All Japan Double Tag Team Title: Mitsuharu Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa (champions) vs Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama (challengers) 10/23/99
About 22 minutes of this match aired on television. A super match with all the strengths of the All Japan style and one of the three best matches of 1999. Misawa and Kobashi exchanged elbows and chops early on. The action spilled out of the ring, where Misawa was dominated. Misawa gave Kobashi his elbow suicida about five minutes into the match. Misawa won an exchange of elbows with Akiyama. The heat was strong for much of the match, and the quiet segments during the middle portion were brief. Akiyama whipped Ogawa twice into the ringside barricade and DDTd him on the floor. Kobashi held Ogawa in a Boston crab during which Ogawa's selling was strong. Akiyama gained a near fall on Ogawa with his blue thunder powerbomb. Ogawa continued to be dominated until Misawa tagged in. Misawa took charge, including gaining near falls on Kobashi with a tiger driver and a tiger splash. However, Kobashi dropped Misawa on his head with a German suplex as heat picked up. The champions dominated Akiyama, including a Misawa German suplex followed by an Ogawa back suplex for a super near fall. Ogawa gained another near fall on Akiyama with a tiger driver but Akiyama soon fought back with an exploder. Misawa gave Kobashi a tiger driver for a near fall followed by a top rope clothesline for another near fall. Misawa gained a dramatic near fall on Kobashi with a tiger suplex. Kobashi blocked an emerald erosion attempt and dropped Misawa with a released German suplex followed by a sick half-nelson German suplex at 25:00. After an exchange of blows, Kobashi gave Misawa two lariats for heated near falls. Akiyama hit Misawa with a jumping knee followed by a lariat from Kobashi. Kobashi then dropped Misawa with the burning hammer and pinned him at 27:25 to win the titles. Although Ogawa and Akiyama were great, the focus was on Misawa vs Kobashi, and they were more than up to the task. Misawa turned in another amazing effort given his physical ailments. Although other All Japan tag team matches have been more memorable, this was also a classic match with no noticeable flaws. *****