THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE #19
DECEMBER 24, 2001

Honorable Mention Vol. 4

Manami Toyota vs Aja Kong 8/20/97

Kong German suplexed Toyota at the bell. Kong hit a running lariat in the corner and dominated Toyota in the early minutes. Kong stretched Toyota with holds such as a camel clutch and gave her a bunch of stiff kicks. She used a half crab and also kicked Toyota�s right leg. Kong elbowsmashed Toyota for a near fall and then applied a Boston crab. Toyota went for her rolling cradle but Kong countered with an abdominal stretch. Toyota fought back and dropkicked Kong, who was trapped in the ropes. Toyota took the fight to ringside and whipped Kong into the barricade but Kong responded with a lariat on the floor. Kong threw Toyota into the barricade and into a sea of chairs in the crowd. Toyota teased using Kong�s own trash can against her, but didn�t. Kong headbutted Toyota and hit her with her trash can. Kong piledrove Toyota for a near fall and gained another near fall with a cradle piledriver. Kong went for a back suplex but Toyota countered and gave Kong an impressive German suplex for a near fall. Toyota missed a moonsault and Kong went for a second rope splash but crashed onto Toyota�s outstretched knees. Toyota went for a springboard plancha but Kong moved and Toyota crashed onto one of the attendants at ringside. Kong then took out Toyota and another attendant with a rare tope suicida. Back in the ring Kong hit a second rope splash for a near fall. Kong went for a superplex but Toyota countered with a top rope sunset flip for a near fall. Kong back suplexed Toyota for a near fall and gained another with a top rope elbow. Kong missed a pair of urakens and Toyota tiger suplexed her for a near fall. Toyota hit a top rope dropkick and a top rope missile dropkick to the back of Kong�s head for a near fall. Toyota gave Kong a rolling cradle for a near fall. Kong fought back and gave a charging Toyota a dangerous backdrop for a near fall. Kong dropped Toyota on her head with a backdrop driver for a near fall. Kong went to the top rope but Toyota pushed her off and to the floor. Toyota then hit her top rope missile dropkick to the floor. Toyota placed Kong on a ringside table and gave her a springboard somersault plancha but the table didn�t budge. Kong countered a tiger suplex attempt with a kick back in the ring. Kong went for an uraken but Toyota caught her arms and tiger suplexed her for a great near fall. Kong caught Toyota and gave her a brainbuster for a near fall. Kong squashed Toyota with a second rope dangerous backdrop for a near fall. Kong hit an uraken for a dramatic near fall and gained another near fall with a second uraken. Kong nailed a third uraken, but gained another near fall. Kong took off her glove and hit a bare-fisted uraken and went for the pin but time expired at 30:00 (18:37 aired). Yet another super match from these two- this was always one of the few �guaranteed great� matches, as they produced up to a half dozen classic singles matches against each other in the 1990s. This one got better and better over time and the highlight, in my opinion, was actually the little psychological nuance of Kong throwing off her glove for the final uraken, so as to use an even more dangerous weapon than her usual �gloved� uraken. A fitting match for Kong�s final match as an All Japan Women star. ****1/2

All Japan Triple Crown Title: Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Toshiaki Kawada 10/21/92

Kawada dropped Misawa on his head with a backdrop driver early. The match slowed as Kawada attacked Misawa�s left arm for a few minutes. Misawa fought back with a bunch of elbows at the 5 minute mark. Misawa worked on Kawada�s back for a couple minutes. Kawada held his own and regained the advantage on the mat. They exchanged kicks but Misawa scored with a couple elbows. Misawa continued to weaken Kawada�s back by applying a Boston crab and then a camel clutch. Misawa suplexed Kawada for an early near fall and continued to focus his attack on Kawada�s back. Kawada fought back with a spinning savate kick that popped the crowd. Kawada briefly applied a sharpshooter and gained a near fall on Misawa with a senton. Misawa landed an elbow and a dropkick but Kawada fought back with another savate kick. Misawa blocked a suplex attempt but Kawada caught him off-guard by applying a Fujiwara armbar. Misawa and Kawada exchanged elbows with Misawa coming out on top. Misawa gave Kawada a series of jumping kicks but Kawada fought back with an enzu-lariat for a near fall. Kawada powerbombed Misawa at 18:02 for a heated near fall. Misawa countered a second powerbomb attempt but Kawada kicked him. Kawada hit a second rope kneedrop for a near fall. Misawa blocked a stretch plum but Kawada successfully applied the hold on a second try as heat reached a fever pitch. Misawa escaped as both men tumbled out of the ring a minute later. Kawada gained a heated near fall with a lariat and another after a high kick. Misawa German suplexed Kawada for a near fall and gave him a tiger driver for a great near fall. Misawa applied a facelock on Kawada and gained a near fall. Misawa hit a top rope splash for a near fall and followed with an elbow suicida at 24:10. Misawa gave Kawada a running elbow for a near fall but Kawada fought back with a jumping kick. Kawada German suplexed Misawa for a heated near fall and gained another near fall with a dragon suplex. Kawada applied a facelock of his own on Misawa. Misawa fought back with a couple elbows and a jumping kick. Misawa gave Kawada a running elbow to the back of his head for a near fall. Misawa hit a tiger driver for a dramatic near fall. Misawa tiger suplexed Kawada for another near fall. Kawada landed some kicks but Misawa flattened him with a running elbow. Misawa then pinned Kawada at 29:47 after a tiger suplex to retain the triple crown. ****1/2

Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Kyoko Inoue & Aja Kong 8/9/97

A wild brawl erupted before the bell and quickly spread to ringside and into the crowd. Shimoda hit Kyoko with a chair and a table as Aja brawled with Mita up the bleachers. Shimoda and Kyoko then fought into the bleachers with Shimoda getting the better of Kyoko and Kong as well. Back in the ring Kyoko hit Shimoda with a chair. Shimoda fought back with a kick and Mita piledrove Kyoko. Aja came in and briefly dominated but her opponents regained the advantage with their heelish double teaming. Kyoko DDTd Shimoda out of the corner and Kong hit Shimoda with a couple stiff kicks. Kong gave Shimoda a running lariat in the corner and gained a near fall. Mita and Shimoda briefly used heelish tactics against Kong until Kong barreled through Mita. Kyoko hit Mita with a chair but Shimoda then threw a chair at Kyoko. Mita hit a blazing chop but Kyoko fought back with a DDT. Mita dropped Kyoko neck first on the top rope. Kyoko caught Shimoda off guard and gave her a running top rope belly to belly superplex. Mita and Shimoda fought back and Shimoda hit a springboard somersault plancha on both opponents. Mita followed with her tope of sorts on both opponents. Another wild brawl erupted throughout Korakuen Hall. Kong, who was bleeding from her head, hit Mita with a soda can. Kyoko gave Shimoda a running lariat in the bleachers after which Kong teased throwing Mita off the balcony. Mita fought back, choked Kong with a rope and tried to throw her over as well. Shimoda repeatedly hit Kyoko with a tray of some king as the action returned to ringside. Kyoko hit both opponents with chairs as Kong returned to ringside and doused the area with a fire extinguisher, engulfing ringside in a cloud of smoke. Shimoda gained a near fall on Kyoko amidst the chaos and gave her a top rope dropkick for another near fall. Kyoko fought back with a lariat on both opponents. Kong and Kyoko slammed Mita onto a bunch of chairs and did the same to Shimoda. Kong hit Shimoda with a chair. Kong piledrove Shimoda through a table in the ring for a heated near fall. Kong powerbombed Shimoda for a near fall. Mita got the better of Kyoko at ringside as Kong doused Shimoda with some sort of liquid. Back in the ring Kong won an exchange of slaps with Shimoda. Kyoko gave Shimoda a couple lariats against the ropes but Shimoda fought back and tagged Mita (as if a tag was necessary ;\) . Mita gave Kyoko three blazing chops for a near fall. Kyoko fought back and came off the second rope with an elbow on both opponents. Kong hoisted Shimoda on her shoulder and Kyoko gave Shimoda a running top rope elbow for a near fall. Kyoko went for a Niagara driver but Shimoda countered and blew green mist in Kyoko�s face for a sizeable pop. Mita gave Kyoko a blazing chop but Kyoko fought back with a lariat. Shimoda caught Kyoko on the top rope and Mita lifted Kyoko on her shoulders and dropped her to the canvas off the second rope for a near fall. Mita went for a Death Valley driver but Kyoko gave her a lariat. Mita suplexed Kong and Shimoda gave her a top rope splash for a near fall. Mita came off the top rope with a hard chairshot that flattened Kong for a near fall. Kong blocked a tiger suplex attempt by Shimoda but Mita hit her with a chair. Mita went to hit Kong with a chair but she moved and Mita hit Shimoda instead. Kong gave Shimoda a second rope splash for a near fall. Shimoda went to superplex Kong but Kyoko grabbed her and gave her a released German suplex in a neat spot. Kong then hit a top rope elbow on Shimoda for a near fall. Shimoda fought back and German suplexed Kong for a near fall. Shimoda went for a tiger suplex but Kyoko hit her with Kong�s trash can. Kong dropped Shimoda on her head with a backdrop driver for a near fall. Kong gave Shimoda a brainbuster onto a sea of chairs in the ring for a near fall. Mita attacked both opponents and gave Kong a Death Valley driver after which Shimoda gained a near fall. Kyoko powerbombed Shimoda onto a bunch of the chairs. Kong gave Shimoda an uraken and pinned her after about 33 minutes, 27 of which aired. Wow. Some of the spots were a bit unwieldy and fan heat was inconsistent for some of the spots, but the mix of brawling and wrestling in this match was just remarkable, especially the intensity of most of the brawling. If you are a fan of Mita and Shimoda as LCO, this is a must see match. Actually, this is a must see match for most fans of women�s hardcore wrestling. ****1/2

Shima Nobunaga vs Magnum Tokyo 2/5/99

Shima snapmared and dropkicked Tokyo early. Tokyo fought back and gave Shima a kick, and a sliding kick. Tokyo dropkicked Shima out of the ring and hit a second rope somersault plancha from inside the ring ropes. Back in the ring Tokyo did a neat roll-through into an STF (kinda like Storm would roll underneath someone and apply a half crab). Shima fought back with the help of his cronies at ringside and hit a jumping dropkick to a flattened Tokyo in the corner. Shima gave Tokyo a slingshot somersault senton and a spin kick for an early near fall. Shima gained another near fall after a flatliner and some legdrops. Shima gave Tokyo a face front suplex but missed a second rope splash which looked like a sloppy double axel or something from skating. Tokyo threw a bunch of kicks at Shima and hit a running lariat in the corner. Tokyo gained a near fall after a top rope huracanrana and gave Shima a stunner dropping him neck first on the top rope. Tokyo was assaulted by Judo Suwa and other Shima loyalists at ringside. Shima hit a tope suicida in the corner and rammed Tokyo into the ringpost. Tokyo sunset flipped Shima for a near fall but Shima then gained a near fall with a rollup. Tokyo hit a victory roll but Shima reversed it for a near fall. Shima rolled up Tokyo for a near fall, stood up, and punched Tokyo in the crotch in a spot that looks cooler than it sounds. Tokyo hit a spinning kick but Shima aborted his comeback. Shima kicked Tokyo out of the ring and hit a 360 twist tope. After a series of counters, Shima gave Tokyo a Russian legsweep. Tokyo caught Shima on the top rope and hit a top rope huracanrana but Shima rolled through and gained a near fall. Tokyo German suplexed Shima for a near fall. Tokyo gave Shima his viagra driver and a shooting star press and went for a pin but the ref was distracted by Shima�s manager. Tokyo gained a near fall with la magistral. Shima attempted la magistral but Tokyo countered with one of his own for a near fall. Tokyo gave Shima a second viagra driver (pumphandle into sort of a Michinoku driver) and went to the top rope but Shima�s manager/teammate hit him with something. Shima gave Tokyo his flip slam off the top rope for a near fall. Shima gave Tokyo what amounted to a unique jumping jawbreaker. Shima gave Tokyo a flip powerbomb in which he flipped Tokyo onto his front upon impact for a near fall in yet another neat spot. Shima went for a superplex, Tokyo countered but Shima gave him his jumping punch. Shima came off the top rope with another flip slam and pinned Tokyo at 17:52 after a sharp frog splash. So many great spots or familiar spots with a unique twist. A couple spots were sloppy, but the execution was outstanding given their limited experience and difficulty level. They also paced the match reasonably well. Also, while some people would say they lacked transitions, they are not smooth mat wrestlers, so they just stuck to what they could do in between high spots and thus kept the crowd into the match. If you want to see what the Toryumon buzz is all about, check out this match. ****1/2

WCW Cruiserweight Title: Rey Misterio Jr. (c) vs Psicosis vs Blitzkrieg vs Juventud Guerrera 4/5/99

Psicosis dropped Blitzkrieg with a face front suplex and Juventud got the better of Misterio early. Psicosis and Guerrera whipped their opponents into each other. Psicosis missed a corner splash on Blitzkrieg and crashed shoulder first into the ringpost. Guerrera went to powerbomb Blitzkrieg, and as he lifted him, Misterio came off the top rope with a springboard Thesz press on the elevated Blitzkrieg after which Guerrera gained a near fall. Guerrera backdropped Misterio over the top rope to the floor. Guerrera elevated Blitzkrieg and Psicosis hit him with a top rope dropkick after which Guerrera gained another near fall. Psicosis went to powerbomb Blitzkrieg but Blitzkrieg escaped and Guerrera hit a top rope legdrop on a standing Psicosis. Misterio gained a near fall on Guerrera with a split-legged moonsault. Psicosis got the better of Guerrera with a spin kick. Misterio and Blitzkrieg dropkicked their opponents out of the ring, gave them baseball slide kicks and then hit Asai moonsaults on them. Misterio came off the top rope but Blitzkrieg dropkicked him in mid-air. Blitzkrieg gave Misterio a pair of flip sentons for a near fall. Guerrera gave Blitzkrieg a great springboard missile dropkick that knocked him out of the ring. Misterio gave Guerrera a tilt-a-whirl headscissors that popped the crowd. Misterio gave Guerrera a lionsault for a near fall. Guerrera bulldogged Misterio for a near fall. Misterio went for an inverted suplex/DDT but Guerrera countered with a clothesline. Psicosis top rope splashed Misterio for a near fall. Misterio gave Psicosis a top rope bulldog and a split-legged moonsault for a near fall. Blitzkrieg hit a great springboard dropkick on Guerrera as they cut to a commercial. Guerrera gave Misterio a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Psicosis dropped Blitzkrieg onto the top rope and dropkicked him to the floor. Guerrera hit a springboard plancha on Misterio and Blitzkrieg for a pop and Psicosis hit a great corkscrew plancha on all three opponents. Guerrera came off the top rope with a spinning huracanrana on Psicosis for a near fall. Misterio powerbombed Guerrera for a near fall. Blitzkrieg applied a figure 4 leglock on Psicosis but Misterio then gave Blitzkrieg a top rope springboard legdrop. Psicosis gave Misterio a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but hurt his knee in the process. After a series of counters, Guerrera powerbombed Blitzkrieg after which Misterio gained a near fall. Misterio gave Guerrera a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. Psicosis gained a near fall on Blitzkrieg with a brainbuster. Misterio gave Blitzkrieg a bronco buster and did the same to Psicosis. Guerrera attempted a powerbomb but Misterio countered with a huracanrana. Psicosis gained a near fall on Misterio with la magistral and Blitzkrieg gained a near fall on Psicosis with the same move. Guerrera gave Misterio a stunner by dropping his neck on the top rope. Guerrera knocked Misterio out of the ring with a springboard dropkick but Psicosis then clotheslined Guerrera over the top rope to the floor. Blitzkrieg gave Psicosis a phoenix splash for a near fall. Blitzkrieg went for a powerbomb but Guerrera countered and gave him a Juvi driver for a near fall. Misterio gave Guerrera a huracanrana and they both sailed over the top rope to the floor. Psicosis missed a flying corner splash. Blitzkrieg attempted a superplex but Psicosis countered and dropped him to the canvas. Psicosis then gave Blitzkrieg a top rope legdrop and pinned him to win the title after about 21 minutes of action. Make no mistake- this was little more than a spotfest, but a great spotfest at that. Just tons of action from start to finish with everyone hitting most of their moves with mostly sharp execution. One of the best matches in Monday Nitro history. ****1/4

JWP Title: Dynamite Kansai (c) vs Hikari Fukuoka 4/8/97

Kansai hit a running lariat in the corner early. Kansai attempted a German suplex, Fukuoka countered and both women tumbled out of the ring. Kansai gave Fukuoka a bunch of stiff kicks at ringside and suplexed her for an early near fall before applying a sleeper. Kansai then applied a camel clutch and gave Fukuoka a couple kicks on the apron. Kansai applied a sharpshooter on Fukuoka and attacked her right leg. Kansai locked on an STF. Fukuoka fought back with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Kansai attempted a back suplex but Fukuoka countered with a headlock takedown. Fukuoka went for a handspring elbow in the corner but Kansai caught her and dumped her over the top rope to the floor. Kansai whipped Fukuoka into the barricade twice. Fukuoka fought back and whipped Kansai into the barricade twice as well. Fukuoka hit a top rope dropkick but Kansai recovered and gave Fukuoka a splash mountain. Kansai threw more stiff kicks at Fukuoka and back suplexed her for a near fall. Kansai attempted a splash mountain but Fukuoka countered with a sunset flip for a near fall. Fukuoka German suplexed Kansai twice for a near fall and gained another with a third back suplex. Fukuoka hit a top rope moonsault for a near fall and gave Kansai a koppo kick. Fukuoka missed a top rope somersault dropkick and Kansai knocked her for a loop with a lariat for a near fall. Kansai scored with two more lariats for a near fall. Kansai hit a second rope dropkick and gave Fukuoka a Saito suplex. Kansai then gave Fukuoka a splash mountain for a near fall as heat increased. Kansai attempted a second rope splash mountain, Fukuoka countered, Kansai went to throw a kick but Fukuoka caught her leg and sent her to the floor. Fukuoka hit an Orihara moonsault on Kansai. Back in the ring Fukuoka hit a top rope flip dropkick for a near fall. Fukuoka nailed a second top rope flip dropkick for a near fall. She missed a moonsault foot stomp and Kansai flattened her with more roundhouse kicks. Kansai gained a near fall after a roundhouse kick to Fukuoka�s head. Kansai went for a splash mountain but Fukuoka countered at the last minute with a huracanrana for a great near fall. Kansai attempted a roundhouse kick but Fukuoka caught her leg and gave her a modified fisherman buster for a near fall. Fukuoka gave Kansai her top rope moonsault foot stomp for a heated near fall. Fukuoka hit a second moonsault foot stomp and pinned Kansai at 20:26 to win the title. A super match that doesn�t get the acclaim it deserves. It was very reminiscent of the Toyota-Kong battles (including one reviewed above) with Kansai being the heavyweight beast and Fukuoka being the underdog, athletic heroine. Probably Fukuoka�s best singles match. ****1/2

All Japan All-Asian Tag Team Title: Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Masa Fuchi & Yoshinari Ogawa 7/5/92

Ogawa had a sleeper on Kikuchi , Kikuchi escaped but Ogawa reapplied the sleeper as footage began. Kobashi kicked Ogawa and elbowed Fuchi off the apron. Fuchi and Ogawa double teamed Kikuchi in heelish fashion. Fuchi dominated Kikuchi and dropped him crotch first on the top rope. Fuchi gained a near fall on Kikuchi and gave him an enzuguiri. Kikuchi elbowed Fuchi and tagged Kobashi. Kobashi dropkicked Fuchi and gave him a ton of chops with great intensity. Kobashi applied a sleeper on Fuchi but Ogawa intervened. Kikuchi then locked a sleeper on Ogawa for a pop. Kobashi gave Fuchi a running lariat in the corner and a Spike Dudley-like bulldog for a near fall. Kobashi attempted a suplex but Fuchi countered and dropkicked Kobashi�s left knee twice. Ogawa also attacked Kobashi�s left knee for a while. Fuchi hung Kobashi in the corner upside down by his left leg and dropkicked the trapped left knee. Ogawa wrapped Kobashi�s left leg around the ringpost. Fuchi stood on Kobashi�s right leg as he applied a toehold on Kobashi�s left. Ogawa and Kobashi exchanged chops after which Ogawa got the better of Kobashi and applied an STF. Kobashi fought back with an enzuguiri, some elbows and a lariat. Kikuchi gave Ogawa a series of elbows but Fuchi intervened. Kobashi came in and knocked Fuchi out of the ring with a lariat. Kikuchi dropkicked Ogawa as Kobashi hit a tope on Fuchi. Kikuchi gained a near fall on Ogawa after a leg lariat and another with a northern lights suplex amidst great heat. Kobashi launched Kikuchi off the top rope splash and Kikuchi hit a corkscrew splash on Ogawa for a heated near fall. Kobashi flipped Kikuchi onto Ogawa and himself moonsaulted Ogawa but hurt his left knee in the process. Kikuchi hit a top rope headbutt on Ogawa for a near fall. Ogawa fought back and gave Kikuchi a cradle suplex for a near fall. Fuchi dropkicked Kikuchi and back suplexed him for a near fall. Ogawa fought with Kobashi at ringside as Fuchi gave Kikuchi two more back suplexes for a dramatic near fall. Fuchi went for another back suplex but Kikuchi fell on top of him. Kobashi legdropped Fuchi and went for a second one but Ogawa tripped him and hurt Kobashi�s knee again in the process. Ogawa gave Kobashi a top rope foot stomp for a near fall. Ogawa came off the second rope but Kobashi caught him in mid-air and powerslammed him for a near fall. Kobashi gave Ogawa a rolling cradle for a near fall. Fuchi intervened but Kobashi gave him a rolling cradle as well for a near fall. Kikuchi hit a top rope dropkick but Fuchi moved and Kikuchi dropkicked Kobashi instead. Fuchi gave Kikuchi a Thesz press for a heated near fall. Kikuchi attempted a German suplex, Fuchi fought it, Kobashi superkicked Fuchi and Kikuchi gave him the German suplex for a super near fall. Fuchi rolled up Kikuchi but Kikuchi reversed the rollup, bridged and pinned Fuchi at 30:52 to retain the title (19:00 aired). A super match. While the moves themselves were far from trendy, in terms of the basics this was just a textbook tag team match that could teach so much as to how to get the most out of every move and draw heat from a crowd. Fuchi�s offense was so simple, but his mannerisms were so effective he came across as a great heel. Kikuchi once again showed why he was one of the greatest underdog types in wrestling history. ****1/2

NEXT ISSUE: Misawa vs Kobashi

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