Posted May 23, 201015 yr comment_5451175 Tiger Mask/Isao Takagi vs. Genichiro Tenryu/Toshiaki Kawada (17:50) This was just plain awesome right here. Takagi you know better as the future Arashi, but here he is a young 27 year old who just happens to look like 40. He is also a dude that Tenryu feels he needs to just beat the shit out of the whole time here. Holy God. Tenryu just punts him in the spine and knees him in the face (cutting him open, making him bleed!!) and then Kawada comes in and tries to impress Tenryu and HE just punts the shit out of Takagi and it is AWWWWWEsome. And then Tenryu sells TM’s sometimes kinda goofy but sometimes not kicks actually reallllly well and makes them look real good (especially when he takes a boss bump through the ropes from them) and then in some foreshadowing TM picks on Kawada and Kawada kinda takes it but kinda also knows he’s looking at the next 12 years of his life. But Kawada’s kicks look real nice and he hits a plausible cartwheel elbow and he also hits a great Bill Dundee-esque clothesline/sleeper that looks beautiful! But then Takagi is pissed and lariats the fucking hell out of Tenryu and Tenryu returns fire with a vicious shoulderblock and TM hits a dope tope through the bottom ropes on Kawada and slams Takagi’s head on a table outside and he takes it like a champ and this match just totally rules the whole way through. I can’t say enough nice things about it. Also I’m drunk. NOMINATE!! AJ TV 7/10/88 & 7/17/88
July 16, 201015 yr comment_5453194 Yep, this was the goods. First off, it would be cool to present some prehistoric Misawa vs. Kawada that hardly anyone has seen. And they worked together a lot, showing glimmers of their chemistry to come, albeit with more of a juniorish twist. Misawa was actually the kicker in this equation and Eric is right -- Tenryu and Kawada did a great job eating his sometimes awkward strikes. Actually, Tenryu was quite generous overall considering how clearly he outranked both Misawa and Takagi. The Takagi subplot was pretty great as well, with him bleeding more and more throughout the match but rallying to run over Kawada and Tenryu with chunky lariats and shoulder tackles. This is a definite nomination and one of those happy finds from the often-drab expanse of weekly TV.
September 20, 201015 yr comment_5456039 Tiger Mask/Isao Takagi vs. Genichiro Tenryu/Toshiaki Kawada (17:50 complete) 7/17/88 (taped 7/16/88 ) - Mask and Takagi are working really good as a team. As we are used to seeing, Kawada is playing whipping post for his team. Tneryu plays the ace. Once Kawada starts selling the leg, Mask and Takagi go to town and I mark out some more. I especially liked TM’s leg submission / neck vice combo. I am sure there is a name for it. I wishthe leg work would have lasted longer before the tag to Tenryu. They make up for it by busting Takagi open. So of course, Kawryu start attacking the cut. I thought they went into the stretch run too soon and would have liked seeing more developed attacks on Kawada’s legs or Takagi’s cut but the match was solid enough for a mid-level nomination. Tenryu puts Takagi out with a powerbomb and I wish he would have punched him in the bleeding head once more before putting him away.
October 13, 201015 yr comment_5457173 Toshiaki Kawada & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Isao Takagi & Tiger Mask II (7/16/88) We got blood here which was always a plus and everyone worked hard here so I'll co-sign the nomination.
