THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE #45
JULY 15, 2002

All Japan vs New Japan: The Rivalry’s Triple Crown

10/9/00 Toshiaki Kawada vs Kensuke Sasaki

The heat was at an absolutely fever pitch when the bell rang. Even when they locked up for the first time the tension was strong. Sasaki missed a palm strike and Kawada applied a headlock. Sasaki countered and applied a headlock of his own. Kawada shoved Sasaki into the ropes and Sasaki tackled him. Sasaki landed a kneelift and some forearm shots but Kawada fought back with a high kick. Sasaki blocked a jumping kick fro Kawada and punched him, causing Kawada to fall to the mat in such a slow and dramatic fashion that it made the simple punch mean something. Sasaki landed a couple kicks but Kawada grabbed his waist. In response Sasaki gave Kawada some kneelifts. Kawada tried unsuccessfully to take Sasaki down and Sasaki landed on top of him. Sasaki landed another punch to great heat due to what had happened earlier. Kawada escaped Sasaki’s grip and took him down, then gave him some punches of his own. Kawada landed more punches and applied a sleeper on Sasaki. Sasaki countered with a hiptoss and then flattened Kawada with a lariat. Sasaki applied a standing chinlock and wrapped his legs around Kawada on the mat while maintaining the hold. Sasaki landed a couple kicks but Kawada responded with kicks of his own. They continued to trade kicks to the legs and then exchanged stiff chops in an exchange almost reminiscent of the hard-hitting Hashimoto-Tenryu ’98 classic. Kawada tried a high kick but Sasaki held his ground. They then exchanged really hard slaps with Kawada finally getting the better of Sasaki. Kawada then scored with a jumping kick and a high kick. Kawada then punted Sasaki’s head in the corner with a brutal high kick. Kawada gave Sasaki several roundhouse kicks and some kneelifts in the corner. Kawada landed some chops but Sasaki fired back with chops of his own in another brutally intense exchange. Kawada won the exchange of chops and gave Sasaki a savate kick. Kawada then gave Sasaki alternating chops to the chest and roundhouse kicks to his back. Kawada scored with a stiff kneelift to Sasaki’s head and dropped him on his head with a backdrop driver. Kawada nailed Sasaki with a jumping kick and Sasaki took this great “tim-ber”-like fall after which Kawada gained a really heated near fall. Kawada applied a stretch plum on Sasaki until Sasaki reached the ropes. Kawada dragged Sasaki back to the center of the ring and reapplied the stretch plum for a lengthy period of time. Kawada went for a pin but only gained a one count. Kawada slammed Sasaki and punted his back hard. Kawada attempted a powerbomb but Sasaki countered with a backdrop. Kawada immediately got up and hit Sasaki with a high kick, yet Sasaki then knocked him down with a lariat as fans popped huge. Sasaki landed some roundhouse kicks on Kawada and gave him an ipponzei. Sasaki gave Kawada what I would describe as a “leg-lift” powerbomb and a lariat for a dramatic near fall. Sasaki quickly applied a sharpshooter on Kawada as heat continued to reach a fever pitch. Like Sasaki in the stretch plum, Kawada reached the ropes, but Sasaki dragged him back to the middle of the ring and reapplied the sharpshooter. Sasaki hit a lariat but Kawada stayed on his feet. Kawada and Sasaki then traded lariats back and forth in several rounds, with such perfect selling in that they both sold the damage yet Kawada sold more as to say that his lariats were not as effective as Sasaki’s since that was Sasaki’s specialty. Sasaki finally knocked Kawada for a loop with a lariat but Kawada immediately fired back with a spectacular high kick that flattened Sasaki. Kawada and Sasaki then hit simultaneous lariats on each other. They almost did a second time but this time Sasaki knocked Kawada down with his lariat since he had gained more forward momentum. Sasaki attempted a northern lights bomb but Kawada countered and fell on top of him. Sasaki started to go for a lariat but Kawada quickly caught him with a jumping kick that knocked Sasaki down. Kawada then scored with three more jumping kicks but Sasaki countered a forth when he gave Kawada’s leg a lariat. Sasaki went for a lariat but Kawada flattened him with a jumping kick. Kawada then crawled over to Sasaki and pinned him at 19:37 for a pop. I don’t think this even qualifies as one of the 100 best matches I’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly one of the most dramatic matches I’ve ever seen. They just hit each other so hard and with such intensity from start to finish, and the stiffness was at least comparable to Hashimoto-Tenryu or other legendarily hard-hitting matches in recent years. One of the drawbacks was that they used very few different moves, but that was what made the match work so well. They also sold each move and each exchange so perfectly and so logically that even the slightest punch early on had so much meaning. Story-wise, you saw them pretty much evenly-matched in terms of their chops. Kawada was clearly superior with his kicks, while Sasaki’s lariat was better than Kawada’s. Each of these points was driven into the viewer’s mind so beautifully. Kawada in particular showed that he’s perhaps the greatest physical storyteller in the history of wrestling, but it was actually Sasaki’s performance that struck me the most recent time I watched the match. His selling was nearly perfect as well. He played somewhat of a superman role in that he no-sold or didn’t bump for many strikes, but he took his bumps so well that they really had meaning. Take the example where Kawada flattened Sasaki with a jumping kick. Instead of taking a conventional bump, or taking a Shawn Michaels-like flip bump, Sasaki just slowly fell back like a giant redwood tree would fall. In doing so he gave that very strike so much significance. Make no mistake, though- Kawada was the better performer to the extent that he did carry the match noticeably. At the same time Sasaki held his own, both from a story and from a work standpoint, and gave himself and his promotion added credibility even in a losing effort. Then there’s the fan heat, something in this match that could only be comparable to a very select group of matches over the years. Think of some of the Von Erich-Ric Flair title matches in World Class, or Chigusa Nagayo vs Dump Matsumoto, or the 1994 Misawa-Kawada epic, or maybe some of the loudest moments in ECW history. Then picture that decibel level being created by 64,000 people in the Tokyo Dome. It gave the match a Superbowl-like atmosphere and raised its quality a notch. Overall, it wasn’t the best match of 2000, nor will it be one of the best matches of the decade, but it will go down as one of the most memorable matches I have seen. ****1/2

12/14/00: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka vs Toshiaki Kawada & Masa Fuchi

Fuchi applied a headlock on Iizuka and tackled him. Fuchi slammed Iizuka and took him down with a headlock but Iizuka countered with a headscissors. Fuchi again applied a headlock and Iizuka countered again with a headscissors. Fuchi escaped but Iizuka applied a sleeper, although Fuchi quickly reached the ropes. Kawada kicked Iizuka but Iizuka held his own as Nagata went after Fuchi. Iizuka applied a sleeper but Fuchi reached the ropes. Iizuka repeatedly kicked Fuchi in the corner but Fuchi took him down by the leg. Fuchi grabbed a headlock but Iizuka countered with a headscissors and went for a cross armbreaker, which Fuchi blocked. Fuchi went after Iizuka’s leg from a mount but Iizuka trapped his head and arm in a legscissors. Fuchi grabbed a waistlock but Iizuka countered and tagged Nagata. Nagata gave Fuchi several kicks to his leg for a pop and Kawada came in as heat mounted. Kawada took Nagata down but Nagata held his own on the mat. After numerous counters and reversals Nagata went for a cross armbreaker but Kawada blocked it and both men stood up. Nagata went after Kawada with kicks and punches in the corner and the ref had to restrain him. Kawada fired back with a high kick and gave Nagata some roundhouse kicks in the corner. Kawada gave Nagata a few chops but Nagata stood his ground. Nagata and Kawada exchanged elbows with neither man gaining a decided advantage. Finally Nagata knocked Kawada down but Kawada immediately responded with a high kick. Kawada gave Nagata some knees to the head and then just punted his head. Nagata fought back with a roundhouse kick to Kawada’s head and both men tagged their partners. Iizuka went after Fuchi quickly but Fuchi fought back and gave him a kneebreaker. Fuchi bent Iizuka’s leg back pushing on it with his own foot. Fuchi then applied an STF on Iizuka but was unable to maintain the facelock effectively as Iizuka reached the ropes. Fuchi trapped Iizuka on the second rope in the corner and stood on him in a trademark spot. Kawada went after Iizuka’s left leg and applied a half crab. Kawada then gave Iizuka an over-the-knees surfboard while Fuchi briefly stood on Iizuka’s neck. Iizuka won an exchange of elbows with Kawada but Kawada flattened him with a high kick. Fuchi slammed Iizuka and applied a half crab but Nagata intervened with a couple roundhouse kicks. Kawada gave Nagata an elbow, a high kick and knocked him out of commission with a jumping kick. Fuchi atomic dropped Iizuka onto the top rope. Kawada whipped Nagata into the barricade and gave him a high kick as well as a couple roundhouse kicks at ringside. Back in the ring Fuchi choked Iizuka in the ropes. Kawada gave Iizuka some kicks as Fuchi atomic dropped Nagata on the barricade. Kawada gave Iizuka a kneedrop for a near fall. Iizuka fought back with elbows to both opponents and applied a sleeper on Fuchi. Kawada intervened and kicked Iizuka and also held Nagata at bay with a kick. Fuchi and Kawada gave Iizuka simultaneous high kicks in the corner. Fuchi held Iizuka and Kawada gave him a running high kick in the corner after which Fuchi gained a near fall. Fuchi repeatedly kicked Iizuka’s head and stepped on his face. Kawada applied a Boston crab on Iizuka but Nagata intervened with a roundhouse kick. Kawada chopped Iizuka and Fuchi kicked his head. Fuchi back suplexed Iizuka for a near fall. Fuchi attempted a suplex but Iizuka countered with a suplex of his own. Iizuka fought back with some elbows on Kawada and applied a sleeper on Fuchi. Kawada broke the hold by kicking Iizuka. Nagata tagged in and exchanged elbows with Kawada. Kawada gave Nagata a high kick and a lariat for a heated near fall. Kawada landed a few kicks to Nagata’s leg but Nagata countered a back suplex attempt and nailed a jumping kick of his own. Nagata gave Kawada two more enzuguiris and a German suplex for a near fall. Nagata landed some roundhouse kicks but Kawada knocked him down with a roundhouse kick to the leg. Kawada gave Nagata a couple kneelifts and a savate kick. Kawada gave Nagata a backdrop driver for a heated near fall and applied a stretch plum for a pop. Iizuka finally intervened and broke the hold but Kawada then gained a near fall on Nagata. Kawada attempted a powerbomb but Nagata blocked it. Iizuka tried to intervened but Kawada met him with a high kick. Nagata blocked a second powerbomb attempt and caught a running Kawada with a kick to the leg, which Kawada sold big. Nagata landed three roundhouse kicks to Kawada’s weakened leg and applied his version of a figure 4 leglock, which has a name but I don’t know it. Kawada repeatedly failed to reach the ropes and Fuchi attacked Nagata, but Nagata maintained the leglock. Fuchi continued to attack Nagata and Kawada finally escaped the hold. Iizuka tagged in, stepped over Kawada and knocked Fuchi off the apron with an elbow. Iizuka attacked Kawada’s left leg. Kawada landed some kicks with his good leg but Iizuka gave him an exploder and applied a leglock. Fuchi came in but Nagata met him with kicks and applied an inverted figure 4 leglock on him. Heat mounted as Kawada broke the hold but Iizuka reapplied the leglock on him in the middle of the ring. Fuchi also sold his knee from Nagata’s leglock. Iizuka attempted a German suplex but Kawada countered and gave him a kick. A limping Fuchi dropkicked Iizuka’s leg and back suplexed him. Fuchi gave Iizuka a second back suplex for a near fall and applied a facelock. Kawada gave Nagata a koppo kick and applied a stretch plum on him as Fuchi maintained the facelock on Iizuka. Fuchi attempted a back suplex but Iizuka countered and both men tackled each other. Nagata and Kawada tagged in. Kawada landed several kneelifts and a roundhouse kick but Nagata fired back with several roundhouse kicks of his own. They exchanged very hard slaps and Nagata blocked an enzuguiri. Kawada blocked a jumping kick from Nagata and gave him a high kick but Nagata knocked Kawada down with a running elbow. Nagata applied a cross armbreaker of Kawada and Iizuka went after Fuchi as time expired at 30:00. Almost immediately the crowd broke into a loud “Sen Nihon” (“All Japan”) chant, showing its support for the struggling but very much alive group. A sensational match from a foursome you would not expect it from. Fuchi is an aging veteran whose prime was a decade ago, but he found a fountain of youth in this match as a great old-school heel. His heelish persona worked in this setting because of the mutation of All Japan and New Japan styles, and New Japan employs more heelish tactics with which Fuchi can work with. Iizuka tends to be a colorless performer, but when he’s on and has something to fight for he can really be something special. He had surprisingly strong chemistry with Fuchi and great chemistry with Kawada, which could be expected because Kawada’s a superior worker. Kawada really shined in this match against both opponents, but his exchanges with Nagata were on another level in terms of drama and intensity. I think they could have had a ***** match given the right setting and circumstances, but unfortunately such a match never came to pass. Nagata effectively showed he could fight Kawada’s game of technical wrestling and submissions along with stiff kicks and strikes, and fans reacted like they felt he could definitely beat Kawada. This match proved that All Japan was very much alive, and the feud had so much potential. Imagine a match this great, and it didn’t even have the best match on paper you could ask for from the feud. Dave Meltzer called this match *****, and while I understand his argument I can’t agree with it, because as flawless as it was, the work never reached that level. As fun and as effective as Fuchi’s work was, he has limitations that make it impossible for him to be in a ***** match where he contributed as much as in this match. Also, the Fuchi-Iizuka exchanges were great, but not dramatic or memorable enough. Kawada and Nagata did have segments against each other that would fit in with a ***** match, but that was it. The pacing and maybe psychology were also at that level, but again some of the work just wasn’t sophisticated enough to make this an epic. Instead, it will have to settle for being the best match worldwide in 2000. ****3/4

6/8/01 All Japan Triple Crown title: Genichiro Tenryu (c) vs Keiji Muto

Huge pop for the intros. Muto dropkicked Tenryu before the bell in the knees twice. Muto attempted a dragon screw but Tenryu fought back with two chops. Tenryu attempted a dragon screw of his own but Muto gave him a shining wizard (so simple but so effective given how much it was over with the crowd). Muto gave Tenryu a backbreaker and teased a moonsault but Tenryu rolled out of harm’s way. Muto went behind Tenryu but Tenryu countered with a wristlock and took Muto down. Tenryu rolled with the wristlock and also applied a headscissors on the mat. Muto missed a dropkick to Tenryu’s knees. Muto applied a headlock, snapmared Tenryu and gave him a power elbow. Muto snapmared Tenryu again and applied a chinlock. Muto grabbed a headlock but Tenryu countered with a back suplex. Muto scored with a dropkick and then applied an armlock. Muto landed a couple punches and went for a handspring elbow but crashed into Tenryu’s outstretched boots. Tenryu gave Muto an enzuguiri and gained a near fall with a powerbomb. Tenryu landed a chop but Muto responded with a koppo kick of sorts. Muto dropkicked Tenryu in the knees twice as Tenryu got up on the apron. Muto attempted to suplex Tenryu back into the ring but Tenryu countered and suplexed Muto to the floor. As Muto got back on his feet Tenryu surprised him (and everyone) with a tope suicida. Muto caught Tenryu off-guard and gave him a dragon screw off the apron to the floor for a huge pop. Muto jumped off the apron with another dropkick to Tenryu’s knees at ringside. Back in the ring Muto hit a top rope dropkick to Tenryu’s knees. Muto missed a dropkick to Tenryu’s knees and Tenryu gave him a chop but Muto quickly responded with a dragon screw and applied a figure 4 leglock for a pop. Muto did somewhat of a low dropkick to Tenryu’s knees. Tenryu countered a dragon screw and gave Muto a chop and a dropkick to his left knee. Muto responded with a dropkick to Tenryu’s knees but Tenryu then responded in kind. Tenryu hit a dragon screw but continued to sell his own weakened knee. Tenryu applied a figure 4 leglock on Muto and gained a near fall. Muto went for another dropkick to Tenryu’s knees but Tenryu moved out of the way. Tenryu dropkicked Muto’s left knee, chopped him and applied a Texas cloverleaf. Tenryu threw two gu-punches and gave Muto a German superplex followed by a top rope elbowsmash for a heated near fall. Tenryu landed a couple chops but Muto fought back with a huracanrana. Tenryu blocked a shining wizard attempt, threw a couple punches and hit a brainbuster for a dramatic near fall. Tenryu landed a bunch of chops and punches in the corner and hit an amazing top rope huracanrana for a dramatic near fall. Muto countered a brainbuster attempt as he was being lifted up with a shining wizard in a neat spot. Tenryu threw more chops and punches but Muto responded with a Shinzaki-like backflip dropkick that was so spontaneous one never saw it coming. Muto gained a heated near fall with a shining wizard and another with a second shining wizard. Muto gave Tenryu a backbreaker and a vintage top rope moonsault and pinned him to win the title at 23:24. Fans popped huge and the postmatch scene was really memorable with the atmosphere and look of having witnessed something historic and profound on everyone’s faces. With this match Muto became the first outside wrestler to hold the Triple Crown, a title considered the most prestigious in wrestling from a work standpoint. Thanks in part to that atmosphere, which was present throughout the match, it was a classic match. It had somewhat of an old-school feel, but in the good ways that one doesn’t see too often in today’s product. Every move counted for something, with most moves being sold perfectly, given enough time to register, and placed well within the context of the match. When first hearing about the shining wizard, I just scratched my head wondering how such a simple move could be worth a damn. But boy did Muto use that move to perfection, attempting and hitting the move from so many different angles, kinda like DDP’s diamond cutter when it became a hot finisher. Muto’s offense also had more of the trademark “snap” or sharpness to it that made Muto such a beloved worker in earlier years, even if he has evolved so much physically over the years. Then you had the performance of Tenryu, which was really something special. He worked extra hard in this match and also worked a flawless match in a role that I would compare to a little Jumbo, a little Misawa and even a little Taue in that Tenryu busted out some rarely used moves such as his tope suicida and top rope huracanrana, with which he had to be the oldest wrestler I’ve ever seen use that move. Overall his performance was even more amazing considering he was 51 years old, has fought a hard hitting style for many years, and was working a full-time schedule in a workload-heavy promotion at his age. Say what you want about Tenryu being overrated, but anyone who can turn in a scrapbook performance at age 51 has to be someone special. As for Muto and whether or not he was a hall of fame caliber performer before, this match proved he’s a more than deserving hall of famer. Like Kawada-Sasaki, this match’s memorability exceeds its quality, which was pretty great in its own right. ****1/2

Next Issue: Akira Hokuto: The Dangerous Queen Classics

BACK TO THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA MENU
HOME