Posted June 13, 200916 yr comment_5440687 #122 April 1, 1982, Tokyo - Sumo Hall Tiger Mask vs. Steve Wright (WWF Junior Title) - So badass. If you watch Lynch’s Europe stuff, you see a bunch of Steve Wright stuff on there. Wright takes his Euro counters and incorporates them into a typical Tiger Mask match to give us a completely unique experience. Wright focuses on the leg and stretches Sayama’s knee ten ways from Sunday. I love how later on, Sayama turns the tides and Wright ends up with tender legs. The crowd was lukewarm in the beginning but warmed up to Wright real quick. Easy nomination. Andre the Giant vs. Killer Khan (MSG League '82 - Final) - I love how Andre is completely un-phased by Khan as he is jawing with the crowd. This isn’t a match between Khan and Andre; this is between Andre and the fans… until Khan kicks out of the pin form the failed slam attempt. Then, we get to the highlights that Childs mentioned. The choke sequence was awesome. It amazes me how we still see matches with giants where the most effective tactic is for the little guy to chop down the tree. It works here and it works today with Big Show matches. Andre’s selling is amazing here. He splashes Khan and sells the leg like death. There might be two Andre matches in my Top Ten. Insane
