Posted February 28, 200817 yr comment_5428769 All Japan Classics 171 Tiger Mask & Jimmy Snuka vs. Kabuki & Akio Sato (9/15/88) - First few minutes are uneventful and nondescript. It picks up when Misawa and Kabuki square off against each other. This did have some nice stuff in the middle including Kabuki’s superkicks to both Snuka and Misawa and some Misawa/Snuka double teaming. I need to look for a Tiger Mask-Kabuki match. It might be a sleeper. This tag wasn’t too bad but not enough for a nomination. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (PWF Tag Title) (7/29/88) - Hansen has bandaged ribs so that is where the focus is at. Too bad these guys seemed to be on different pages. There was some sloppiness and no one was working in tandem as tag teams or opponents. A real letdown. The big issue is that Gordy and Hansen won the tag titles. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Abdullah the Butcher (International Title) (9/9/88) - This is surreal. Jumbo and Abby had a kickass match in the late 1970s that I would recommend. It seemed like they were trying to recreate that moment but not really getting there. Abby brings the objects. Jumbo bleeds. DQ ending. It just didn’t feel as reckless or dangerous as the 70s match.
September 16, 201015 yr comment_5455734 "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka & Tiger Mask II vs. The Great Kabuki & Akio Sato (9/15/88) Snuka & TM work pretty well together as a team but that's about it for this one. PWF Tag Titles: Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu © vs. Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy & Stan "The Lariat" Hansen (7/29/88) Hansen had taped ribs here and obviously this gets exploited but man this match was clunky and I think that Hansen's head just wasn't into it here as you could see before the match that he was looking emotional. Maybe it was because he was thinking about Brody who had died just 12 days earlier. This had some good parts but overall this was the worst of their matches that's for sure. Gordy & Hansen do win the titles though. NWA International Heavyweight Title: Jumbo Tsuruta © vs. Abdullah the Butcher (9/9/88) Jumbo has taped ribs for this one. This is your pedestrian Jumbo/Abby match as you had the blood and weapons and Jumbo firing up but this just felt like them going through the motions for most of the match. Not a nomination although the post match was fun with Abby brawling with Snuka & TM.
