Could you explain the history of this to me?

[Guest Breetai]

Just watched it for the first time. Now bear in mind I know next to nothing about both competitors. Was this one of the big victories that made a name for Misawa? It certainly seemed like he was the MASSIVE underdog. The announcers just went batshit at the end.

 

Man, Jumbo's got a NASTY bodyslam.

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Yes. Jumbo Tsuruta was the the ankor of AJPW through the eighties and into the early 90's, and while he had been pinned by some Gaijin and some natives like Tenryu as well, beating him in a singles match was a big deal. Misawa's star was rising fast, but he was still a huge underdog going into that match.

 

That win, even though it was characterized as a huge upset, put Misawa in the possition of #2 native, if he wasn't there already.

[EL DANDY~! 0]

It was also a symbolic match, as Jumbo "passed the torch" so to speak, to Misawa and his generation. They would have more battles down the line, but Misawa's defeat against him that night definitely showed that Misawa was the man who would lead AJPW into the future. And the match absolutely ruled, too.