It wasn't his first world title defense in Japan, but it was Flair's first major title defense in Japan. Great match that feels more like boxing than wrestling at times in terms of atmosphere. Jumbo does lots of selling to get over the new champ in a new area where he'd be headlining for years to come. Flair is usually more subdued in Japan, which is fine, but different. He's still pretty loud here, doing the whooing and strutting, which is fun to watch. Slam dunk pick.

Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (2/3 falls) (NWA Title, 10/9/81)

- Jumbo-Flair is one of my favorite matchups. I dig this much more than Flair-Taylor or Flair-Kerry yet I can’t see leaving those matches off their respective sets so I don’t see how we can leave any of the great Flair-Jumbo matches off. Hell, the first fall alone in this match was pretty damn great to be a nomination in its own right. Jumbo eventually nails a missile dropkick from the top rope to get the clean pin. However, Flair had been working over the leg which sets up the 2nd fall. In the 2nd fall, Jumbo tries to get the 2nd pin when Flair nails the leg breaker which sets up the Figure 4 in a short fall. Jumbo is still selling the leg in the 3rd fall even though his corner was massaging it, attempting to revive it for the final fall. I love little shit like that thrown in a match, especially in a 2/3 falls match where each fall is like a round in boxing that requires a different strategy after each round. This is probably why I so enthusiastic about the Portland category. The third fall has a little bit of everything. It has some brawling outside that results in Jumbo busted open. It ahs Flair trapped in a tree of woe and Jumbo attacking him while the referee tries to free him. It has Flair working on Jumbo’s cut. It has the hot finish with Jumbo trying desperately to put Flair away but as he goes for the big knee, Flair moves and Jumbo racks himself on the top turnbuckle. Flair gets the clean pin which is so rare for an All Japan match. This is easily my favorite Flair-Jumbo match. I could see this in my Top 5 and most definitely Top 10. Slam dunk nomination.

 

(AJC 64)

I watched this to compare it to their 6/8/83 classic. I don't think it took on quite as much of a life-and-death feel, but it was damn good. Jumbo's offensive sequence to take the first fall looked absolutely devastating (Flair ate the jumping knee like a man's man), and he sold the effects of Flair's figure four as well as anyone I've seen. They also produced some intense, toe-to-toe slugging sequences. Jumbo's selling in the third fall and Flair's vicious attack on the cut brought it to a superb climax. Certainly an easy nomination and more evidence that these guys were a hell of a pairing.

Yeah, there might be two Jumbo-Flair 2/3 falls matches in my Top 5 when this thing is all said and done.

2 out of 3 falls for the NWA World Heavyweight Title: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (10/9/81)

 

Lord James Blears is the referee here and this is Flair's first big match in Japan as the champion. The first fall is really fun with both men keeping it at a rapid pace and Flair being a breath of fresh air to the NWA title scene in Japan. Jumbo being a fired up babyface with Flair begging off was fun because you didn't see a lot of chickenshit heel moves in Japan from the NWA champion. Jumbo breaks out a modified Indian Death Lock and it's at this time that Harley Race shows up at ringside which reminds me of the story that Flair asked that Harley come down for this match to make sure that they wouldn't try to take his title from him in a shoot and with Harley at ringside no one was going to try that shit. Jumbo would hit a big high knee then a missile dropkick off the top rope to take the 1st fall. Jumbo tries to put Flair away early in the 2nd fall but Flair would soon catch Jumbo in his kneebreaker which gave Flair the opening he needed and he worked over Jumbo with his setup moves for the figure-four but Jumbo would catch him in an inside cradle for a nearfall. Flair came back with a backdrop suplex though and locked on the figure-four to even the falls. Jumbo gets his knee worked on between falls so Flair decides to go a different route and takes the match to the floor where he posts Jumbo who juices and Flair works the cut. Jumbo fires it up though throwing Flair into the corner where he goes into the tree of woe before locking on the cobra twist that would end up with Flair throwing Jumbo on Lord Blears. Jumbo would hit a deadlift German Suplex but Blears was down so he follows with a piledriver but Flair gets his foot on the ropes. Jumbo then went for a high knee into the corner but he hit all corner and Flair would fall on top to get the win in an awesome match. This is one of the best matches I've seen from this era of All-Japan and a slam dunk nomination.