THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE #27
FEBRUARY 18, 2002

Japan’s Real World

For a quarter century the Real World Tag League Tournament has been the end-of-the-year highlight on All Japan’s annual calendar and one of its two most anticipated annual tournaments, along with its annual Carnival tournament in the Spring. Several factors have contributed to the Tag League’s rich history, such as generally intricate booking, many surprising, dramatic and historical results, and many classic matches. In this article I take a look at the six Tag League Finals I have seen.

12/16/88: Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy

Gordy grabbed a headlock and tackled Kawada. He suplexed Kawada and tagged Hansen. Hansen landed a chop and barely sidestepped an attempted superkick by Kawada. Hansen gave Kawada an elbow and a kneelift, but Kawada sunset flipped him. Hansen quickly regained his bearings and threw Kawada out of the ring. Gordy whipped Kawada into the barricade. Back in the ring Hansen slammed Kawada and tagged Gordy. Kawada spin kicked Gordy for a pop. Tenryu tagged in and Gordy bailed out and did some pretty wild selling. Tenryu tackled Gordy and kicked him. He vertical suplexed Gordy for an early near fall. Gordy dropkicked Tenryu. Hansen slammed Tenryu after the two had a spirited exchange of strikes and literally kicked him out of the ring. Hansen backdropped Tenryu and elbowsmashed him, then applied a chinlock. Gordy kicked Tenryu and exchanged chops with him. Kawada threw a bunch of kicks at Gordy and hit a cross bodyblock. Gordy quickly tagged Hansen, who gave Kawada several basic kicks. Kawada knocked Hansen over the top rope to the floor with a dropkick and hit a tope. Hansen fought back and choked Kawada but Tenryu intervened. Kawada gave Hansen more kicks but Hansen fought back. Gordy gave Kawada a Samoan drop for a near fall but Kawada fought back with a lariat. Tenryu tagged in and he and Kawada gave Gordy an enzuguiri/spin kick combo after which Tenryu gained a near fall. Tenryu gave Gordy a running lariat in the corner and a swinging neckbreaker. Tenryu applied a headscissors on Gordy until Hansen intervened. Gordy hit a running lariat in the corner. Tenryu gave Hansen a desperation lariat but Hansen quickly recovered and attacked Tenryu. Tenryu whipped Hansen into the corner and landed some chops. Kawada gave Hansen a running lariat in the corner and some roundhouse kicks until Gordy intervened. Gordy missed an elbow and Kawada German suplexed him for a near fall. Hansen kicked away at Kawada’s left knee and knocked Tenryu off the apron and out of commission with his trademark lariat. Hansen attacked both opponents on the floor and threw Tenryu back into the ring. Gordy elbowsmashed Tenryu for a near fall. Kawada tried to attack Hansen but Hansen easily dominated him and attacked his injured leg again as Gordy legdropped Tenryu for a near fall. Gordy gave Tenryu a lariat for a near fall. Gordy and Hansen double-tackled Tenryu and Hansen gained a near fall. Tenryu fought back with some chops on Hansen but Gordy applied a sleeper on Tenryu. Hansen elbowsmashed Tenryu and gave him a couple kneedrops for a near fall. Hansen attempted a powerbomb but Tenryu countered with a backdrop, although Hansen then tackled Tenryu. Hansen gained a near fall and tagged Gordy. Gordy booted Tenryu and powerbombed him for a near fall but Kawada attacked Gordy as fans popped huge. Hansen kicked Kawada out of the ring and attacked his left knee on the floor. Back in the ring Tenryu surprised Gordy with a small package for a near fall. Gordy and Hansen double-suplexed Tenryu and Hansen gained a near fall. Tenryu fought back and applied a leglock on Hansen. Hansen elbowsmashed Tenryu twice for a near fall. Gordy attacked Kawada on the floor as Tenryu fought back with a ton of slaps on Hansen and some chops. Gordy intervened and gave Tenryu a lariat. Tenryu recovered and gave Hansen two enzuguiris, a slam and a top rope elbow for a near fall. Gordy attacked Tenryu but missed a lariat in the corner and Tenryu superkicked Hansen. Tenryu gave Hansen an enzuguiri and a powerbomb for a near fall. Gordy then powerbombed Tenryu. Hansen flattened Tenryu with a lariat and pinned him at 21:00 to win the tournament. *****

By the end of 1988, Tenryu had definitely become the promotion’s hottest in-ring performer in terms of improvement and gaining momentum. Some also say that he had overtaken Jumbo Tsuruta as All Japan’s ace from a work standpoint. Both physically and symbolically, Tenryu was in his prime. As for Hansen, some would say he was past his prime, while others would say he was still enjoying his best years. Perhaps he wasn’t quite as hot a gaijin (foreign) star as he was in the early and mid-80s, but he was, for the first time, the most popular gaijin in All Japan due to Bruiser Brody’s death five months earlier. Amazingly, some of his best in-ring years, or at least best matches, were still to come. Terry Gordy, while a definite second-tier star compared to Hansen, was already a virtual legend at the age of 27. He had taken All Japan by storm five years earlier and had ever since been considered one of the best brawlers and big men in wrestling. Then there was Toshiaki Kawada. Although he had wrestled for most of the 1980s, he was still considered no better than a lower-mid-card wrestler. Before launching his career as one of All Japan’s franchise stars in the 90s, he would go on to enjoy a couple years as half of a very good mid-card team with Samson/Hiromichi/Kodo/Fatso Fuyuki. Compared to the other three, Kawada was by far considered the weak link of the match in terms of status. However, he made the match with a dramatic underdog performance that, while almost reminiscent of an underdog Kobashi (at least the positives), he showed flashes of the brilliance he would display in later years. At this stage of his career, Kawada looked great just by taking it to Hansen and Gordy and even getting the better of them on occasion. The other three performed up to expectations. Not exactly standard-setting performances, but they were very solid in everything they did. Most of all, the fans were absolutely electric for this match and ate up every little thing that took place.

12/6/91: Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs Terry Gordy & Steve Williams

Williams overpowered Kawada early as expected. He pelted Kawada with strikes and hit a lariat in the corner. Williams missed an elbowsmash and Misawa tagged in. Misawa gave Williams some elbows but Williams fought back with a kneelift. Misawa and Gordy exchanged offense on the mat, with Gordy surprisingly holding his own. Misawa and Gordy exchanged elbows as well in spirited fashion. Kawada landed a ton of kicks on Gordy and gave him a lariat for an early near fall. Kawada scored with an elbow and a kick in the corner but Gordy fought back with a running lariat in the opposite corner. Williams gave Kawada a modified bulldog for a near fall and applied a chinlock. Kawada countered a Williams suplex attempt and applied a sleeper for a pop. Misawa dropkicked Williams and gave him a standing senton for a near fall before applying a chinlock. Kawada applied an abdominal stretch on Williams but Gordy intervened. Williams gave Kawada a lariat and vertical suplexed him back into the ring for a near fall. Gordy applied a half crab and then an STF on Kawada, going back to working his left leg. Williams chopped Kawada and applied a figure 4 leglock of sorts. He won an exchange of slaps with Kawada while maintaining the hold. Gordy then applied a leglock on Kawada as well. Williams threw two kicks at Kawada’s left knee but Kawada fired back with a kick of his own to Williams’s leg. Williams recovered and applied a half crab. He gave Kawada a kneebreaker and applied a leglock. Gordy then continued the attack on Kawada’s leg. Williams threw several kicks at Kawada’s leg. Kawada mounted a comeback with a ton of kneelifts and an enzuguiri on Williams. Misawa gave Williams a flying lariat but Williams fought back. Misawa countered a suplex attempt and gave Gordy a spin kick, elbow and a dropkick that knocked Gordy out of the ring. Misawa then hit a sharp elbow suicida on Gordy and gained a near fall back in the ring. Williams attacked Misawa with kneelifts but ran into a kick. Kawada gave Williams a roundhouse kick and a spin kick. Williams landed a couple elbows but ran into a superkick and Kawada gained a near fall. Kawada gave Williams a series of chops for a near fall. Misawa hit a top rope dropkick on Williams for a near fall and a tiger splash for another near fall. Kawada gave Williams a bunch of knee strikes to the head and powerslammed him for a near fall. Misawa and Kawada double elbowsmashed Williams and Misawa gained a near fall. Misawa gave Williams a top rope elbow strike for a near fall and applied a facelock but Gordy intervened. Kawada kicked Williams but Williams belly to belly suplexed him for a near fall. Williams gave Kawada a dangerous backdrop for a near fall. Gordy attacked Misawa and Williams threw him out of the ring. Williams slammed Kawada on the floor and Gordy powerbombed Misawa on the floor in a spot that has become somewhat legendary. Williams gained a near fall on Kawada back in the ring. Kawada countered an Oklahoma stampede attempt and rolled up Williams for a near fall. Gordy gave Kawada two running corner lariats for a heated near fall. Kawada spin kicked Gordy but Gordy countered a powerbomb attempt. Kawada applied a facelock on Gordy and powerbombed him for a dramatic near fall. Kawada hit a top rope elbow on Gordy for a near fall. Kawada attempted a powerbomb but Williams pushed Gordy on top of him. Williams powerslammed Kawada and Gordy powerbombed him for a dramatic near fall as Misawa barely made the save. Misawa attacked Williams with a ton of elbows as Gordy gained a near fall on Kawada. Kawada German suplexed Gordy for a near fall. Williams knocked Misawa out of the ring with several elbows. Kawada attempted a spin kick but Gordy caught and slammed him for a near fall. Gordy powerbombed Kawada and pinned him at 25:24 to win the tournament. In terms of moves and perhaps heat, this was as good as the 88 final. However, the standard for a ***** match had begun to radically change, especially since 1988, and the story wasn’t quite as rich here. Kawada was still a young lion of sorts, but old enough to also be labeled a veteran. His offense was certainly more advanced than 1988, and he was starting to develop more of a veteran persona. Misawa was sharp, although there were no tiger drivers or tiger suplexes from him here. Gordy and Williams were fairly simple in their work, but very intense and the crowd was hot for most of the match. An excellent match that falls just short of being a classic. ****1/4

12/4/92: Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue & Jun Akiyama

Taue landed a ton of strikes on Kawada but Kawada slammed and kicked him. Taue won an exchange of chops and slammed Kawada. Taue hit a lariat in the corner but Kawada blocked a face slam and gave Taue a high kick. Kawada maintained a headlock in spite of an atomic drop attempt by Taue. Taue fought back with a back suplex on Kawada. Akiyama dropkicked Kawada and applied a chinlock. He landed an elbow and applied another sleeper on Kawada. Kawada dropped Akiyama on his head with a twisting back suplex. Akiyama and Misawa had a good exchange of offense and the fans popped. Akiyama headlocked Misawa and tagged Taue. Misawa gave Taue a bunch of elbows but Taue blocked a running elbow and kicked Misawa’s leg from under him. Taue applied a leglock on Misawa and kicked Misawa’s left knee. Akiyama then worked on Misawa’s left leg as well and applied an STF. Taue applied a half crab on Misawa and punted his head sharply. Akiyama gave Misawa a kneebreaker and applied a leglock. Misawa fought back with a few elbows and Kawada gave Akiyama a pair of stiff kicks. Kawada gave Akiyama a spinning savate kick for a near fall and a couple loud kicks to his back. Kawada then applied a Boston crab on Akiyama as heat mounted. Misawa twice elbowed Akiyama’s back and gave him a couple kicks. Misawa then applied a Boston crab of his own on Akiyama. Kawada applied an abdominal stretch on Akiyama and really contorted his body in doing so. Akiyama countered a suplex attempt with a suplex of his own on Kawada but Kawada fired right back with a high kick. Misawa kicked Akiyama for a near fall but Akiyama fought back with a series of elbows. However, Misawa flattened Akiyama with an elbow of his own. Akiyama sunset flipped Kawada for a near fall. Kawada gave Akiyama a lariat for a near fall. Misawa landed a roundhouse kick and gave Akiyama a flying lariat for a near fall. Misawa gut-wrench suplexed Akiyama for a near fall. Kawada gave Akiyama more stiff kicks and applied a sharpshooter as heat mounted. Kawada powerbombed Akiyama for a near fall when Taue intervened. Akiyama applied an abdominal stretch on Kawada but Kawada fought back with a powerslam for a near fall. Kawada powerslammed Akiyama for a near fall and then applied his stretch plum. Taue intervened but Kawada fought back although Akiyama then rolled up Kawada for a near fall. Taue won an exchange of chops with Kawada and hit a kneelift. Taue gave Kawada a high kick and elbowed Misawa. He gave Kawada a kneelift, Kawada fought back with a couple elbows, Taue missed a lariat and Kawada landed a high kick. Taue kicked Kawada and gave him a face slam and a powerbomb for a near fall. Kawada blocked a nodowa attempt and applied a stretch plum on Taue but Akiyama intervened. Misawa gave Taue a series of elbows and a DDT for a near fall. After some counters Taue gave Misawa a dangerous backdrop of sorts. Akiyama hit a top rope dropkick and a standard dropkick on Misawa. He gave Misawa a running elbow in the corner for a pop but Misawa fought back with an elbow on Akiyama in the opposite corner. Misawa suplexed Akiyama and applied a facelock but Taue intervened. Misawa threw Taue out of the ring and re-applied the facelock on Akiyama. Taue DDTd Kawada on the floor as heat reached a fever pitch. He attacked Misawa and gave him a nodowa. Akiyama and Taue gave Misawa a back suplex/nodowa combo and Akiyama gained a heated near fall. Akiyama German suplexed Misawa for a near fall and gave him a northern lights suplex for another near fall. Kawada attacked Taue and Misawa gave Akiyama an elbow. Akiyama dropkicked Kawada and Misawa and rolled up Misawa for a near fall. Misawa flattened Akiyama with an elbow and back suplexed him for a near fall. Misawa gave Akiyama a tiger driver for a near fall when Taue intervened. Kawada threw Taue out of the ring and whipped him into the barricade. Misawa gave Akiyama a tiger driver and pinned him at 23:53 to win the tournament. An excellent, near-classic match with great work from Kawada and especially Akiyama, who looked amazing for a three-month pro. That was a sign of things to come. Misawa, Kawada and Taue all worked to their potential, but were somewhat limited by having to work with a rookie, which limited the range of psychology and selling that could be employed in this match. ****1/4

12/3/93: Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue

Misawa gave Taue some elbows early. Misawa countered a vertical suplex attempt but ran into a Taue boot. Taue atomic dropped Misawa but Misawa then knocked him down with an elbow. Misawa and Kobashi double-dropkicked Taue out of the ring. Kobashi gave Taue a baseball slide kick and Misawa gave him an elbow strike off the apron. Kobashi vertical suplexed Taue for an early near fall and gave him a few chops. Taue fought back with a lariat and gave Kobashi a couple kneelifts. Kawada and Kobashi exchanged chops but Kawada knocked Kobashi down with an elbow. Kawada spin kicked Kobashi for a near fall and Taue dropkicked Kobashi for a near fall. Kobashi fought back with a spinning mule kick and tagged Misawa. Misawa gave Taue a flying lariat for a near fall and applied a chinlock. Kobashi and Taue exchanged chops and Taue vertical suplexed Kobashi. Kawada gave Kobashi a couple roundhouse kicks and a lariat for a near fall. Kawada applied Misawa’s facelock hold on Kobashi. Taue gave Kobashi a few short lariats and Kawada whipped Kobashi into the barricade and slammed him on the floor. Taue then slammed and kicked Kobashi like Kawada did. Kobashi no-sold a couple chops from Kawada but Kawada got the better of him with a kick. Kawada applied a modified half crab. Taue slammed Kobashi for a near fall and gave him a DDT. Kobashi missed a lariat and Taue gave him a nodowa-otoshi for a near fall. Taue dropped Kobashi neck first on the top rope and then head first onto Kawada’s knee. Kawada gave Kobashi a ton of chops to the neck. Kobashi fired back with some chops of his own and kicked Kawada’s left knee, appearing to cause damage in the process. Kawada landed a bunch of knees and chops on Kobashi but Kobashi attacked his left knee with a barrage of punches. Kawada threw a kick with his left leg but it did more harm than good, but did hit Kobashi with a sharp jumping kick. Taue knocked Misawa off the apron and attacked Kobashi but Misawa then knocked him out of the ring with an elbow. Misawa gave Kawada a bunch of elbows but Kawada responded with kneelifts and a slap, but Misawa then knocked Kawada down with an elbow. Misawa gave Kawada a tiger driver for a near fall. He went for a tiger suplex but Taue intervened and Kawada gave Misawa a kick to the head. Kawada gave Misawa a lariat. Taue dropped Misawa head first on the top turnbuckle twice and then dropped both Misawa and Kobashi neck first on the top rope. Kawada high kicked Misawa and Taue attempted a nodowa but Misawa armdragged him. Taue kicked Misawa and he and Kawada gave Misawa a nodowa/back suplex combo for a Taue near fall. Taue powerbombed Misawa for a near fall and whipped him into a Kawada lariat. Misawa fought back with elbows to both opponents. Kobashi gave Taue a ton of chops and a shoulder tackle. Kobashi DDTd Taue twice and dropped him neck first on the top rope. Kobashi legdropped Taue and moonsaulted him for a heated near fall. Taue fought back with some slaps and a modified clothesline on Kobashi. Kawada gave Kobashi a backdrop driver but sold his injured knee huge. Kobashi blocked a backdrop driver attempt and Kawada barely back suplexed him. Misawa gave Kawada a few kicks but Kawada fought back with a spinning savate kick. Kawada German suplexed Misawa but was unable to make the pin attempt because his knee buckled. Kawada applied a stretch plum on Misawa and Kobashi intervened, but Taue cut him off with a sleeper as heat mounted. Kawada gained a near fall and re-applied the stretch plum on Misawa but Kobashi intervened. Kawada attempted to powerbomb Misawa but his knee gave out again. Misawa hit Kawada with an elbow and tagged Kobashi. Kobashi dropkicked Kawada’s left knee and applied a half crab and then a sharpshooter. Taue tried to intervene but Misawa applied a facelock on him. Kobashi powerbombed Kawada for a great near fall but missed a moonsault. Kobashi and Kawada exchanged chops but Kawada scored with some headbutts. Misawa gave Kawada a standing senton and a tiger splash for a near fall. Kawada countered a tiger driver but Misawa then gave him a tiger suplex for a heated near fall. Kobashi dropkicked Kawada and knocked Taue off the apron. Kawada fought back with a jumping kick on Kobashi and hit a second jumping kick but Kobashi struck back with a lariat. Taue tried to intervene but Misawa German suplexed him at the same time as Kobashi German suplexed Kawada for a near fall. Kawada countered a Kobashi powerbomb with a backdrop and Taue back suplexed Kobashi before he could make the tag. Misawa knocked Taue out of the ring with a roaring elbow and flattened Kawada with another roaring elbow. Misawa gave Kawada a released German suplex and hit an elbow suicida on Taue. Kobashi then gave Kawada a backdrop driver for the pin at 24:32. Perhaps the best Real World Tag League Final in the tournament’s history. Just perfect, flawless, sharp work from start to finish. Kobashi was the star of the match, showing the work and intensity that made him arguably the best worker in wrestling in 1993. However, Kawada might have been the best actual worker in this match, as his offense was sharp and stiff, and his selling on defense added so much to the drama and story of the match, which was to elevate Kobashi with his first pinfall win on Kawada. Such a story would have never been as memorable had Kawada not sold his knee as effectively nor hadn’t given Kobashi as much offense as he did. Misawa’s work was very good. While he was clearly the top ranked wrestler from a storyline perspective, he did take a back seat to the aforementioned story. What made Misawa’s work effective was that he was great, yet didn’t overshadow Kobashi and Kawada at all. Taue was the weakest worker and least important piece of the puzzle of this match, but was also solid and didn’t hurt the match. Overall, this match was also great because it never dragged, and was given just enough time to establish and carry out a dramatic storyline. *****

12/6/96: Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue

Kawada applied a sleeper on Akiyama as footage began but Akiyama fought back with a back suplex. Misawa gave Kawada a flying lariat. Taue tried to intervene but Misawa elbowed and kicked him out of the ring. Kawada gave Misawa a chop and some kicks but Misawa landed some kicks of his own. Kawada fired some kneelifts but Misawa knocked him down with a series of elbows. Kawada landed some kicks but Misawa gave him a spinning back elbow in response, then Kawada knocked Misawa down with a jumping kick. Taue dropped Misawa head first on the top turnbuckle and attempted a nodowa off the apron but Misawa elbowed him. Akiyama hit an elbow strike on Taue off the apron and whipped him into the barricade. Akiyama gave Taue a top rope elbow strike, one in the corner and a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Akiyama snapmared and dropkicked Taue and applied a chinlock. Misawa gave Taue a top rope dropkick and a back suplex for a near fall before applying a facelock. Akiyama whipped Taue into a Misawa elbow, Akiyama added a jumping knee and Misawa hit a second rope elbow strike on Taue. Taue countered an exploder attempt by Akiyama but Akiyama gave him a jumping knee and an exploder but Kawada intervened with a high kick. Akiyama then gave Kawada and Taue lariats and gained a near fall on Taue. Misawa gave Taue a tiger splash for a near fall and went for a tiger driver but Kawada intervened with a lariat. Kawada backdropped Akiyama out of the ring and Taue gave Misawa a released German suplex. Kawada hit a kneedrop and Taue gave Misawa a top rope elbowsmash. Misawa countered a Kawada powerbomb attempt with a huracanrana but Kawada fired back with a high kick. Kawada missed a lariat, Misawa attempted a German suplex but Kawada landed a kick. However Misawa then knocked Kawada down with an elbow and dropped him on his head with a released German suplex for a near fall. Misawa gave Kawada a tiger driver for a near fall. Tae tried to drop Akiyama neck first on the top rope but Akiyama countered with an elbow and Misawa knocked Taue out of the ring with an elbow of his own. Misawa German suplexed Kawada and Akiyama then German suplexed him. Misawa gave Kawada a tiger driver for a heated near fall. Taue intervened and gave Misawa a lariat. Akiyama gave Taue a jumping knee but Taue then dropped Akiyama on the top rope. Taue gave Akiyama a high kick and a nodowa off the apron to the floor. Taue gave Misawa a running high kick and attempted a powerbomb but Misawa countered with a huracanrana for a near fall. Misawa then flattened Taue with an elbow but Taue fought back with a kneelift. Taue gave Misawa a Baba-like legdrive. Taue missed a high kick but sidestepped a Misawa elbow and threw him to the canvas. Misawa countered a nodowa attempt but Taue dropkicked him out of the ring. Taue then hit a tope suicida on Misawa. He kicked Misawa and attempted a nodowa off the apron but Misawa countered with an elbow. Kawada gave Misawa a ton of kicks and knees in the corner. Misawa fought back with elbows on both opponents but missed an elbow and Kawada gave him a spectacular backdrop driver. Kawada powerbombed Misawa for a heated near fall. Misawa landed a couple elbows but Taue gave him a nodowa and a dynamic bomb for a near fall as Akiyama barely made the save. Kawada and Taue gave Akiyama a backdrop driver/nodowa combo. Taue German suplexed Misawa but Misawa fought back with a couple elbows. Kawada gave Misawa a jumping kick and a spin kick of sorts. Akiyama intervened with a spear on Kawada but Kawada gave him some kicks and chops. After an exchange of elbows Kawada gave Akiyama a brutal backdrop driver. Kawada attempted a powerbomb but Misawa countered with a backdrop, but Taue then gave Misawa a nodowa. Kawada gave Misawa a jumping kick for a near fall and a powerbomb for a dramatic near fall. Kawada gave Akiyama a high kick for good measure and then powerbombed Misawa for the pin at 31:37 to win the tournament (21:10 aired). *****

1996 marked the emergence of a new star in All Japan rings in Akiyama. Not only did he greatly improve his work over the previous two years, he was significantly pushed as Misawa’s new tag team partner, taking on the role Kobashi had held for nearly three years. Akiyama had shocked everyone with a pinfall on Kawada on 5/23/96, as Misawa and Akiyama won the tag team title in their first match as an official team. Akiyama was not the only significant story of 1996 as Taue had not only won the prestigious 1996 Champion Carnival tournament, less than two months later he shockingly pinned Misawa to win the Triple Crown in one of the shortest TC title matches in many years. Misawa was looking for a record fourth straight Tag League championship, while Kawada was looking to win the one honor that had alluded him since his partnership with Misawa ended in early 1993. As for the match itself, most, including myself, will say that it was the second best Tag League final ever, trailing only the 1993 final. Taue continued to look as solid as he had been during the previous 20 months, but wasn’t a focal point of the match. Akiyama continued to look strong and showed improvement in his smoothness and transitions from these two teams’ earlier matches. While his push was a major story in 1996, it was not given much attention in this match. Instead, the spotlight was on Misawa vs Kawada, and those two did not disappoint. Their exchanges were sharp, dramatic, flawless and reminiscent of their best battles from 1994 and 1995. With the result of Kawada pinning Misawa, the story of “the chase” was back on the front page as Kawada was getting closer and closer to finally being able to defeat his number one rival in a singles setting. And more importantly, at least at the moment, the Kawada/Taue Tag League losing streak had finally come to an end, and they finally emerged as the number-one team in All Japan.

12/5/97: Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue

Taue piledrove Misawa as footage began. He attempted to give Misawa a nodowa off the apron, Misawa threw some elbows and won an exchange of high kicks against Taue. Misawa hit a somersault dive off the apron onto Taue. Akiyama knocked Taue off the apron with an elbow. Akiyama missed a dropkick but recovered and gave Taue a ton of slaps and a lariat. Taue fought back and tagged Kawada. Akiyama took Kawada down and applied a cross armbreaker but Kawada countered with an armbar of his own. Kawada gave Akiyama a spinning savate kick. Akiyama countered a back suplex attempt with a ton of elbows but Kawada armdragged him. Kawada attempted a roundhouse kick but Akiyama caught his leg and gave him a dragon screw, revisiting Kawada’s Achilles’ heel, his left knee. Kawada slammed Akiyama and kicked his back, then limped to his corner and tagged Taue. Taue vertical suplexed Akiyama and applied a sharpshooter. Misawa tried to intervene but Kawada booted him. Kawada gave Akiyama a foot stomp to his back and applied a Boston crab. Taue whipped Akiyama into the barricade and slammed him on the floor. Kawada then gave Akiyama a foot stomp off the apron. Back in the ring Kawada gave Akiyama a series of kicks and chops for a near fall. Taue gave Akiyama two short lariats but missed a third, but fought back and DDTd Akiyama. Taue then gained a near fall on Akiyama. Akiyama dropkicked Taue’s left knee. Kawada attacked Akiyama before he could tag out and gave him another slam-kick sequence. Kawada gave Akiyama a few chops and a running high kick. Kawada went for a second high kick but ran into an elbow from Akiyama. Misawa attacked Kawada with a barrage of elbows and countered a high kick attempt by slamming Kawada down. Misawa attempted a tiger driver but Taue intervened. Kawada went for a powerbomb but Misawa countered with a huracanrana. However Taue then went for a nodowa but Misawa countered with an armdrag. Misawa knocked Taue out of commission with an elbow and gave Kawada an elbow but Kawada fired back with a high kick. Kawada ran into a kick from Misawa and Misawa gave him a tiger driver for a near fall. Misawa knocked Taue out of the ring with an elbow. He elbowed Kawada and hit a tiger splash for a near fall. Kawada blocked a tiger suplex attempt and countered a German suplex attempt with a drop-down enzuguiri on Misawa. Taue dropkicked Misawa but missed a high kick. Taue regained his bearings and threw a charging Misawa to the mat. Taue gave Misawa a released German suplex but Misawa bounced right back up and flattened Taue with an elbow. Akiyama gave Taue a jumping knee. Taue missed a running lariat in the corner and Akiyama gave him a dropkick and an elbow. Taue blocked a northern lights suplex attempt and gave Akiyama a high kick. Akiyama no-sold a bunch of knee strikes by Kawada and traded elbows with him. Akiyama gave Kawada a jumping knee and an exploder. Taue tried to intervene but Akiyama gave him a jumping knee as well. Akiyama dropkicked Kawada and gave him an exploder for a near fall. Taue intervened but Misawa gave him a tiger driver. Akiyama then gave Taue an exploder and tagged Misawa. Misawa gave Kawada a pair of elbows and Akiyama gave him two jumping knees in the corner. Akiyama German suplexed Kawada and Misawa then German suplexed Kawada for a heated near fall. Akiyama missed an elbow off the apron meant for Taue. Misawa went to give Kawada a tiger driver, Taue intervened but Misawa intercepted him and went for a tiger driver, but Kawada then attacked Misawa. Taue gave Misawa a nodowa. Akiyama gave Taue a couple elbows and Misawa flattened him with an elbow of his own. Akiyama gave Taue a top rope elbow strike to the back of his head and two German suplexes for a near fall. Misawa won an exchange of elbows with Kawada but Taue kicked him. Taue gave Akiyama a released German suplex. Kawada attacked Akiyama’s back and dropped him on his head with a backdrop driver. Kawada powerbombed Akiyama for a dramatic near fall. Misawa intervened but Kawada gave him a high kick and a jumping kick. Kawada applied a stretch plum on Akiyama and gained a heated near fall. Kawada gave Akiyama a lariat for a near fall. Akiyama gave Taue a couple elbows but Taue belly to belly suplexed him and gave him a dynamic bomb for a dramatic near fall. Kawada and Taue went to give Misawa a powerbomb/nodowa combo cut Misawa countered and gave both opponents elbows. Taue gave Akiyama a nodowa but Akiyama responded with an exploder. After a couple counters Taue gave Akiyama a nodowa and a high kick for the pin at 30:52 (21:16 aired). The finish came a bit more sudden than I would have liked, but overall a world class match. Not quite at the epic level of their previous tag league final, though. It seemed like the build portion wasn’t nearly as exciting or eventful as their 1996 final, nor did it contribute as much in terms of story. Overall, the psychology didn’t seem nearly as rich in this match and fans realized it. There was no particular focus in this match such as the Misawa-Kawada rivalry that highlighted the 1996 match. What they did do was entirely solid and mostly excellent, and the match probably would have earned ***** if they had worked a more focused or more meaningful storyline. Interesting that they had Taue pin Akiyama for the finish, as opposed to Kawada and Misawa who finished the 1996 match. ****3/4

Next Issue: El Samurai: Underrated Excellence

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