THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE #53
SEPTEMBER 23, 2002

1991: Memorable Matches

Although 1991 in the eyes of many failed to produce a ***** match, it certainly wasn't short on excellent and memorable matches. Worldwide numerous ****+ matches took place, and this article takes a look at five of the most notable excellent matches from 1991.

4/27/91 Top of the Super Junior Tournament: Jushin Liger vs Owen Hart

They did wristlocks and flip counters early on. Liger grabbed Owen's arm and gave him an overhead takedown (not quite a northern lights suplex). Liger won a test of strength but Owen bridged, backflipped off the top rope and hiptossed Liger. Liger blocked a second hiptoss but Owen backflipped again and hiptossed Liger. Owen scored with a headscissors takedown, a dropkick and a tope in quick succession. Owen whipped Liger into the barricade and dropkicked him. Back in the ring Owen suplexed Liger and applied a chinlock. They had a criss cross and Liger scored with a knee to Owen's gut. Liger gave Owen a kneelift and suplexed him over the top rope to the floor. Liger whipped Owen into the barricade and dropkicked him against the barricade in a cool mirror/revenge spot. In the ring Liger took Owen down and worked on his leg . Liger applied a modified figure 4 leglock and went back to stretching his left leg. Owen countered with a rollup for a near fall. He went for a cross armbreaker on Liger and applied it but Liger quickly reached the ropes. Owen scored with a couple kneedrops and slammed Liger. Owen applied a crossface chicken wing and turned it into an armbar. Owen double arm suplexed Liger for a near fall and went back to the armbar. Liger backed Owen into a corner but Owen punched him repeatedly. Owen gave Liger a DDT on his left arm and applied a Fujiwara armbar. Owen kneedropped Liger's arm and gave him an armringer. Owen telegraphed a backdrop and Liger gave him a backslide for a near fall. Owen gave Liger an overhead suplex on his arm for a near fall and maintained an armbar. Owen chopped Liger but Liger countered a suplex with a Fujiwara armbar. Liger then applied a Romero special on Owen. Owen escaped but Liger applied a modified Romero special. Liger then focused on bending Owen's arms back and maneuvered him into a pin position for a few near falls. Liger gave Owen a forearm. Owen countered a backdrop by landing on his feet but Liger then scored with a koppo kick. Liger clotheslined Owen out of the ring and hit a plancha for a pop. They had a criss cross and Owen gave Liger an overhead belly to belly suplex for a heated near fall. Owen German suplexed Liger for a near fall. Owen missed a clothesline and Liger gave him a crucifix for a near fall. Owen backed liger into a corner and chopped him. Liger whipped Owen into the opposite corner, Owen jumped to the top rope and went for an inverted flying bodypress, but Liger dropkicked him in mid-air. Liger missed a spin kick but backdropped Owen out of the ring. Owen recovered and rammed Liger into the corner. Owen hit an inverted flying bodypress but Liger rolled through and gained a near fall. Owen countered a tombstone and gave Liger a tombstone of his own. Owen then hit a top rope headbutt for a heated near fall. Owen slammed Liger and moonsaulted him for a near fall. Owen climbed the ropes for a second moonsault but Liger caught up to him and gave him a second rope electric chair for a near fall. Liger placed Owen on the top rope but Owen landed some headbutts and a punch. Liger recovered and dropkicked Owen, then gave him a great top rope DDT for the pin at 15:00. This is not 1990s top 100 material, but damn close. Actually, it was a near perfect juniors match back in 1991 and ages pretty well in terms of enjoyment. Both men were in their physical prime at the time of this match, which is a pattern for the rest of this article. In particular, Owen showed just how great an athlete he was, every bit as spectacular as Chris Benoit in 1991 and with just as much potential. But Owen left for the WWF a few months later, while Benoit remained in Japan where be grew into a top 5 worker for several years. Too bad, because had Owen stayed in Japan people might be talking about him now almost as often as Benoit when considering the top workers of the 90s. Of course Liger was great here, at a time when he was definitely the top worker in wrestling. Lots of cool revenge type spots, such as the whip into barricade/dropkick sequences. Although there wasn't much deep psychology and selling, submissions were pretty well utilized and the match built well, with both men using the right amount of highspots early to excite the crowd while waiting to really kick into overdrive until the last 4 minutes. One more interesting point is that this was a good match to judge the progression in the juniors standards of work in the early 90s. Watch Liger vs Sano from 1/31/90, then this match, and then Liger vs Samurai from 4/30/92 and you'll see a pretty clear progression both in quality and difficulty of highspots. ****1/2

5/19/91 WCW World Tag Team Title: Rick & Scott Steiner (c) vs Sting & Lex Luger

They shook hands at the start. Rick and Luger began the match. Even their lockups were intense in this match. Luger armdragged Rick. Rick took Luger down but Luger reached the ropes knowing Rick was better on the ground. Luger applied a headlock and took Rick down but Rick countered with a headscissors. Rick took Luger down but Luger reached the ropes. Rick applied a headlock, and Luger broke cleanly in the ropes. Luger knocked Rick for a loop with a tackle and powerslammed him for an early near fall. Luger missed a corner splash and Rick gave him a sharp released German suplex. Rick scored with a Steinerline on Luger for a near fall. Rick whipped Luger into the corner and backdropped him. Rick whipped Luger into the corner again but Luger ran out of the corner and clotheslined him. Luger press slammed Rick and tagged Sting. Sting clotheslined Rick out of the ring and hit a great running dive over the top rope to the floor. Sting kicked Rick and bulldogged him but Rick stood right up. Sting lifted Rick in a backbreaker and slammed him upside down into the corner, in a spot right out of the Steiners' playbook. Sting missed a stinger splash. Scott attacked Sting and gave him a tiger driver for a pop. Scott gave Sting a tilt-a-whirl slam but Sting fought back with a stun gun. Luger suplexed Scott but Scott caught Sting with an atomic drop. Scott then gave Sting a belly to belly superplex for a near fall. Scott placed Sting on the top rope and went for a clothesline but Sting moved and Scott crashed over the top rope to the ringside announcers' table (which was against the apron). Luger suplexed Scott back into the ring for a near fall. Scott fought back with a judo throw or some other kinda throw on Luger but Luger then caught him off the ropes with a powerslam. Luger went for the torture rack but Scott countered with a Russian legsweep. Luger elbowed Scott but Rick, who had made the blind tag, stunned Luger from behind with a top rope bulldog. Rick elbowsmashed Luger for a near fall. Sting hit Rick with a top rope dropkick. Rick attacked Sting and had an exchange with Luger. Luger and Rick missed elbows and then collided with each other. Sting won an exchange of blows and gave Scott a fallaway slam of sorts. Sting punched Scott but telegraphed a backdrop and Scott forearmed him. Scott went for a tombstone but Sting countered with a tombstone of his own for a near fall as Rick made the save. Rick went after Luger, but in the process knocked the ref out of commission. Sting gave Scott a stinger splash and went for the scorpion deathlock but Nikita Koloff appeared on the ramp. Koloff went to clothesline Luger with a chain, but Sting tackled Luger out of the way and in the process absorbed the blow himself. Scott then covered Sting and pinned him to retain the title at 11:11. That's one of those finishes that forever sticks out like a sore thumb, because it might have been the cheapest finish ever to such a sensational match. Three months before Muto and Chono showcased their version of the "titanic struggle", the four top faces in WCW did it their way, and the American way. For 11 minutes, they laid just about everything on the line, busting out almost every move in all four of their playbooks and one hot move after another. Fans just ate up everything and popped for everyone's offense, and rightfully so. If you've never seen these four in their prime (maybe Luger's prime was '89-'90, but it was close enough here), you must track down this match and watch it. There was a time when Sting was one of the hottest workers in the country, kinda like an Edge type athletically but with a charisma that registered more with fans like me. Rick Steiner was young once, believe it or not, and a master of power moves who had firmly cemented his place among the world's 100 best workers. Scott was perhaps my favorite wrestler in 1991, busting out all kinds of cool moves and using familiar moves with such a sharp intensity. Even Luger looked great in this match. Not good, great. You heard me right. Sure he was never anything special in the ring, but put him with the right opponent(s) and he could have a heck of a match. Luger and Rick actually had a great opening stretch for the first third of the match before the match kicked into overdrive. What made this even more impressive was while this was an explosive spotfest, they actually showed a bit of patience early on before picking it up. If not for the finish, this could possibly have been a ***** match, a small miracle in itself. Sting was just about to go for the scorpion deathlock, and Scott never had a chance to use his frankensteiner. Luger didn't actually use the torture rack either. That's three signature moves they could have spent another 2-3 minutes centered around to give the match a truly memorable close. The finish reduces this match from a near-epic to a definite classic. The value of this match is made more significant by the fact this match ages beautifully and I enjoyed it every bit as much when reviewing it now as I did when I first saw it 11 years ago. A very high-end ****1/2.

8/11/91 1991 G-1 Climax Tournament Final: Masa Chono vs Keiji Muto

Muto grabbed a headlock on Chono early. They had a test of strength, with neither man gaining an advantage. Muto took Chono over with the knucklelock, and then applied a headlock. Muto took Chono down but Chono countered with a headscissors. Muto escaped and applied a toehold. Muto worked on Chono's left leg, and Chono tried to counter with a chinlock. Chono did counter with a headscissors, and applied an armlock with his legs wrapped around Muto's arm. Muto went back to the toehold, but Chono maintained his grip on Muto's arm. Muto reached the ropes and rolled out of the ring. Chono tripped Muto and applied a rear chinlock. Muto countered with a wristlock and took Chono down with an armbar. Chono punched Muto but Muto responded with a mule kick. Muto took Chono down and gave him a power elbow. Chono punched Muto but Muto rammed him into the corner. Muto missed a handspring elbow and Chono dropped Muto on his head and folded him up with a back suplex. Chono applied a cross armbreaker of sorts (Muto facing down instead of up) until Muto reached the rope. Chono landed a couple punches but Muto responded in kind. Chono won the exchange but Muto fought back. Muto applied a leglock on Chono. He hooked Chono's legs and went for a Mutolock but Chono tried to reach the ropes. Muto pulled him back to the center of the ring and applied the Mutolock. Muto released the grip on Chono's head but still attacked his legs. He bridged back and reapplied the Mutolock on Chono. Muto then applied a cattle mutilation (!) on Chono. Muto snapmared Chono and applied a cross armbreaker. Chono countered by grabbing Muto's arm and stepped on his face to break the hold. Chono hit two yakuza kicks and knocked Muto off the apron and into the barricade with a third. Chono hit a tope suicida for a pop and then a plancha for another pop. Back in the ring Chono piledrove Muto twice and went for the STF but Muto reached the ropes. Chono went for a piledriver on the floor but Muto countered with a backdrop. Muto then piledrove Chono on the floor near the crowd. Muto hit a top rope dropkick for a heated near fall and back suplexed Chono for another near fall. Muto German suplexed Chono for a heated near fall at the 20:00 mark. Muto gave Chono a cradle piledriver for a near fall and a dragon suplex but couldn't hold Chono for the pin. Muto snapmared Chono but missed a moonsault after teasing a power elbow. Chono scored with a yakuza kick and applied the STF amidst great heat. Chono slammed Muto and hit a top rope tackle or clothesline (camera panned out really far for no real reason), then applied Inoki's cobra twist for a huge pop. Muto struggled but reached the ropes. Chono back suplexed Muto for a heated near fall. Chono went for a suplex but Muto countered with a suplex of his own. Muto then applied his own octopus hold on Chono. Muto snapmared Chono and went to the top rope. He jumped off, Chono tried to dropkick him in mid-air, but Muto sailed over Chono somehow. Muto back suplexed Chono and hit a top rope missile dropkick. After both men sold the damage and fatigue for a while, Chono sprung up and applied the STF but Muto quickly reached the ropes. Muto missed a dropkick but blocked a yakuza kick and nailed Chono with an elbow. Muto gave Chono a backbreaker and went for a moonsault but crashed onto Chono's knees. Chono powerbombed Muto and pinned him at 29:02 to win the tournament. Incredible post-match scene with fans throwing hundreds of pillows towards the ring. A long, grueling match that built to absolute perfection. This was like watching one of those classic long All Japan main events with the slow build and patience in busting out the signature moves. Granted the psychology and selling weren't as deep, but were about as strong as you could ask for. Once upon a time, Masahiro Chono's neck was in perfect condition and he had no physical limitations. And once upon a time Keiji Muto wasn't lazy, weighed 235 lbs tops, and was once of the most graceful athletes ever to step in the ring. So in this match you had perhaps the two best workers of the new breed of New Japan stars to emerge in the early 90s (which also included Kensuke Sasaki and Shinya Hashimoto) headlining what had been at least to that point and what some still consider the best tournament in wrestling history. I can't really pick a standout performer because both men worked well and contributed equally to a match that told a bigger story as a whole than either of its parts. Definitely one of the top 5 New Japan heavyweight matches of the 1990s in a time where the New Japan heavyweights might have actually been a hair better than their All Japan counterparts. ****1/2

8/26/91 WWF Intercontinental Title: Mr. Perfect (c) w/Coach vs Bret Hart

Bret applied a headlock and tackled Perfect on a criss cross. Bret hiptossed Perfect and perfect bailed out of the ring. Bret applied a headlock and caught Perfect with a crucifix for a near fall. Bret took Perfect down with a headlock. Perfect grabbed Bret's hair but Bret responded in kind to reapply the headlock. Perfect pulled Bret's hair again and again Bret pulled Perfect's hair and reapplied the headlock. Perfect gave Bret a kneelift but missed a clothesline. Bret hit a cross bodyblock but Perfect pushed him off and out of the ring. Bret tackled Perfect and gave him a sunset flip back into the ring for a near fall. He took Perfect down with a headlock. Perfect chopped Bret and went for a kick but Bret grabbed his leg and took him down. Bret stomped Perfect. Perfect whipped Bret into the corner and slammed him but Bret responded by kicking his face from the prone position, and Perfect took a flip bump. Bret slammed Perfect but Perfect responded by kicking Bret. Bret knocked Perfect for a loop and out of the ring with a clothesline. Perfect started to walk back to the entrance but Bret followed him, ripped his outfit and pulled him back into the ring. Perfect punched Bret in the corner and kicked his ribs. Perfect kicked Bret out of the ring and chopped him at ringside. Perfect knocked Bret off the apron with a punch and pushed the ropes, causing Bret to sail backwards into the barricade. Bret fought back with punches and rolled him up for a near fall. Perfect fought back and stomped Bret. He rammed Bret into the corner and chopped him. Perfect whipped Bret hard into the corner and gained a near fall. Perfect gave Bret a necksnap and rolled him up for a near fall. Bret telegraphed a backdrop and Perfect kicked him. Perfect dropkicked Bret out of the ring. Bret won an exchange at ringside but Perfect recovered and prevented him from reentering the ring. Bret caught Perfect on the top rope and they traded blows. Bret tumbled back into the ring but caught his leg temporarily in the ropes, and Perfect then fell into the ring as well. Perfect gained a near fall using the ropes for leverage. Perfect slapped Bret and gave him a hairmare. He applied a sleeper on Bret. Bret countered with elbows to Perfect's gut. Bret attempted a crucifix but Perfect countered with a Samoan drop for a near fall. Perfect chopped Bret twice and whipped him hard into the corner again for a near fall. Perfect gave Bret a Perfectplex for a dramatic near fall. Bret punched Perfect in the gut and atomic dropped him. Bret atomic dropped Perfect again and headbutted him. He gave Perfect a hairmare and Perfect took a really cool bump crotch first into the ringpost, which was one of those really cool spots that only someone like he could make work. Bret suplexed Perfect for a near fall and small packaged him for another near fall. Bret gave Perfect a Russian legsweep for a near fall and a backbreaker. Bret hit a second rope elbow for a near fall. Perfect rolled up a distracted Bret for a near fall but Bret pushed him out of the ring. Bret whipped Perfect into the ringpost. Back in the ring he kicked Perfect's leg twice and went for the sharpshooter but Coach got on the apron. Bret punched Coach but Perfect kicked the middle rope to crotch Bret. Perfect kicked Bret low and legdropped him low as well. Perfect went for another low legdrop but Bret grabbed his legs and turned him over into a sharpshooter. Perfect then submitted, almost in Montreal screwjob speed, at 18:06 and Bret won the title. This was the first great WWF match I remembered seeing, having not seen the Brainbusters-Rockers matches in early-89. An excellent match, but too flawed to be considered a classic. For one, the work was usually unspectacular save for Perfect's outrageous bumps. Perfect was definitely a forerunner to Michaels in terms of spectacular bumps, but his weren't nearly as logical or credible looking as Michaels's would be. Still quite entertaining, though. As for Bret, he displayed much of the form that would make him a top singles worker over the next five years, with everything he did looking sharp. The match built pretty well, and Coach was less involved in the match than a manager normally would be in 1991, which was refreshing. The first Summerslam match to take place that was worthy of most tape collections. ****

10/24/91 All Japan Triple Crown Title: Jumbo Tsuruta (c) vs Toshiaki Kawada

Tsuruta went for an elbow but Kawada alertly blocked it. Kawada applied a headlock, and didn't let go when Jumbo tried to push him off. Jumbo tried to escape with a top wristlock but Kawada maintained the headlock. Jumbo elbowed Kawada's side and tried to push him off but again Kawada held onto the headlock. A frustrated Jumbo gave Kawada a kneelift and threw him out of the ring, but Kawada quickly returned to the ring and elbowed Jumbo. Kawada then reapplied the headlock. Kawada maintained the headlock first by grabbing Jumbo's leg with his own, and then by taking him down. Jumbo backed Kawada into the ropes and gave him a couple kneelifts. Jumbo whipped Kawada across the ring and scored with a third kneelift. Jumbo gave Kawada another kneelift but Kawada fired back with elbows and took Jumbo down with another headlock. Jumbo countered with a kneebreaker and applied a half crab on Kawada's left leg. Kawada countered with kicks using his free leg and escaped. Jumbo pounded Kawada and elbowed him but Kawada responded in kind. Kawada landed some chops and applied a cobra twist. Kawada then applied a stretch plum but went back to the cobra twist. Jumbo powered his way to the ropes and maneuvered Kawada out of the ring. Tsuruta whipped Kawada into the barricade but Kawada bounced right back and applied a cobra twist on the floor. Jumbo quickly countered and tossed Kawada to the ground. Jumbo scored with a couple kneelifts but Kawada responded with kneelifts of his own. Kawada landed some kicks to Jumbo's leg and applied a half crab, but again Jumbo powered his way to the ropes. Kawada slammed Jumbo and hit a standing senton for a near fall. Kawada applied a front facelock on the mat. Jumbo fought back with a kneelift and a sharp lariat. Jumbo went for another lariat but Kawada gave him a jumping kick for a pop and a near fall as fans started to believe in Kawada's efforts. Kawada stomped Jumbo and gave him a couple elbows that Jumbo sold really well. Kawada landed his trademark series of knees to Jumbo's head but Jumbo popped up and elbowed him. They traded slaps after which Jumbo gave Kawada a jumping knee. Jumbo applied a sleeper and wrapped his legs around Kawada's body on the mat for leverage as heat mounted. Kawada reached the ropes. Jumbo tried to reapply the sleeper but Kawada hiptossed him and applied a sleeper of his own for a huge pop. Jumbo reached the ropes but Kawada gave him some kicks and slaps. Jumbo absorbed the blows and gave Kawada a couple elbows. Jumbo hit a jumping knee and went for a vertical suplex but Kawada countered and reapplied the sleeper on Jumbo. Kawada whipped Jumbo into the barricade and reapplied the sleeper back in the ring. Kawada landed a kick to Jumbo's head in the corner. He slammed Jumbo and hit a top rope elbow for a near fall. Jumbo caught Kawada on the top rope and went for a back suplex out of the corner but Kawada fell on top of him for a near fall. Jumbo then turned Kawada over for a near fall of his own (remember Jumbo-Misawa). Jumbo gave Kawada a high kick for a near fall. Jumbo went for a back suplex but Kawada fell on top of him again for a near fall. Jumbo blocked an elbow but Kawada alertly gave him an enzu-lariat and applied a sleeper but the ref made him break because it was a choke. Kawada applied a sleeper but Jumbo rolled into the ropes. Kawada reapplied the sleeper in the middle of the ring as heat mounted. Kawada elbowed Jumbo and went for a piledriver but Jumbo countered. Jumbo missed a high kick but caught Kawada on the rebound with a high kick for a near fall. Jumbo went for a back suplex but Kawada blocked it and both men hit the mat hard. Kawada gained a near fall. Jumbo pounded Kawada and gave him a high kick. Kawada blocked a back suplex but Jumbo clubbed him with an enzu-lariat. Jumbo then gave Kawada a back suplex almost on his head for a very dramatic near fall. Kawada, on his back, surprised Jumbo with a kick to the head. Jumbo gave Kawada a high kick. Kawada tried to bounce back with a lariat, Jumbo held out his arm and scored with a lariat, and it was Kawada who was finally knocked for a loop. Jumbo gave Kawada a Thesz press for a near fall and a dropkick. Jumbo then gave Kawada another back suplex and pinned him at 19:07 to retain the title. I'm probably exaggerating with this remark, but this might have been the greatest "pure story-oriented" match I've ever seen from All Japan. Sure, there were as many as 100 matches from All Japan alone in the 90s that would rate higher, but none were without their memorable spots and sequences, and none of which were 100% story and no spots. Sure there were a few cool spots and sequences in this match, but only a few, and certainly not nearly as many as most of the great All Japan matches from 1993-on. In fact, the moves were so simple that this might have been an old-school match back in 1991, let alone by 2002 standards and styles. But it was one of the smartest matches you'll ever see, particularly in terms of sticking to one story, selling it to absolute perfection, and using just enough spots- nothing more, nothing less, to make it work flawlessly. Before Kawada became known as one of the greatest storytellers in wrestling history, such an acclamation arguably belonged to Jumbo, whose selling and facial expressions played a part in making Mitsuharu Misawa such a big star a year before this match. Another important factor in the story here was that this was Kawada's first Triple Crown challenge. In part since Giant Baba had pulled the trigger and made Misawa a new star in such spectacular fashion in 1990, Kawada clearly had no chance of winning. And from a story perspective he seemed to know that. So what Kawada tried to accomplish was to frustrate Jumbo as much as possible by holding the advantage as often as possible. Kawada wasn't a veteran yet, and had not yet developed his veteran style, but had essentially graduated from his young lion status. Instead of showing off any new weapons or spectacular offense, he just stuck to a core group of moves and holds he knew could neutralize Jumbo if used effectively. Kawada used basic holds such as a headlock and a sleeper to such perfection that he generated much more heat with them, even in 1991, than one might expect. Kawada also showed his progression by reacting so effectively so some of Jumbo's moves, like blocking the elbow early on and twice countering back suplexes for near falls. The few moves Kawada used, mainly his kicks, were sharply executed, and Jumbo was also on target with his execution, particularly some of his strikes. Perhaps it was Jumbo who made the match by selling every one of Kawada's moves and nuances to perfection from start to finish. The first couple times Kawada applied submissions Jumbo would power his way to the ropes. Later in the match, when Kawada applied a sleeper Jumbo simply dropped his foot across the bottom rope, and not in a way to indicate an easy counter but rather an indication that his has tank was running low. Fans noticed, and really got behind Kawada late in the match believing he had a legit shot at pulling off a miracle. Another cool thing that made Kawada a star in this match was that he kicked out of every one of Jumbo's weapons, even his trademark back suplex, thus solidifying his status in the upper ranks of All Japan. This was the match that marked the transition from Kawada the young lion/rising star to Kawada the veteran. Overall, this is one of those matches to watch if you're an aspiring wrestler, as this will teach the viewer how to get the simplest of moves and sequences over with fans and that such a task can be accomplished, even in the U.S., if the selling is effective enough. I can see this match rating in many top 100s of the 90s, but at the same time I can see someone giving this ** for its extreme simplicity. However, since I've had more to say about this match than most others I've commented on, it's gotta be a pretty special match. Not a classic, but for what it sought to accomplish it was flawless. ****1/4

Next Article: New Japan 2001: Fantastic Finals

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