Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas 5/25/92
This match more than any shows how underrated Kroffat and Furnas were as a team in their prime. With all four at the top of their game here, this was as good a match as it could be. The one thing that made this match stand out though was the fan heat. In fact, the crowd was in such a frenzied state that they were popping for every little move. Perhaps they were into the natives vs foreigners concept, because as far as psychology goes, while the match was sound, the psychology was nowhere near as deep as in most All Japan classics. The second half, about 12 minutes, aired on television. Crowd heat picked up as Furnas press slammed Kikuchi clear out of the ring. Kroffat and Furnas then dominated Kikuchi for a stretch using many of their signature moves while Kikuchi would barely escape several pin attempts. The only main interruption of this segment saw Kikuchi surprise Kroffat with a back suplex. Kikuchi gave Kroffat a leg lariat and tagged Kobashi. Kobashi virtually set a new standard for the term "hot tag" and briefly dominated both opponents with his signature moves. Kikuchi gained a couple near falls on Kroffat before Kroffat and Furnas nearly killed him with a double impact for a super near fall. Kikuchi and Kobashi returned the favor by giving Kroffat a double impact, this time with Kikuchi delivering a top rope dropkick instead of a clothesline. After more exchanges of near falls and dramatic saves by partners, Kobashi finally pinned Kroffat at about the 24 minute mark after delivering a moonsault. Hard to tell exactly how great the match was unedited, but if the crowd was any indication, it was an all-time classic. ****3/4