THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE # 70
AUGUST 1, 2003
All Japan Old School III: Early 90s Jumbo Excellence
This article takes a look at 5 more great matches from All Japan during the early 90s era. Amongst a deep talent pool Jumbo Tsuruta stood out as the in-ring leader of the company with some of the best work of his career, as indicated by his constant excellence in this set of matches.
1/14/90: Genichiro Tenryu & Samson Fuyuki vs. Tiger Mask II (Misawa) & Jumbo Tsuruta
Fuyuki and Tiger traded waistlocks. Fuyuki turned a headlock into a hammerlock and gave Tiger a drop toehold. Fuyuki took Tiger down with a headlock but Tiger countered with a head scissors. Fuyuki maintained the headlock. Tenryu tackled Tiger and gave him a couple chops. Tenryu rammed Tiger into the corner and Fuyuki gave him a flying bodypress for a near fall. Tiger dropkicked Fuyuki and Jumbo gave him a high kick. Jumbo slammed Fuyuki and applied a toehold. Tiger kicked Fuyuki�s leg twice and gave him a lariat. Tenryu gave Tiger a bunch of knee lifts but Jumbo attacked him. Fuyuki missed a second rope bodypress out of the corner on Tiger and rolled out of the ring. Jumbo gave Fuyuki a knee breaker on the barricade. Back in the ring Tiger gave Fuyuki a knee breaker and applied a toehold. Jumbo kicked and stomped Fuyuki�s leg repeatedly. Jumbo applied a Boston crab on Fuyuki. Jumbo pounced on Fuyuki�s leg in the ropes. Tiger kicked Fuyuki�s leg twice but Fuyuki fought back with an enzuguiri. Tenryu tagged in but Tiger kicked him and dropkicked him. Tiger knocked Tenryu out of the ring with a baseball slide kick. Tiger faked a dive and dropkicked Tenryu through the ropes. Jumbo gave Tenryu his own dropkick. Fuyuki attacked Jumbo, who had to be restrained by the ref. Tiger suplexed Tenryu back into the ring for a near fall. Tiger landed a couple kicks but missed a third and Tenryu chopped him. Tiger landed some kicks but Tenryu pushed him to the mat and attacked him with punches. Tenryu kicked Tiger and threw him out of the ring. Tenryu hit Tiger with a chair and gave him a couple chops. Fuyuki gave Tiger a lariat for a near fall and ripped at his mask. Fuyuki legdropped Tiger for a near fall and German suplexed him for another near fall. Fuyuki whipped Tiger into the corner and gave him a running lariat with Tenryu�s help. Tenryu attacked Tiger with a ton of his trademark chops, and welts began to show on Tiger�s chest. Tenryu dropkicked Tiger in the corner and rammed him into the corner. Fuyuki snapmared Tiger and went after his mask again. Tenryu chopped Tiger and gave him an overhead suplex for a near fall. Tenryu kicked and slammed Tiger, then gave him a top rope elbowsmash. Jumbo intervened and attacked Tenryu with stomps and elbows. Tiger dropkicked Tenryu and tagged in Jumbo. Fuyuki met Jumbo with a spinning kick but Jumbo met Tenryu with a high kick. Jumbo missed a lariat and Tenryu blocked a jumping knee. Jumbo gave Tenryu some elbows but Fuyuki gave him a lariat. Tenryu kicked Jumbo and Fuyuki gave him a lariat for a near fall. Fuyuki cradle suplexed Jumbo for a near fall and high kicked him. Tenryu and Jumbo traded chops and elbows but Tenryu scored with an enzuguiri. Fuyuki kicked Jumbo but Jumbo countered a powerbomb with a backdrop. Tiger gave Fuyuki a bunch of roundhouse kicks and an ax kick. Tiger back suplexed Fuyuki and gave him a top rope flip bodyblock for a near fall. Tenryu kicked Jumbo from behind and Fuyuki rolled him up for a near fall. Fuyuki gave Jumbo a lariat and a flying bodypress for a near fall. Jumbo countered a German suplex with an elbow and went to back suplex Fuyuki but Tenryu slapped him and gave him an enzuguiri. Jumbo caught Fuyuki on the top rope and gave him a kneebreaker. Jumbo then applied a modified half crab on Fuyuki�s bad leg. Jumbo applied a half crab on Fuyuki as Tenryu gave Tiger a lariat. Tenryu gave Jumbo a lariat but Jumbo maintained the half crab and Fuyuki submitted at 17:11. A great example of how everyone playing their roles effectively can make a match great even when the work itself doesn�t stand out. Not to say that the work wasn�t very good, but there were few memorable spots and fewer than typical All Japan big matches. But this was a Korakuen Hall show, so the emphasis was more on the story. Tiger was clearly ahead of Fuyuki in stature and took the fight to Tenryu. Tenryu was great in giving Tiger a beating in response including chopping his chest raw. Fuyuki also looked good taking the fight to Jumbo and gaining a few near falls on him. The exchanges between stars Jumbo and Tenryu were kept to a minimum but were used well as their key exchange was saved for late in the match. Jumbo and Tenryu were both their usual sharp, intense selves, Overall a very good match with very good crowd heat. ***�
8/31/90: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kenta Kobashi
Kobashi missed a dropkick and Jumbo gave him a lariat. Jumbo gave Kobashi a jumping knee and Kobashi left the ring. Kobashi pounded Jumbo but missed a dropkick. Jumbo gave Kobashi two elbows to the gut and a European uppercut. Kobashi superkicked Jumbo and spin kicked him. Kobashi chopped Jumbo, snapmared him and applied a chinlock. Jumbo landed a couple elbows but Kobashi gave him two slaps and took him down with a headlock. Jumbo tried to push Kobashi off but Kobashi maintained the headlock. Jumbo tried again but Kobashi held onto the headlock. Jumbo gave Kobashi a kneebreaker but Kobashi still maintained the headlock. Kobashi landed some elbows and kicked Jumbo before going back to the headlock. Jumbo tried a top wristlock but failed to escape. Kobashi landed a couple punches and applied a front facelock. Jumbo elbowed Kobashi in the gut and gave him a lariat for a near fall. Jumbo piledrove Kobashi for a near fall and slammed him. Jumbo applied a Boston crab. Jumbo gave Kobashi an elbow and a running knee to the gut for a near fall. Jumbo landed a couple elbows but Kobashi responded with elbows of his own. Jumbo gave Kobashi a high kick and threw him out of the ring. Kobashi whipped Jumbo into the barricade. Kobashi knocked Jumbo off the apron into the barricade with an elbow and hit a tope. Kobashi dropkicked Jumbo off the apron and hit a long distance plancha. Back in the ring Kobashi applied a half crab but Jumbo reached the ropes. Kobashi stomped Jumbo�s left leg and applied a Texas cloverleaf. Kobashi then applied a figure 4 leglock. Jumbo reached the ropes after a sizeable struggle. Kobashi kicked Jumbo�s leg and applied a kneeling figure 4 leglock. Kobashi landed a bunch of slaps and punches. Kobashi went after Jumbo�s leg but Jumbo pushed him away. Jumbo gave Kobashi an enzuguirI and double arm suplexed him for a near fall. Jumbo gave Kobashi a high kick for a near fall and a lariat for another near fall. Jumbo kicked and chopped Kobashi. Kobashi whipped Jumbo into the corner and elbowed him. Kobashi bulldogged Jumbo for a near fall and gave him a spinning enzuguiri. Kobashi back suplexed Jumbo for a near fall and slammed him. Kobashi consulted Jumbo for a heated near fall. Kobashi landed a couple kicks and a koppo kick. Jumbo caught Kobashi on the top rope and slammed him to the mat. Jumbo gave Kobashi a Thesz press for a near fall. Kobashi countered a double arm suplex with a backdrop. Jumbo blocked a German suplex but Kobashi gave him an enzuguiri. Kobashi German suplexed Jumbo for a near fall. Kobashi landed some punches but ran into a high kick. Jumbo gave Kobashi a jumping knee for a near fall. Jumbo slammed Kobashi and gave him a top rope jumping knee for a heated near fall. Jumbo powerbombed Kobashi for a great near fall and pelted him with elbows. Jumbo then back suplexed Kobashi for the pin at 17:52. Kobashi, just a two year pro at the time, looked like a top 10 worker. Of course it doesn�t hurt to have someone like Jumbo leading the match with his usual ultra-smart work. Jumbo actually gave Kobashi more offense than one would expect and several near falls, which seemed to be an indication All Japan had big plans for Kobashi. Few could work a headlock better than Jumbo, especially in an underdog storyline (3/9/88 vs. Tiger Mask Misawa, 10/24/91 vs. Kawada). Kobashi dominated Jumbo by attacking his leg, but Jumbo rarely sold like he was worried about losing. Fans were into Kobashi pushing Jumbo harder than expected, and seemed to buy into a potential upset late as they reacted huge to a couple near falls. Jumbo also let Kobashi kick out of several near falls. Little things like an overzealous Kobashi missing the dropkicks early on showed his inexperience in the story of the match. Pretty much a perfect match given each man�s experience and status, just lacking enough of a sense of urgency to make it memorable. ****
9/1/90: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa
Fans were going nuts just during the entrances and intros, and popped huge when the bell rang. Jumbo blocked an elbow and Misawa then blocked an elbow as neither man broke cleanly. Jumbo elbowed Misawa but missed a high kick. Jumbo caught Misawa on the rebound with a knee to the gut. Jumbo elbowed Misawa in the gut three times. Jumbo gave Misawa three knee lifts and another elbow to the gut. Jumbo gave Misawa an ax handle but Misawa elbowed him. Jumbo elbowed Misawa and whipped him into the corner but ran into Misawa�s boots. Misawa jumped off the second rope with a back elbow and slammed Jumbo. Misawa gave Jumbo a standing senton for a near fall and applied a chinlock. Misawa applied a front chancery but Jumbo backed him into the ropes and gave him three knee lifts. Jumbo went for a knee to the gut but Misawa countered with a rollup for a near fall. Jumbo applied a standing surfboard on Misawa and pushed his boot into Misawa�s back. Misawa reversed the surfboard and pushed his boot into Jumbo�s back. Jumbo tried to reverse the hold and did but Misawa then reversed it back. Jumbo reversed the hold but Misawa countered with a cool flip dropkick. Misawa snapmared Jumbo and applied an armbar, which he turned into a surfboard. Jumbo elbowed Misawa and threw him out of the ring. Misawa scored with a sharp elbow and rammed Jumbo into the corner. Misawa landed a bunch of elbows and a couple kicks. Misawa landed more elbows but Jumbo responded with a high kick. Jumbo chopped Misawa and gave him a jumping knee. Jumbo slammed Misawa and applied a Boston crab as heat mounted (as if it ever died off in the first place). Misawa reached the ropes but Jumbo applied an abdominal stretch. Jumbo gained a near fall and stretched Misawa�s legs apart on the mat before applying a toehold. Jumbo gave Misawa a couple elbows and European uppercuts. Jumbo gave Misawa a neck breaker for a near fall. Jumbo elbowed Misawa but Misawa responded with some elbows of his own. Misawa rammed Jumbo into the corner, snapmared him and applied a head scissors on the mat. Jumbo escaped and pounded Misawa. Misawa gave Jumbo a variety of kicks for a near fall. Misawa landed three more jumping kicks but Jumbo elbowed him. Jumbo elbowed Misawa for a near fall and piledrove him for another near fall. Jumbo double arm suplexed Misawa for a near fall but Misawa kicked him. Misawa gave Jumbo a cross body block for a near fall. Misawa gave Jumbo a spinning superkick. Misawa jumped back off the second rope but Jumbo moved and shoved him to the mat for a near fall. Jumbo gave Misawa a Thesz press for a near fall. Jumbo went for a back suplex but Misawa fell on top of him for a near fall. Jumbo then turned Misawa over for a near fall in a tribute to their 6/8/90 match, but with the roles reversed. Jumbo gave Misawa a couple knee lifts and pounded him. Misawa blocked a back suplex by grabbing the top rope and gave Jumbo a couple elbows. Jumbo no-sold the elbows and attacked Misawa with a ton of slaps. Jumbo snapmared Misawa and attacked him with more slaps and punches. Misawa rolled out of the ring but Jumbo whipped him into the barricade. Jumbo rammed Misawa into the barricade and dumped him into the crowd. Jumbo hit Misawa with a chair. Jumbo met Misawa in the ring with a knee lift and threw him back out of the ring. Misawa gave Jumbo some elbows from the apron and a top rope elbow strike. Misawa knocked Jumbo out of the ring with a baseball slide kick and hit a running tope. Misawa snapmared Jumbo back into the ring and slammed him. Misawa gave Jumbo a top rope elbow strike for a heated near fall. Misawa then attacked Jumbo with a bunch of elbows and stomps in the corner. Misawa landed more elbows but Jumbo headbutted him. Misawa landed an elbow but Jumbo gave him more headbutts. Jumbo dropkicked Misawa for a near fall and power slammed him for another near fall. Misawa blocked a powerbomb but Jumbo pounded him. Misawa countered a powerbomb with a huracanrana for a near fall, and crowd heat was at a fever pitch by this point. Misawa elbowed Jumbo but Jumbo blocked a German suplex. Jumbo missed a lariat and Misawa elbowed him. Misawa German suplexed Jumbo for a heated near fall. Misawa went for a tiger driver but Jumbo pushed him into the corner. Misawa went for a rollup but Jumbo held his ground and gained a near fall. Jumbo gave Misawa two jumping knees but Misawa fought back with a jumping kick. Jumbo caught Misawa on the top rope and superplexed him. Jumbo gave Misawa almost a backdrop driver for a dramatic near fall. Misawa gave Jumbo a desperation elbow. Misawa won an exchange of elbows but ran into a high kick. Jumbo gave Misawa a lariat and back suplexed him for the pin at 24:50. I chose to review this match instead of their 6/8/90 classic because this is the match that often gets overlooked. On 6/8/90 Misawa scored one of the biggest and most historically significant upsets in the history of wrestling. This was Jumbo�s chance for revenge, and he seized it. Jumbo was so fired up here and every blow was sharper than usual, carrying an extra sting to them not usually seen from him. His �fit of rage� about 15:00 in was so simple by today�s work style, but so much more effective than most displays of anger you�ll see nowadays. Not the least bit overdone, but done well enough to get the point across that Jumbo would not let history repeat itself and be caught off guard again. Misawa�s fit of anger about 5 minutes later was also perfect. It was more controlled, but worked perfectly as Misawa showed he would not let Jumbo walk all over him. Misawa in general turned in one of his best pre-1994 performances in a confident underdog role, and his elbows were as sharp as they would be in the mid-90s. Jumbo turned in a scrapbook performance, probably one of the top 5 or 10 of his career if I were to guess. And then there was the fan heat. You will never find a crowd nowadays in the U.S., nor in Japan for that matter, that cares about the outcome of a match as much as this crowd did. The entire match from bell to bell was heated and the crowd never grew quiet for a second. Fans were unglued for the last 5 minutes to an extent reminiscent of the 6/3/94 Misawa-Kawada epic. I might be in the minority but I think the 9/1/90 Misawa-Jumbo match was better than their more legendary 6/8/90 match. Better work, better build and definitely more intensity. From what I�ve seen there was no better match in 1990 than this one. A true masterpiece. *****
11/25/90: Steve Williams & Terry Gordy vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue
Williams applied a toehold on Jumbo as footage began but Jumbo pushed him off. Gordy took down Jumbo and applied a spinning toehold. Gordy repeatedly stomped Jumbo�s leg but Jumbo gave him a couple elbows. Gordy whipped Jumbo into the corner and gave him a running lariat for a near fall. Williams missed a lariat and Jumbo gave him a jumping knee that knocked him over the top rope to the floor. Taue stomped Williams at ringside and hit him with a row of chairs. Jumbo gave Williams a couple elbows to the gut and rammed him into the corner. Taue and Jumbo chopped Williams and gave him simultaneous jumping knees to the front and back. Taue gave Williams a lariat for a near fall. Williams gave Taue a Samoan drop for a near fall. Gordy kicked Taue and rammed him into the corner. Gordy whipped Taue into the corner but missed a running elbow and Taue back suplexed him for a somewhat heated near fall. Taue applied an abdominal stretch on Gordy but Williams gave him a top rope ax handle to break the hold. Jumbo knee lifted Gordy but Gordy chopped him. Jumbo elbowed Gordy and they traded chops. Jumbo gave Gordy a jumping knee and applied an abdominal stretch. Jumbo gained a near fall and stretched Gordy�s legs apart on the mat. Jumbo pounded Gordy but Gordy kicked him. Taue and Jumbo double suplexed Gordy and Taue gained a near fall. Taue slammed Gordy but missed a top rope elbowsmash. Gordy gave Taue a lariat for a near fall. Williams kicked Taue and gave him a lariat. Williams knocked Jumbo off the apron and threw Taue out of the ring. Williams applied an abdominal stretch on Taue. Williams dropkicked Taue for a near fall and rammed him into the corner. Gordy kicked Taue and vertical suplexed him for a near fall. Gordy knee dropped Taue but Taue fought back with headbutts. Taue gave Gordy some chops but Williams gave him a top rope axhandle. Williams pounded Taue and Gordy gave him a couple knee lifts. Taue pounded Gordy but Williams attacked him from behind. Williams and Gordy attacked Taue and Jumbo intervened attacking Gordy. Williams repeatedly kicked Taue at ringside and gained a near fall. Gordy slapped Taue but Taue came back with sumo strikes. Gordy gave Taue some knee lifts. Gordy whipped Taue into the corner and gave him a running lariat for a near fall. Williams kinda missed a lariat. Williams telegraphed a backdrop and Taue kicked him. Jumbo punched Williams and gave him a jumping knee. Gordy came in but Jumbo knocked him out of the ring with a jumping knee. Jumbo gave Williams a Thesz press for a heated near fall. Jumbo whipped Williams into the corner but ran into a boot. Williams went for an Oklahoma stampede but Taue pushed Jumbo on top of him for a near fall. Williams whipped Jumbo into the corner but missed an elbow and Jumbo back suplexed him. Gordy intervened and attacked Jumbo. Gordy whipped Williams towards Jumbo but Jumbo met Williams with a boot. Gordy whipped Jumbo into the corner but Jumbo gave him a lariat for a heated near fall. Taue chopped Gordy and gave him a lariat for a near fall. Taue rammed Gordy into the corner and whipped him into the opposite corner but missed an elbow. Gordy rolled up Taue for a near fall. Gordy kicked Taue and went for a powerbomb but Jumbo gave him a lariat. Taue went to powerbomb Gordy but Williams gave Taue a lariat at the last instant. Jumbo gave Williams a knee lift and threw him out of the ring. Gordy telegraphed a backdrop and Taue rolled him up for a near fall. Gordy kicked Taue and powerbombed him for a dramatic near fall as Jumbo made the save. Jumbo back suplexed Gordy. Williams held Jumbo back from tagging in and Gordy power bombed Taue for the pin. About 14:22 aired, and footage began about 6:30 in. The first 5 or so minutes of footage were solid but unspectacular- about what one would expect. However from there the match gained momentum in part because everyone really had their working shoes on. Gordy was very good but mainly as a brawler and Williams was still limited as a worker, but their weaknesses were minimized because of the tag team setting and the fact they had ideal opponents to work with. Taue was a third year pro, and still learning, but in between some sloppy execution showed flashes of brilliance he would be known for in later years. Actually, if anything he seemed more fired up than I usually saw from him in his mid-90s work. The work where the gaijins got heat on Taue was surprisingly solid. Jumbo�s hot tag was great, with him being super-intense and hitting many of his spots in quick succession. The last 4 minutes were sensational and characteristic of a better match than this actually was, with lots of near falls and a rabid crowd. Everyone seemed at the top of their game and you could not have asked for a better match from these four in 1990. ****
5/24/91: Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
Jumbo had a leglock on Kobashi as footage began but Kobashi reached the ropes. Jumbo stomped Kobashi�s leg and applied a half crab but Kobashi quickly reached the ropes. Jumbo landed a couple elbows but Kobashi whipped him into the corner and gave him a running lariat. Kobashi DDTd Jumbo out of the corner for a heated near fall. Kobashi slammed Jumbo and gave him two second rope legdrops. Jumbo rolled out of the ring but Kobashi rammed him into the ringpost. Kobashi bulldogged Jumbo on the floor. Back in the ring Kobashi slammed Jumbo and gave him a top rope shoulderblock for a heated near fall. Kobashi slammed Jumbo and consulted him for a very heated near fall. Kobashi rammed Jumbo into the corner and punched him. Kobashi whipped Jumbo into the corner and gave him a running elbow. Kobashi went for a second rope DDT but Jumbo blocked it and pushed him to the mat. Jumbo gave Kobashi a high kick for a near fall and a jumping knee for another near fall. Jumbo gave Kobashi 3 short lariats for a heated near fall. Kobashi blocked a back suplex but Jumbo punched him. Kobashi blocked a back suplex by grabbing the top rope and slapped Jumbo. Kobashi back suplexed Jumbo for a dramatic near fall. Kobashi went for a double arm DDT but Jumbo blocked it. Kobashi applied a cobra twist on Jumbo. Jumbo escaped but Kobashi reapplied the hold. This time Jumbo reached the ropes to break the hold. Jumbo telegraphed a backdrop and Kobashi kicked him. Kobashi went for a sunset flip but Jumbo fell on top of him. Jumbo missed a lariat and Kobashi gave him his own lariat for a near fall. Kobashi slammed Jumbo but Jumbo caught him on the top rope. Jumbo went for a back suplex but Kobashi fell on top of him for a near fall. Kobashi DDTd Jumbo but Jumbo caught him on the top rope and superplexed him. Jumbo dropkicked Kobashi for a near fall and gave him a Thesz press for another near fall. Jumbo pounded Kobashi but Kobashi blocked a back suplex. Jumbo gave Kobashi an enzuguiri and back suplexed him for the pin. The last 9:30 aired of a 20:00+ match. It�s a shame they didn�t show more on TV, because you could tell this was a classic match and better than their 8/31/90 match. Unlike their previous big singles match this one, besides being heated, had a sense of urgency in much of the action. This was evident in how quickly both men would go for pins after hitting their big spots. Fans also seemed to believe more that a Kobashi upset win was possible here. Most of what aired saw lots of heated and dramatic near falls, with lots of effective false finishes. After some submission work early in the footage, fans suddenly ignited for the first near fall that aired, suggesting that the work beforehand had been great. Jumbo was once again at the top of his game, but made the match also with some of the little things in his work. For example, the first time Kobashi applied the abdominal stretch Jumbo simply shrugged him off. The second time however, Jumbo kinda collapsed to the ropes, showing his vulnerability, which fans picked up on. Kobashi also seemed to work a smarter fight than 9 months earlier, showing a greater sense of maturity and lacking the overzealousness that worked against him before. Many fans have given this match ****3/4, and based on what aired that looked like a realistic rating.
Next Article: Great Friends, Greater Rivals: Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada
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