All Japan Classics 164

 

Jumbo Tsuruta & John Tenta vs. Abdullah the Butcher & TNT (01/28/88)

- This match took me completely off guard. This was perfectly acceptable tag wrestling. The first half was not much to write home about but the 2nd half was really hot with the crowd into all 4 wrestlers. The turning point happened when TNT came off the top rope and hit Abby instead of Jumbo. After that point, we get a pretty cool Tenta-Abby Fat Man standoff and a hot ending. Tenta tries to put TNT away wit ha Canadian backbreaker but Abby kicks him to break the hold. As Abby is going back to the ring apron, Tenta tags Jumbo and then knocks Abby off the apron and brawls with him on the outside. Inside the ring, TNT attempts a superkick, misses and receives a Jumbo lariat. Jumbo then gives the backdrop driver to end the match. This is a low-end tag nominee but worthy of nomination. I want you guys to check this one out. The post-match was fun also.

 

Genichiro Tenyru & Ashura Hara vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (03/05/88)

- No one really gains control in this one but Gordy and Hansen are tagging in and out more. Hara and Tenryu execute some nice offense but when Hansen is in there, he mainly shrugs it off which is irritating. No one really maintains control here but there isn’t anything particularly interesting about the moves to invest in the match. Hara and Tenryu do execute a sweet double enziguiri later in the match but all four guys end up on the outside and the match is thrown out after a huge brawl. Man, I really wanted to like this match but I just didn’t care for it on a set full of awesome tag matches.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tiger Mask (03/09/88)

- Misawa starts off controlling the match with a headlock but they are doing nothing with the move except establishing that Misawa can keep it locked on when Jumbo wants to push him off. I like matches worked out of headlocks as much as the next guy. I am sure I even nominated a few but this was just weak. I guess it makes the big dives more exciting after ten minutes of headlocks. The last few minutes are exciting with Tiger Mask throwing everything out at Jumbo in an effort to put him away but Jumbo cannot be denied. He puts it away with the back suplex.

 

- Man I was ready to put the last two matches on the nominating list without much thought but then I watched the matches. Who would have thought that the one John Tenta match would be the best match on this episode?

All Japan Classics 164

 

~Jumbo Tsuruta & John Tenta vs. Abdullah the Butcher & TNT (10:28, 1/28/88)

This was a nice, hot 10 minutes. The crowd was completely jacked for Abby vs. Jumbo, and get into it more once TNT spikes Abby and Jumbo starts working him over with knees and kicks. The end run is what makes it, as there’s a bunch of cool stuff: great nearfall from an Abby elbowdrop to Tenta, TNT shooting across the ring after getting dropkicked by Tenta (REAL great spot). Abby beating up rookies after the match does nothing but help. LOW LEVEL NOMINATION!

 

~Genichiro Tenyru & Ashura Hara vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (14:53, CO, 3/5/88)

This starts fucking awesome with a great Gordy/Hara exchange, then Gordy punching Tenryu and Tenryu chopping back. Gordy and Hansen start beating the shit out of Tenryu. Hansen makes a simple chinlock look like the most violent submission I’ve ever seen. Gordy and Hansen keep controlling both for a while, and Hara gets and awesome comeback and starts staggering Gordy with his super rad uppercuts. Buuuuut Hansen cuts off the comeback and Gordy goes right back to beating him down. Hara finally tags out and Tenryu gets the duke on Gordy, but for some reason tags Hara back in and he gets beaten down again! But one desperation uppercut later and the tides turn, allowing Tenryu to make it in and the two of them to lace into Gordy/Hansen with double team moves. The action spills to the floor, and Hansen does a fucking TOPE into the other three! Oh shit! Hansen goes nuts on the outside and throws a chair right at the camera man (awesome effect, as it looks like he’s throwing it right into your living room). More chairs get thrown, Hansen runs after people, and I love it. NOMINATE!

 

~Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tiger Mask (14:43, 3/9/88)

Dug the start, as TM controls with a headlock and Jumbo attempts to break a couple times with kneebreakers, TM selling the leg a bit different each time, changing up his headlock. Jumbo lands some knees but TM does an awesome springboard headbutt from the turnbuckles to gain back control. TM maintains control with the headlock for awhile until Jumbo suddenly says “Fuuuuck Thiiiis, I’m stronger than this guy!” and kicks him the back suplex from hell. The crowd goes from interested to molten in seconds. Jumbo follows with a beast of a knee and a great piledriver. He’s in full control and in full dick mode now. TM gets some great flurries with some spin kicks, a baseball slide, a rad springboard somersault, and a nasty dive off the top to the floor. He’s pretty shaken up, though, and does a good job of staying one step ahead of Jumbo, trying to use his speed , knowing all it will take is for Jumbo to catch him just a couple times for it to end (think modern Mysterio matches). Crowd is heating up nicely for this extended comeback, and go notably quiet when Jumbo gets the knees up on the splash. Jumbo’s dickish scowls to the crowd are awesome. TM gets a flash nearfall off a rollup, then gets another with a hurracanrana. Goes to the well again, and Jumbo plants him with the best hotshot EVER. Crowd is fucking jacked right here. TM with more desperate rollups but the crowd is sensing his desperation. One MASSIVE Jumbo backdrop later and we’re done. Great match. NOMINATE!

John Tenta & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Abdullah the Butcher & TNT (1/28/88)

 

This was fun when Jumbo & Abby were in and the fans were into the Abby/Tenta battles before a pretty hot stretch run featuring a Tenta dropkick and Jumbo killing TNT with a lariat/backdrop driver combo for the win. Fun stuff but not a nomination.

 

Revolution (Ashura Hara & Genichiro Tenryu) vs. Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy & Stan "The Lariat" Hansen (3/5/88)

 

This is like their RWTL match as it starts off with both teams taking it to each other with the gaijin working over Revolution for a good chunk of the match with them getting some hope spots but double teams keeping them at a disadvantage. The gaijin are on a rampage here as it seems like Revolution is about to start a big offensive barrage but somehow they get thwarted until finally they hit a double lariat then a great looking double enzuigiri with Tenryu crushing Hansen's face in and he sells like he has been KOed. Gordy then fights off Revolution on the floor as Hansen finally wakes up and hits a TOPE SUICIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on Tenryu and just beats the holy hell out of him on the floor with chairs. Hansen has lost it swinging chairs wildly as well as slapping the shit out of him. The bell finally rings as Hansen gets the ringside table and throws it over the rail then goes for his bullrope where he runs people off. This was fuckin crazy and I don't think this is a nomination since Revolution did nothing but take punishment for at least 95% of the match but everything after the double enzuigiri is must see TV. Hansen then yells out to the announcers "YOU THINK YOU CAN POTATO ME" and walks off. Slam dunk extra material and this has to be on the set.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tiger Mask II (3/9/88)

 

Jumbo has foresaken TM for Yatsu as a tag partner so know TM has to show him that he is worthy. TM is very aggressive to start as he works a side headlock and tries to keep Jumbo grounded but working that headlock is just delaying the inevitable as Jumbo just destroys him with a backdrop driver followed up by a high knee and a piledriver. TM would recover though sending Jumbo the floor where he hit a sweet springboard somersault senton to the floor then followed up with a insane plancha from the top rope to the floor where he almost overshot Jumbo. TM then throws out whatever he could getting some really close nearfalls before catching all knees on a missed frog splash. Jumbo goes back on the attack but TM would get some nearfalls on cradle attempts until Jumbo hits him with a Hot Shot as he tried a Thesz Press then nuked him with a backdrop driver but TM kicked out and the fans are going nuts for TM. TM gets an inside cradle for a nearfall then takes yet another backdrop driver that this time put him away. Jumbo picks him up after the match and raises TM's hand in a sign of respect. This was a fantastic match with a great story and this is a slam dunk nomination.