THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #9
OCTOBER 15, 2001
Honorable Mention Part 3
WWF Title: Shawn Michaels (c) (w/Jose Lothario) vs British Bulldog (w/Jim Cornette & Diana Smith) 6/9/96
Curt Hennig was the referee outside the ring. They started out slow and with basic offense, and Michaels gained the advantage when the pace quickened. Bulldog threw Michaels over the top rope, but Michaels held on and took Bulldog with him using a headscissors. Michaels gave Bulldog a huracanrana off the apron and even hit Cornette in the butt with his tennis racquet. Bulldog briefly regained the advantage, but Michaels again took charge when the pace quickened. Michaels focused his offense on Bulldog�s left arm. Bulldog fought back at 10:00 and repeatedly whipped Michaels into different corners. Michaels DDTd Bulldog and held onto his arm while doing so. Bulldog press slammed Michaels clear out of the ring at 12:13 and followed up with a suplex on the floor. Bulldog pressed Michaels back into the ring and gained a near fall. Bulldog threw Michaels into the corner and Michaels flipped his body upon impact. Bulldog applied a Romero special but nearly pinned himself. Bulldog continued to dominate Michaels, gaining a near fall with a legdrop. Michaels gained a near fall with a cross bodyblock but Bulldog then hit a lariat for a near fall. Bulldog hit a lariat and a piledriver but missed a top rope headbutt. Bulldog dropkicked Michaels and Michaels crotched himself on the top turnbuckle. Bulldog gave Michaels a top rope superplex for a near fall. Bulldog attempted a back superplex but Michaels fell on top of him for a near fall. Michaels attempted a huracanrana but Bulldog countered with a powerbomb for a near fall. Michaels whipped Bulldog into the corner and Bulldog took a great flip bump. Michaels gave Bulldog a flying forearm but the ref was knocked down when Michaels slammed Bulldog and Bulldog�s legs kicked the ref. Michaels hit a top rope elbow and a superkick for the pin at 26:24. A great match, particularly the performance of Michaels. ****1/2
Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada & Masato Yakushiji vs Dick Togo, Taka Michinoku & Men�s Teoh 4/13/97
Sasuke and company dominated Taka at the start of the match. Taka�s team triple-teamed Sasuke in their usual entertaining style. Tog gained an early near fall on Sasuke with a senton. Yakushiji was briefly dominated by his opponents. Yakushiji gave Togo a huracanrana and a crazy tilt-a-whirl armdrag for a pop. He also gave Taka a tilt-a-whirl armdrag. Hamada and Teoh exchanged chops. Taka went for a backdrop but Hamada landed on his feet in a great spot. Sasuke and Teoh had a brilliant fast exchange won by Sasuke. Yakushiji gave Teoh a spinning headscissors from underneath the bottom rope to the floor. Togo got the better of Hamada but Hamada gave him a huracanrana for a near fall. Taka and company triple-teamed Sasuke and did their spot where Togo kneeled on top of Sasuke as the others held him. Teoh hit a spinning DDT on Sasuke. Taka gave Yakushiji a brainbuster for a near fall. They triple-teamed Yakushiji in spectacular fashion and Togo gained a near fall. Togo hit a second rope somersault senton on Yakushiji and Teoh back suplexed him for a near fall. Taka and Togo gave Hamada a spike piledriver. They and Teoh then gave Yakushiji a triple-team powerbomb and Teoh gained a near fall. They tried to powerbomb Sasuke but Sasuke countered with a huracanrana on Teoh for a near fall. Sasuke hit an in-ring quebrada on Teoh and Taka for a near fall and an Asai moonsault on Togo, sending himself over the barricade and into the front row. Taka hit a springboard plancha on Hamada and Yakushiji gave Teoh a top rope dropkick for a near fall. Yakushiji moonsaulted Teoh for another near fall. Teoh gave Yakushiji a tornado DDT and a powerbomb for a near fall. Togo powerslammed Hamada for a near fall. Hamada gave Togo a flying tornado DDT for a near fall. Togo powerbombed Hamada for a near fall. Hamada gave Togo a top rope huracanrana and Yakushiji gave Togo a top rope spinning huracanrana. Yakushiji hit a tope suicida on Togo. Taka belly to belly suplexed Sasuke and hit a top rope missile dropkick. Taka gained a near fall on Sasuke with a Michinoku driver. He jumped off the top rope but Sasuke dropkicked him in mid-air. Sasuke gained a near fall on Taka with an in-ring quebrada and pinned him at 16:57 with a tiger suplex. ****1/2
1997 Real World Tag League: Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Kenta Kobashi & Johnny Ace
Kobashi and Akiyama traded offense in the opening minutes. Misawa hit Kobashi with a couple elbows and gained a near fall after a senton. Kobashi and Akiyama traded blows ending with Akiyama hitting a jumping knee on Kobashi. Kobashi got the better of Akiyama with a series of chops. Both Ace and Kobashi dominated Akiyama for a few minutes. Ace gained a near fall on Akiyama with a lariat. Akiyama back suplexed Kobashi and tagged in Misawa. Misawa dropkicked Kobashi out of the ring and went for an elbow suicida but Ace intercepted him with a lariat. Kobashi back suplexed Misawa as Ace gave him a neckbreaker and Kobashi gained a near fall. Kobashi and Misawa traded chops and elbows. Ace twice whipped Misawa into the barricade and Kobashi gained a near fall. Ace continued to dominate Misawa and whipped Akiyama into the barricade when he tried to intervene. Kobashi back suplexed Misawa for a near fall. He gave Misawa a Russian legsweep and applied an armbar submission. Ace gave Misawa two lariats for a near fall as heat picked up. Misawa fought back with a couple elbows. Akiyama gave Ace a northern lights suplex. Ace hit a rocker dropper on Akiyama. Kobashi hit a spike DDT on Akiyama for a near fall. Akiyama blocked a Kobashi powerbomb and belly to belly suplexed him. Misawa hit a top rope dropkick and an elbow to the back of Kobashi�s head. Misawa gave Kobashi a flying lariat for a near fall. Kobashi dropped Misawa on his head with a released dragon suplex for a heated near fall. Misawa countered a Kobashi powerbomb with a huracanrana but Kobashi then dropped Misawa on his head again with a half nelson German suplex for a great near fall. Ace hit a top rope lariat as Kobashi powerbombed Misawa for a near fall. Ace hit Misawa with a series of standing lariats and gave him an Ace crusher for a heated near fall. Akiyama gave Ace an exploder, a jumping knee and a German suplex. Misawa then German suplexed Ace for a near fall. Misawa gained a near fall on Ace with an elbow. Ace fought back and gave Misawa an Ace crusher for a near fall. Ace dropped Misawa on his head with a cobra clutch suplex. Misawa tiger suplexed Ace for a near fall and gained another near fall with a roaring elbow. Misawa then pinned Ace at 29:50 after a tiger driver, just 10 seconds before time was to expire. The last 10 minutes were super and the booking was great in having the match end right before time expired since such an event was unusual. ****1/2
IWGP Tag Team title: Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu & Shiro Koshinaka 6/5/98
The match began with the rising star Tenzan pushing the legend Tenryu and hitting him with his windmill chops. Tenryu fought back with his chops and whipped Tenzan into a Koshinaka hip attack. Chono got the better of Koshinaka with a pair of yakuza kicks. Koshinaka fought back with a hip attack on Chono. Tenryu and Chono exchanged blows and Chono won out. Tenzan dominated Tenryu with chops, headbutts and other offense. Tenzan and Chono dominated Tenryu for a stretch. Tenryu no-sold Tenzan�s chops and headbutts. Koshinaka came off the top rope and hit Tenzan with a hip attack. Koshinaka gave Tenzan an armlock/DDT combo and gained a near fall. Tenzan suplexed Koshinaka for a near fall but Koshinaka fought back with a roundhouse kick. Tenryu hit Tenzan in the corner with a running lariat and a series of chops. Koshinaka gained a near fall on Tenzan with a suplex and another with a back suplex. Tenryu suplexed Chono out of the ring to the floor for a pop and knocked Chono over the ringside barricade with an elbow strike off the apron. Koshinaka briefly applied a Boston crab on Tenzan. Tenryu powerbombed Tenzan out of the corner for a heated near fall. Koshinaka tombstoned Tenzan and Tenryu gave him a top rope elbow for a near fall. Tenryu gained a near fall on Tenzan after a lariat and Koshinaka gained one after a released German suplex. Chono gave Koshinaka two yakuza kicks but Tenryu gave Chono a series of chops. Chono fought back and applied his STF on Tenryu but Koshinaka broke it up. Chono gave Tenryu a top rope shoulderblock for a near fall. Tenryu gave Chono a lariat and a powerbomb for a near fall. Chono piledrove Tenryu and applied a teo lock as heat increased. Koshinaka broke it up with a hip attack on Chono. Tenzan spin kicked Koshinaka but Koshinaka fought back with a hip attack. Tenzan superplexed Koshinaka and Chono gave him a yakuza kick. Tenzan gained a near fall on Koshinaka after a top rope headbutt. Tenzan moonsaulted Koshinaka for another near fall and pinned him after a top rope headbutt at 19:51 to win the titles. A super match in that it emphasized each man�s strengths. ****1/2
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title Tournament Final: Koji Kanemoto & Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 8/8/98
Kanemoto attacked Otani with a couple stiff kicks but Otani fought back with a great dropkick. Kanemoto got the better of Otani with more stiff kicks but missed a corkscrew senton. Otani fought heelishly early on. They had a solid exchange and tagged in their partners. Takaiwa won an exchange of strikes against Wagner. Takaiwa and Wagner traded offense on the mat. Wagner held Otani as Kanemoto stiffed him with several kicks. Kanemoto then held Otani in a camel clutch and Wagner dropkicked him in the jaw for a pop. Otani and Takaiwa then did the same move to Kanemoto. Wagner briefly dominated Takaiwa and gained a near fall with a somersault senton. Kanemoto hit Takaiwa with two kicks but Takaiwa responded with a lariat. Otani hit a somersault senton on Kanemoto for a near fall. Takaiwa gave Kanemoto a brainbuster. Kanemoto won an exchange of strikes but Takaiwa powerslammed him. Kanemoto belly to belly suplexed Takaiwa and gave him a corkscrew senton off the middle rope. Wagner gained a near fall on Takaiwa with la magistral and another with a Michinoku driver. Wagner and Kanemoto gave Takaiwa a powerbomb/top rope dropkick combo and Wagner gained a near fall. Wagner missed a top rope somersault senton on Takaiwa and Otani hit Wagner with a top rope dropkick. Otani German suplexed Wagner for a near fall. Wagner hoisted Otani on his shoulders and Kanemoto gave him a moonsault bodyblock. Kanemoto gave Otani more stiff kicks but Otani fought back with a released German suplex. Kanemoto attempted a moonsault but crashed onto Otani�s knees. Takaiwa gave Kanemoto two powerbombs and a Death Valley driver for a great near fall. Takaiwa gained another near fall on Kanemoto with a lariat. Kanemoto gave Takaiwa a top rope huracanrana and a moonsault for a heated near fall. Wagner hit a second rope missile dropkick on Takaiwa. Takaiwa caught Wagner in mid-air and gave him a Death Valley driver. Wagner gave Otani a lariat and a top rope splash for a near fall. As Takaiwa fought with Kanemoto, Otani gave Wagner a spectacular springboard missile dropkick and a dragon suplex for the pin at 20:15. A great match that told the stories of all 4 competitors and built well from start to finish. ****1/2
WWWA Tag Team Title Cage Match Escape Rule: Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda (c) vs Kaoru Ito & Tomoko Watanabe 9/17/97
Watanabe wore football-like shoulder pads to protect her injured shoulder. The champions immediately attacked their opponents with chairs. Mita and Shimoda also used chains and the cage itself as weapons early on. Both challengers were busted open within the first 6 minutes of the match, a period that the champions completely dominated. Ito finally fought back with a German suplex on Mita and Watanabe gave Shimoda a dragon screw. Both Ito and Watanabe applied leglocks on their opponents. Watanabe suplexed Shimoda but appeared to hurt her shoulder, and Shimoda attempted to remove the shoulder pads. Shimoda applied an armbar on Ito�s taped arm and shoulder. Mita applied a cross armbreaker on Watanabe. Mita gave Ito a Death Valley driver as Shimoda attacked Watanabe�s injured shoulder. Shimoda tried to escape but Ito gave her a released German suplex. Ito then attacked both opponents with chairs. Shimoda German suplexed Ito and gave her a tiger superplex. Shimoda brought in a very long chain and an attendant tied one end to the ringside barricade. That segment of the barricade was then brought into the cage. Shimoda brought the barricade down on Ito and Watanabe. The champions tried to escape the cage but were unsuccessful. Shimoda accidentally hit Mita with a chair. Ito pounded Mita with a chain as Watanabe clotheslined Shimoda with the other chain. Ito and Watanabe tried to escape the cage but only Watanabe was successful. Shimoda was a bloody mess but still flattened Ito with a chairshot. Mita attempted a Death Valley driver but Ito countered and gave her a nodowa. Ito hit a top rope foot stomp on Mita and one on Shimoda. Ito unsuccessfully tried to escape the cage. An attendant for the champions sprayed a fire extinguisher towards Ito. Mita escaped the cage as Ito held Shimoda at bay. Mita climbed up the cage and prevented Ito from leaving. However, Ito dragged her back into the cage and pounced on her with a foot stomp from the top of the (10 foot high) cage. Ito then successfully escaped the cage at 20:43 to win the match and the title. Great drama during most of the match and a super ending. ****1/2
Rey Misterio Jr. vs Psicosis 12/13/95
This was an incredible spotfest. Although the psychology was somewhat lacking, most moves had a logical timing to them and almost everything was well-executed. In the first couple minutes they did some of their simpler in-ring sequences. However, the breathtaking moves quickly followed. Psicosis chipped in with his suicide dive over the top rope. He also took a great bump when he ran across the apron, Misterio lifted him into the air with his feet, and Psicosis crashed head-first on the ringpost. Most of all, this became the Rey Misterio Jr. show. He chipped in a superquebrada off the top rope and the most breathtaking springboard somersault plancha you will ever see. However, Misterio truly brought the house down when he nailed Psicosis, who was on the arena floor, with a TOP ROPE SPINNING HURACANRANA! If Misterio had slipped or Psicosis not properly caught him, Misterio would have had a broken neck and fractured skull. Psicosis attempted a splash mountain, but Misterio countered it with a huracanrana for a near fall. Misterio attempted a top rope huracanrana, but Psicosis blocked it. Misterio delivered on the second attempt and hit another huracanrana, this one the standard version, for the pin at 9:35. I can't imagine a match of this length being any greater. ****1/2 (***** in terms of spots)
NEXT ISSUE: Wrestlemania�s unforgettable matches
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