Posted June 30, 200916 yr comment_5441362 Taped 7/12/89: Big Van Vader vs. Shota Chochyshvili Basically a five-minute beatdown by Vader with a few neat throws by the Russian mixed in. Super Strong Machine/George Takano vs. Takayuki Lizuka/Shiro Koshinka I figured Iizuka would just get his ass kicked for the whole match, but he surprised me. He hit some nice suplexes and some especially fun flying submission set-ups. The crowd got psyched for his nearfalls and near-taps. This show of spunk seemed to surprise the champs as well, because they resorted to cheating to regain control. Their dirty tactics allowed them to escape with the win. I doubt this will end up on the set, but it was a well-executed story built around a guy who might not make it otherwise. I'll at least falg it for you guys to take a look. Jushin Liger vs. Black Tiger - European Style: Round system I already ominated this, but the full version was even better with more Black Tiger cheating. Riki Choshu vs. Salman Hashimikov I was excited for this. My favorite native against the best Russian guy in a title match. If they'd gone 15, it would've been a slam dunk. At half that, it had me on the fence. Basically, Choshu couldn't handle Hashimikov straight up, so he kept probing for ways to tilt the field. First, he tried leg kicks. Then, he tried to pull him to the outside. But the Russian always found a way to overpower him. Finally, Choshu just kicked him in the crotch, annihilated him with two lariats and took the title. The match had me engaged the whole way, and I liked the story. But at 7:40, I don't think it would do well in the poll. I'd at least like to hear what you all think. Taped 7/13/89: Great Kokina (Yokozuna) vs. Masa Saito - This featured some fun slugging in the middle of the ring, and it's always fun to watch Saito toss around a super heavy. But nothing setworthy.
