japanese heel. He regularly teamed with Tiger Jeet Singh and wrestled Inoki regularly in the late 70s. Is he the first of his kind? Is Inoki vs Ueda the first native vs native feud in puroresu history?

Riki Choshu vs Genichiro Tenryu - JWP 2/21/85 The first singles match of the feud that would change the course of All Japan Pro Wrestling happens in Riki Choshu's renegade Japan Pro-Wrestling. Choshu after feuding extensively with Tatsumi Fujinami in 1983 was set to begin a major feud with Antonio Inoki in 1984. The feud began, but in late 1984 Choshu and allies departed from New Japan and formed Japan Pro Wrestling, which basically became a satellite promotion of All Japan and did not have many important matches besides this one. Choshu & Co. invaded All Japan at the beginning of 1985 leading to first ever native vs native feuding in All Japan Pro Wrestling history. This would eventually lead to Jumbo vs Tenryu then Jumbo vs Misawa and ultimately the Four Corners of Heaven. The Choshu invasion of All Japan is incredibly influential. On top of that, this had New Japan vs All Japan implications, besides gaijin switching promotions, I cant think of any natives that switched since the split in the early 70s. It is fitting that the first major New Japan vs All Japan battle happens on neutral ground. Match is wrestled like a Dome match. Everything is HUGE. Just a great Clash of the Titans feel that totally matches the high stakes, big fight feel of the match. Since this is Choshu's promotion, he is wrestling face and Tenryu heel. Tenryu clocks him while the ref is checking him. IT IS ON! Tenryu is out to humiliate Choshu by beating him quick and decisively. Big bombs like piledriver and DDT with pinfalls after each. Eventually, Tenryu runs out of steam and works some holds. Choshu is able to finally counter with a big back drop driver to a big pop. He goes for the Scorpion Deathlock. The struggle is titanic. He cant get it on the first attempts, but gets second. Tenryu retreats to the outside. On the apron, Tenryu gets a cheapshot then an enziguiri. Great dickish heel way to regain the advantage. He nearly GANSOS Choshu with a typically shitty Tenryu powerbomb. Two count. Tenryu reverse elbow gets two. Boston Crab attempt, but Choshu pops his hips and Tenryu goes flying to outside. Tenryu sends him crashing HARD into the railing. Choshu comes flying back with a Lariat that DECKS Tenryu! I popped for that! I can feel the double countout as Tenryu holds the foot. Both on apron, Choshu hits a BACK DROP ON APRON! WOW! Choshu beats the count to win by countout. Two huge stars no way there would be a clean finish, but that was a GREAT FINISH! No wasted motion and no downtime. Just big bomb after big bomb. It worked because it was two huge superstars trying to win quick and the transitions made sense and there were long runs of momentum. Little short (~10 minutes), it was fun, but it did not have the drama to make this an all-time classic. As a breezy, summer action blockbuster between two of the biggest Japanese wrestling rockstars you cant beat this. ****1/4

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki - UWF 9/11/85 Last Original UWF show, I feel like this is the most conventional shoot style match yet from the Original UWF. Match would have been helped a lot to JIP's 12 minutes in because the first half is just brutally boring. I was so confused why this was highly rated, but boy did it pick up. Once Yamazaki started unloading those knees in the clinch and they fell outside the ring, the match became awesome. Yamazaki caught Takada right in the face with a brutal left kick. Yamazaki was rolling. German suplex and submissions at will. Takada was able to recover enough to corner him and caught pretty good with a kick to the gut that doubled him over. Takada was great pressing his advantage here. He was throwing great kicks and slaps. Yamazaki was going for home run kicks to try work his way back into it. The first spin wheel kick missed and almost cost him the match when Takada did a legbar. The second one connected and then match became more even. There was some really great kick and stand up exchanges down the stretch. Really dramatic. Great selling too. There worked in some really nice deadlift, shoot style throws. Each had one really good one. Takada was ferocious on his feet. Quick strikes to the head on every break. Takada back drop driver was great. I loved him taking time to sell before going for cross armbreaker->triangle choke to really put over the attrition accumulated over the course of the match. Yamazaki powerbombs out of triangle and immediately goes for cross armbreaker. It is night and day how much better the last half of this compared to that dreadfully dull first half. Yamazaki gets him in the clinch with knees, but doesn't have great positioning so he lets go and Takada hits a LIGHTNING QUICK SPIN KICK to the midsection that drops Yamazaki. Yamazaki goes for a wild kick and falls over, but Takada does not take advantage. Dramatic moment. Yamazaki gets a single leg back heel trip into a single leg crab. Takada makes ropes. Takada sells shoot style well. He gets up gingerly but then gradually gets pep in his step in like 5-10 seconds. It is well done. TAKADA SWEEPS THE PLANT LEG! I love it! Again does not take advantage. Takada unleashes a barrage of kicks to the midsection. Yamazaki blocking as best he can, but leaves himself open and Takada rifles him in the stomach. Takada sells how own kick really well. Yamazaki cant make ten count. Awesomely dramatic back half that featured Yamazaki the home run slugging aggressor against the lightning quick, counterwrestler in Takada, Takada showed a lot of poise going down early to make a comeback. Yamazaki's strategy was go for bombs. Yamazaki was not nearly as good at defense left himself open to Takada's ferocious kicks. Really great story down the stretch. Back half was definitely ****1/2. I just cant rate a match where nearly half of it is so boring much higher than ****.

Three categories I think could work: Hot chick, loveable mascot type figure, hard nosed coach. I think Daniel Bryan would be a good combination of the latter two not so much the former.

Nobuhiko Takada vs Super Tiger - UWF 9/6/85 Four days after the infamous Maeda/Tiger shoot, which led to Maeda being fired and then UWF folding with all the stars invading New Japan, Super Tiger has his penultimate match for nearly ten years against Takada. I liked this a lot more than the subdued July match even though we are missing about six minutes of a 14 minute match. Both guys are just unloading with rifling kicks. After the clip, we see Takada catch Tiger in the head with one that causes him to take a count. Not to be outdone, Tiger catches with a jumping roundhouse kick to the midsection that doubles him over. Tiger was throwing butterfly suplexes and the struggle over Takada's throws was great. The kicks were just vicious in this match each trying to destroy the other and they were connecting. I thought Sayama the super shooter was coming out at times the way he easily reversed a cross armbreaker into a single leg crab stretched reality. For a short, portly, unassuming fellow, once Sayama starts kicking he comes across as a badass. There were some really hot, spirited kick exchanges between these two. I thought the last minute before the finish was kinda boring just Tiger laying on Takada with a headlock. It was good struggle, but it was not as hot as the rest of the match. Takada goes kicks, but Tiger catches him in a Human Capture Suplex and immediately applies legbar after some struggle he wins. Too much of the match missing to be considered great and thought the finish was not as hot as the kicking sequences. Loved the kicking though. ***1/4

Nobuhiko Takada vs Super Tiger - UWF 7/21/85 Sayama without his Tiger Mask?!!? Not as cool. Two of the all-time best kickers here. First like three minutes of fifteen minute match are cut. They are throwing some really beautiful kicks, but both are so good at blocking and movement nothing really lands until the end. The matwork is pretty good. Both are better on the mat with a pro like Fujiwara rather than left to their own devices where nothing seems to connect. It is just kicks and then takedown attempts nothing connects the matwork. I liked Sayama's legsweep/legscissors combo that Takada countered with a double wristlock. Sayama had good selling during Triangle Choke with his coughing. The narrative felt like they were equally great at kicking and equally mediocre on the mat. I felt Sayama was dictating ring positioning better, but Takada being a bit taller and stronger was better at takedowns. The match complexion changed in the last minute when Sayama finally lands a wild spin kick to the head that causes Takada to take an 8 count. Takada had his bell run and it is a matter of time. Takada goes for a throw and Tiger squashes it and grabs a double wristlock for a win. The match flew by and there were some good kicks, but not much else. I was hoping more some really badass kicks to the head. ***

Nobuhiko Takada vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara - UWF 7/8/85 I'm hard pressed to believe that Maeda and Yamazaki both had more great matches in the Original UWF than Takada. Takada has looked really good in all his outings at the spirited young lion. Here it is the uptempo stand up game of Takada against grind it out style of Fujiwara. It is very basic, but very compelling because these are the two best sellers in Original UWF. I loved how Takada sold every legbar with cries of agony and throwing axe kicks to break the hold. While Fujiwara sold every takedown as a deadlift with tons of struggle. In the stand up, Takada would just send a barrage of really nice looking kicks at Fujiwara usually aimed at knotting up the thigh. Fujiwara with patience would counterwrestle by grabbing the leg and wrestling to the ground. I thought Fujiwara selling of the leg was great as was Takada's fire with these kicks very energizing. Takada feels like a dangerous underdog but he never goes for a headshot so eventually Fujiwara is able to switch from a legbar to a double wristlock to win. Very basic, but very effective. Missing about the beginning 4 minutes. ***3/4

Amen!

Was at the show last night at Mohegan Sun. Wicked fun! USOS vs American Alpha was bitchin! Easy ****1/4they killed it. Love AA as the Neo-Steiners just tossing muthafuckas around. It was so cool watching GRONK lose his mind for those nearfalls. That false hot tag sequence ruled! One of the best I have ever seen! I was biting on all sort of nearfalls because I didn't think they switch titles and then I thought they would. I became so absorbed in it. I thought escalation in this match was really good! The crowd was dead at beginning but they totally won them over. Hell they made me do something I thought never do...chant "This is awesome". They deserved it not just for an awesome match with good psychology but for wining over a dead crowd. Definitely one of the best WWE tags of the year and a favorite live match of my life. God, that false hot tag sequence was so damn good! ****1/4

Was at the show last night at Mohegan Sun. Wicked fun! Smackdown is so damn good now. It helped that I won the price of my ticket back with one spin of the Roulette Wheel right before the show. If I didn't have good luck, I'd have no luck at all. USOS vs American Alpha was bitchin! Easy ****1/4they killed it. Love AA as the Neo-Steiners just tossing muthafuckas around. It was so cool watching GRONK lose his mind for those nearfalls. That false hot tag sequence ruled! One of the best I have ever seen! Miz & Maryse HOLY SHIT was that funny! Miz as Robo-Cena was great that is a much fresher take on Cena. Cena feels like a WWE programmed Robot. So I love it. Maryse was next level awesome. Her doing Nikki & Brie was great! The DDP Yoga gag was ridiculously funny! Only disappointment was that they shortchanged the women which is my favorite part of show. Loved the standard HOLY SHIT SHane elbow to close out the show! So much fun! Smackdown is on a roll!

Akira Maeda vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara -UWF 7/13/85 Missing the beginning four minutes of a 15 minute match. Overall, I was thinking the problem with some of these Original UWF matches is that they are too long. Shoot style is a hard style to do for a long time. Fujiwara/Super Tiger made it work but the other pairings aren't doing as well with the 20+ minutes timing on their matches. I thought this was much better with the compact style. This the most intense I have seen Maeda. These two were dripping sweat minutes into the match from how hard they were going on the mat. I loved the story of this match. Maeda was going low instead of high with his kicks. Even though Fujiwara was trying to take it to the ground, Maeda was coming up with inventive ways to get Crabs on him (single, Boston and even Scorpion Deathlock). What made this was the struggle to apply the holds and Fujiwara's verbal selling. Really compelling matwork. Fujiwara was able to get his own legbars, but everytime he stand up he would hobbled and Maeda would kick out his legs. It was interesting because Fujiwara could not stand up with Maeda but on the ground he was competitive. Maeda figured this out and tried to go for the kill with multiple spinwheel kicks to the head to win the match. Except he kept WHIFFING! Fujiwara capitalized with a legbar to win. Just as good as the March match if not slightly better. I liked the story of Maeda attacking the legs, Fujiwara competitive on the mat, but not on his feet because of bum wheel so Maeda goes for kill, but whiffs and Fujiwara pounces with win. This is twice now Maeda has choked and failed to put Fujiwara away, Fujiwara just has that killer instinct. ****

Much preferred Fujiwara/Super Tiger but maybe because those are still have tinges of the pro style I love. And because I find Maeda to be boring as piss. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Akira Maeda - UWF 3/2/85 Can Fujiwara do the impossible can carry Maeda to a great match? Lets find out. I will say this has a big fight feel moreso than the Super Tiger matches with either guy. I prefer the Super Tiger matches, but those feel like David vs Goliath, superhero matches. Maeda for all his lameness does have an aura due to his unprofessional shoot kicking of wrestlers in the face and Fujiwara is just a badass. Fujiwara repeatedly slapping the taste out of Maeda's mouth in the first five minutes is awesome. As an anti-Maeda fan made me very happy. I thought the feeling our process here was much better. Fujiwara made this match drip with struggle when so many Maeda matches are just listless. I love how he bucked him off the side control double wristlock. Fujiwara starts to make serious in-roads on the mat so Maeda responds with the Super Tiger strategy of kicking Fujiwara in the head hard, many, many times. Fujiwara responds in the best way possible by slapping Maeda really fucking hard and then holding his head in place for some nasty headbutts. This was about the halfway point and for the next ten minutes it was pretty much all Fujiwara and it was so much better for it. He started working on the legs, but eventually got his Fujiwara armbar locked in. Maeda was getting hope spots, but Fujiwara pretty much was constantly cutting him off on the mat. It was nice to see Maeda dominated. Because of that and Maeda's rep, I totally bought in on Maeda winning. I thought the transition to the finish was a little weak as it was just a bundle of legs lock and Maeda comes up kicking. Maeda just starts roaring with those kicks. It is alternating between nasty suplexes and chokeouts. I was totally ready for Maeda to win with that Dragon suplex or a choke. Then he WHIFFS on a spinkick. Fujiwara POUNCES with a CHOKEOUT!!! AWESOME FINISH! There was still too much downtime to call this any more than great, but hell Fujiwara did and got a great match out of Maeda! Finish was spectacular. Apparently they have a real classic in New Japan the next year. I will be watching the July 1985 UWF rematch next though. ****

Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki - UWF 2/18/85 Akira Maeda: The Human Cure for Insomnia. He is a total snoozefest on the mat. So many "bundle of legs" lock or just lying on Yamazaki. Yamazaki is not he guy to draw anything out of Maeda. So far nobody is. The first 12 minutes was a Maeda mauling. Well there was a clip because even the cameraman got bored. Yamazaki got a quick German and that was it. I will say Maeda did have his first explosion of fury. Some really nasty kicks and he did seem more forceful, but then it went back to lying in a side mount or a "bundle of legs" lock. He did have a nice deadlift German. Yamazaki was able to wriggle out and get a single leg crab and from there tries to press his advantage on the mat, but this led to yet another game of "leg twister". It takes a great seller to really get over just holding a bundle of legs and these guys just aren't it. Maeda ends up with a single crab now. Maeda does seem more into this match than previous encounters, I will give him that. Yamazaki's selling out of single leg crab would have been great if he was selling a kick to his head, but was just weird coming out of the single leg crab covering his head. Maeda back to the single leg crab, but Yamazaki makes the ropes. This is a full court press by Maeda. Maeda is destroying him with kicks. After two straight jobs to Super Tiger, Maeda does need some rehab and I guess Yamazaki is his whipping boy. Yamazaki tries some kicks and Maeda fights through them to do a Human Capture Suplex and drop Yamazaki on his head. Nice! Yamazaki tries for German, but Maeda connects with a stiff back elbow. Yamazaki keeps making ropes on submissions. DRAGON SUPLEX BY MAEDA for two! and then promptly chokes him out. Just an extended squash for Maeda to remind everyone he is number two to Super Tiger. Better than October encounter, but that just because Maeda was throwing Yamazaki around and had some nice kicks. He still sucks on the mat. Next match is with Fujiwara, which will be interesting for two reasons: 1. To find out who is second fiddle to Super Tiger and 2. to see if Fujiwara can do the impossible and get a great match out of Maeda. ***

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Kazuo Yamazaki - UWF 1/7/85 Welcome to the Yoshiaki Fujiwara Show, Kazuo Yamazaki! Fujiwara is just so compelling. He has the explosiveness to make shoot style work that Maeda lacks. He really rips Yamazkai over on these takedowns. He is so committed to everything he does. When he is transition to a wristlock or applying a figure-4 on a limb he does it so decisively. He is a man who knows exactly what he wants and he gets what wants. On top of that Fujiwara complements his excellent offensive repertoire with dramatic pro style selling. The way he collapses when Yamazaki is able to nail a desperation kick to the head or how he sends himself flying across the ring on a roundhouse kick to the chest is just awesome. He is a badass but knows how to show vulnerability. The way he controls Yamazaki with those forceful takedowns and gripping submission work is great. Loved the finish with Yamazaki getting one nearfall with the German (oh now pinfalls count!) before Fujiwara hits a monster piledriver and then double wristlock for win. It was short but sweet. In a lot of ways this was a poor man's Fujiwara/Super Tiger. Yamazaki used home run kicks to the head to create in-roads. Unlike Tiger, in both a kayfabe and artistic sense, his kicks just arent as good so Fujiwara was able to respond and always regain the advantage. Yamazaki lacked the killer instinct of Tiger in the 12/05/84 match. Fujiwara was just too overwhelming for him, but God was Fujiwara just incredible to watch in this. Super Tiger has been a joy to watch, but Fujiwara is the undisputed best worker in this promotion. There is no shame in being the poor man's version of one of the greatest series of all time! Recommendation to watch just to see what Fujiwara can do as it is breath-taking. ****

Super Tiger vs Akira Maeda - UWF 1/7/85 I just found out that the Original UWF was Sayama's promotion not Maeda's. It now all makes sense why Sayama has not jobbed once! I checked Cagematch and through this match Super Tiger does not lose. I will say I have greatly enjoyed him in this run in UWF. He has such a beautiful kicks. I don't think I have seen someone kick as gracefully and as forcefully as Super Tiger. It is such a diverse array of kicks too that makes it special. He really tags Maeda with a couple great roundhouse kicks to the midsection. I have to say I thought this was a better Maeda still not great, but his strategy was smart. He let Tiger come to him. Tiger is going for these home run kicks and it leaves him. It was great counterwrestling. Maeda was able to throw him to the ground multiple times at the beginning. Maeda is boring as piss on the ground, but at least he was trying different submissions. After about 8 minutes of getting thwarted, Super Tiger finally nails Maeda with a nasty kick and hits his famous kneedrop to head, but misses the kneedrop from the middle rope. I thought Tiger was not as great as in the Fujiwara matches with his verbal selling. In addition, I thought his strategy here was not smart. He would get advantage and then squandered it on the mat by grabbing a hold where Maeda's superior strength and technique could reign supreme. At some point, UWF got rid of pinfalls because Maeda has Tiger's shoulder pinned for like a good minute in a double wristlock. There is a really boring stretch of Maeda submission work on Super Tiger, lots of lying on him. Tiger wriggles out of a Maeda submission attempt and gets a single leg crab. It is actually really good and deep. The finish stretch is wicked hot. Super Tiger just starts rifling Maeda in the head with kicks after a rope break on the single leg crab. Maeda is able to stand up and kick out Tiger's plant leg!!! WOW!!! He finally gives Tiger a taste of his own medicine with kicks to the head. Tiger grabs a hold of the kicks out Maeda's leg. Battle of palm strikes and Tiger slaps the taste out of his mount. Tiger wins with a headscissors choke. For another win for the ace of UWF. Super Tiger was like the original Royce Gracie. Nothing too special. Tiger's offense looked amazing and Maeda wrestled a smart, but boring match. The finish stretch was great, but too little too late to call this a classic. ***1/2

Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov - RINGS 7/16/92 My least favorite kind of submission work is what I call the "bundle of legs" lock. Where both guys are laying down each with a sort of leglock on the other, popular in New Japan and sometimes in WCW. At first I actually think these guys made it work. You could see the immense struggle, how the figure-4s were almost forming or that sick time where Han was choking with Kopylov with a headscissors from a sick position. Kopylov's verbal selling was off the charts great and really added to the opening matwork. They got kinda lackadaisical and it became the "bundle of legs" lock. Even the ref had to call a stalemate and stand up. Han ruled right after that. Insane standing hammerlock forces rope break. Then just wrenches him down with a wristlock into a gnarly choke for another rope break. Then it was a spinning backfirst and kicks to get a knockdown. Han really had Kopylov reeling. Kopylov smartly slows it down and wraps up holds. "Bundle of legs" lock. The finish is pretty good with Han hitting a spinning backfirst for his second knockdown. Han looks like he has the match in hand. But then he gets cocky tries a flying karat kick and eats a big straight front kick to the midsection. Great selling! It feels like a big moment as Kopylov gets a knockdown. Han backs him into a corner and goes for a rip takedown, but KOPYLOV PANCAKES HIM! OOOOOOOOO DRAMA! Kopylov grabs a top wristlock and looks to convert to a crossarmbreaker, but rope break. Kopylov looks gassed, but gets a great leg trip and a applies a wicked toehold. Han is tempted to choke him but that's cheating so he taps out. Loved that moral struggle. I am in Kopylov won, but should be traditional Japanese match structure the one kicking ass usually loses. Beginning with all the struggle was great and the finis was intense, but it was too little too late. Way too much downtime in this one. Proves Han is human and does not have classics in every single outing. ***3/4

I can only imagine what someone like Parv would think about the first ten minutes of this match. Dreadfully dull and I like this style. Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki - UWF 12/5/84 I love shoot-style, but bad shoot-style commits the worst sin any man can commit by being boring. The first ten minutes of this is dreadfully dull. The only cool spot is when Yamazaki bridges and Takada kicks the leg out from a side mount. The rest is just battling over a cross armbreaker (Takada) and a toehold (Yamazaki). Takada seems to be taking Yamazaki down and bringing the fight to Yamazaki. The match picks up about 12 minutes in (the whole thing is 24 long minutes and you feel every minute) when Takada applies a double wristlock that has Yamazaki scrambling to the ropes. Yamazaki responds with a series of fiery kicks and takes Takada down. Takada on stand up slaps the fuck out of Yamazaki. One of those great I am trying not to sell but damn did that sting sells by Yamazaki. I thought they lost some momentum by Yamazaki pancaking Takada for a while. There were some good kicks. What really saves the whole match is that the finish stretch is wicked hot. Really shows how much better these are compared to Maeda. Takada was delivering BADASS Jumping Tombstones and I love how he was pinning and then upon kickout going right for the double wristlock. Some really good kicks by both men. Surprised Yamazaki was able to turn the tide with a jumping roundhouse kick. Takada sold it really well. Yamazaki pounced and really never let up. It was some nasty submission attempts and snap suplexes, the German was the one that did Takada in. I don't know the hierarchy of UWF, but this was pretty shocking to me. I fully expected Takada to win especially as he was firing off Tombstones and kicks. They totally got me to bite on his Crossface Chickenwing. The Yamazaki transition and then like two minutes explosion of kicks and suplexes to win was great. Felt very NJPW juniors in that if you cut out the first 12 minutes you have a great match, but the first twelve minutes really drag, but the last five minutes are fire. ***

Damn, youre much tougher grader than me if you are giving that ****3/4. Excited you are getting close to the top.