New to all japan and want to see 6/3/94?

[Guest Black Tiger]

People say that before watching Misawa vs Kawada from 6/3/94 you should watch a ton of stuff to understand the psychology of it. I'll give you a shortcut and help save you money, here's what happens.

 

Misawa and Jumbo have one hell of a match on 6/8/90 ***** easy.

 

Misawa and Co. (Kawada, Kikuchi, and Kobashi) have a long ass feud with Jumbo and Co. (Taue, Masa Fuchi, and Yoshinari Ogawa). Mostly six man tags

 

In August of 1992 Misawa won the Triple Crown.

 

In October of 1992 Misawa defends against Kawada

 

In December of 1992 Misawa and Kawada won the Real World Tag League.

 

Kawada was frustrated that his partner was moving up the ladder faster than he was, so in the 1993 Champions Carnival, Baba unites Taue and Kawada.

 

All this hatred Kawada has for Misawa leads us to 63/94. Enjoy it.

[Guest wolverine]

This doesn't suffice.  I knew all of this before watching it, and it still didn't hit me properly until I *saw* all of these events.

 

Also, what about the rest of 1993?  Jumbo was gone, and the promotion was concentrating primarily on the Misawa-Kawada feud, with various six-mans (including the 7/2/93 ***** match) and a 7/29/93 TC match.  They finished up their best year ever, with the promotion's best match ever up to that point in time on 12/3, then the feud continued through the CC '94 and the 5/94 tag title match, until finally hitting 6/3/94.

 

And the part about saving money is mind boggling, because the build leading up to that match is the greatest wrestling TV available anywhere at any time.  So if you're a hardcore wrestling fan, this is must-see TV.  Anyways....

[Guest Black Tiger]

Wolverine,

 

This isn't supposed to be a substitute for all that, Its meant for people who want to see the match but for whatever reason, can't get all the material that goes into seeing it. This is supposed to be a generalized version.

[Guest Jubuki]

Generalized, and inaccurate.

 

Kawada didn't 'break away' because he was mad - with Jumbo's long-term future all but dashed, Baba realized someone had to fill the "chasing" void with Misawa moving into Jumbo's role.  And considering the fans had voted for the 10/92 TC match as a Dream Match, the choice was easy for him to make.  It wasn't as though the move was a request; it was a business decision and little else.  Had the fans voted en masse for Taue, who knows where we'd be right now.  And while there seemed to be animosity from both parties, I doubt it's the issue many make it out to be; it's much more the beauty of their work up to 12/96 and the strength of a rivalry that had lasted about a decade than it is something behind the scenes they brought to their matches.

[Guest wolverine]

The following is Mike Lorefice's review of Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue 12/6/96, a match that I believe to be not only the climax of the Misawa-Kawada rivalry, but the greatest mens match of all-time.  From Quebrada.net (Quebrada #34):

 

All Japan '96 Real World Tag Team League Finals Commercial Tape 12/6/96

Tokyo Nippon Budokan Hall

 

The reason this match is so great is not simply the work, which is both

flawless and superb, it's the incredibly deep story the match tells. The

more All Japan you have seen, the better this match comes off because

there are so many aspects that are both important and ironic if you

understand the history behind them. The main story the match tells is one

that has been going on since Jumbo Tsuruta was taken out of the picture

with hepatitis. Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada finally ascended to

the top of the AJ tag scene by winning the 1992 Real World Tag Team

League, but without Jumbo, their longtime partnership was split up soon

thereafter. Misawa, who had held the Triple Crown since defeating Stan

Hansen on 8/22/92, was clearly the top star, while Kawada was the #2

native. Kawada wasn't really a close #2, he was the second fiddle and the

perennial bridesmaid. He captured the double tag titles on 5/20/93, but

from Terry Gordy & Steve Williams. He captured the Triple Crown on

10/22/94, but from Williams. Kawada hadn't beaten Misawa for a title, nor

had he ever pinned Misawa. On 6/9/95, Kawada finally had his day in the

sun when he pinned Misawa to win the double tag titles in the best men's

tag match ever. The one win was great for Kawada, but there were still

many more mountains he had to climb.

 

Things changed in 1996, with Kobashi being elevated out of the role of

Misawa's #2 and Jun Akiyama, a 26-year-old (and we know that Baba likes

the inexperienced about as much as Pat Riley does) who was an alternate

to Manabu Nakanishi at 220 pounds on Japan's 1992 Olympic freestyle

wrestling team before becoming a pro, taking over as Misawa's partner. It

would seem that, at least in tag, this would have helped Kawada in his

quest to overtake Misawa, but he quickly suffered major setbacks to the

new Misawa led team. In one hell of a match on 5/23/96, Kawada not only

failed to defeat Misawa's team, but, as in a 6-man earlier in that year,

he suffered the embarrassment of being pinned by the youngster Akiyama.

The defeat was even worse this time because it cost him the tag straps.

On 7/9, Kawada failed to get his revenge, with Misawa & Akiyama

successfully defending the titles when Misawa pinned Taue. Misawa &

Akiyama dropped the tag titles on 9/5, but to Williams & Ace when Ace

pinned Akiyama. Misawa and Kawada's paths crossed twice in league portion

of the '96 Real World Tag Team League. On 11/21, they teased a draw, but

Kawada managed to pin Akiyama at 29:46. Kawada had a chance to capitalize

on this success on 11/29, as a win could have brought Misawa & Akiyama to

the brink of elimination. However, Taue couldn't hold up his end, being

taken out of the picture on more than one occasion, which forced Kawada

to work the final segment alone. Kawada still had fate in his own hands,

but he couldn't surmount the odds, and was pinned by Misawa's Tiger

Driver. Because of this win, Misawa & Akiyama were able to win a spot in

the tag finals on the final day.

 

12/6 was yet another of Kawada's chances to rise to the top of the tag

world by overtaking Misawa. After winning the 1992 final with Kawada,

Misawa had won 3 finals in a row with Kobashi, defeating Kawada & Taue in

both the 1993 and 1995 finals. Misawa having a new partner was fairly

irrelevant to Kawada's quest, as he had to beat the man to be the man.

However, this was another big test of legitimization for Akiyama, who

would have to live up to the standards Kobashi set as Misawa's partner,

as well as continue to prove to the Baba's that he was ready for the top

tier. For Taue, it was something of working in reverse. He had already

won the Champion Carnival and, unlike his partner, had taken the Triple

Crown from Misawa, but the Real World Tag Team League was the one major

accomplishment that remained elusive. Misawa was in the position of

Michael Jordan, everyone knew he was the best, but, as his team got

weaker, they wondered just how long his superior skills could keep his

team on top. There was one thing all four men had in common, the goal to

make the 20th Real World Tag Team League Final a memorable one, and they

sure as hell met that goal.

 

Kawada & Taue were incredibly calm as they walked to the ring, completely

focused on the task at hand. As they did their pre-match stretches like

two runners preparing for a race, in this case a marathon, it was as if

they didn't realize there were 16,300 fans watching them. Misawa &

Akiyama were much looser coming out to the legendary "MI-SA-WA!

MI-SA-WA!" chant. Akiyama, who was anxious to compete in the biggest

match of his life, ran ahead of his veteran partner like a child rushing

to get to the store early to see Santa, even though Santa wasn't going to

be there any earlier just because the kid was. Misawa was the same as

always, intense and focused, yet calm and collected, knowing the task at

hand and completely ready to get the job done once again.

 

There was a buzz from the crowd as the bell rang, with the fans

anticipating the combatants making #20 a classic. As Akiyama & Kawada

engaged in a stare down, the buzz changed to a Kawada chant. Kawada &

Akiyama started off with a stiff sequence where Kawada put Jun down with

his high kick, but Jun recovered, shrugged off a second high kick, and

put Kawada down with his jumping knee attack. Kawada & Taue were

dropkicked to the floor, and Misawa hit a nice elbow suicida that sent

Kawada crashing back into the security railing. It was only 2 minutes

into the match, yet Kawada's selling of this spot was phenomenal. He

pretended he was a limp carcass and made Misawa drag him up and roll him

back into the ring. Misawa blasted away with elbows, which led to the

first tease in the match, with Kawada ducking a rolling (discus) elbow

and trying his lethal Dangerous backdrop. However, Misawa elbowed his way

out and delivered his Tiger driver for a near fall. It was only 2:35 into

the match, but the finisher was not out of place. More importantly, it

clearly worked because the crowd popped big for it even though there was

no way in hell that Dangerous K was laying down already. Misawa tried

another Tiger driver, but Taue broke it up, giving Kawada the opening to

tag. Misawa smoothly slipped out of Taue's suplex, but Dynamic T reacted

quickly, retaining control by planting Misawa with a DDT. Though Misawa

arm dragged his way out of Taue's nodowa otoshi (chokeslam), and Akiyama

came in and lent a hand, Taue remained in control, getting a near fall

with his Dynamic bomb (Liger bomb or, to please Idol, a jumping

powerbomb). The tide turned when Taue tried to nodowa otoshi Misawa off

the second, but Akiyama interjected, back suplexing Taue, which allowed

Misawa to tag. Akiyama was all fired up, but Taue treated him like a

redheaded stepchild, complete with a giant slap across the face. Akiyama

came back with a Dragon screw, but Kawada interfered, allowing Taue to

deliver his nodowa otoshi and tag out. Akiyama was able to avoid Kawada's

Dangerous backdrop. However, he ate a bunch of strikes, selling them for

all they were worth. The sequence culminated with Kawada delivering a

killer brainbuster DDT, which Akiyama sold like Misawa (roll to the floor

and pretend you are dead), except he was lying on his stomach. Akiyama

was dominated until he backdropped his way out of Kawada's sleeper and

made the tag at the 11-minute-mark.

 

Misawa & Kawada exchanged vicious blows in a classic heated showdown.

Misawa gave Kawada a rolling elbow that was incredibly lethal, but Kawada

somehow managed to fire back with his jumping high kick, and both sold.

Kawada made it up first, tagging in Dynamic T, who set up his nodowa

otoshi off the apron, but was once again unsuccessful. Since Taue had

teased this in their May & June matches as well, the question was not if

Taue would eventually take someone out with it, but when. Akiyama took

apart Taue in a methodical method, almost mocking Taue by basically

imitating his style. The most notable part of this sequence was probably

announcer Akira Fukuzawa, who seems to be the best announcer in Japan (at

least to a non-native speaker), having an uncharacteristic lapse, calling

Akiyama's Northern Lights suplex a "fishamen suuuupreksu." Misawa &

Akiyama worked Taue over, culminating in Akiyama hitting his exploder.

Kawada, not willing to risk the chance that Taue couldn't kick out of

Jun's finisher, immediately came in, but Jun took both opponents out with

a rolling lariat and covered Taue for a near fall. After getting a near

fall with his Tiger splash (frog splash), Misawa tried his Tiger driver,

but Kawada quickly interjected, saving Taue by blowing Misawa away with

his shotgun lariat (basically a stiff lariat, with shotgun referring to

the loud noise you hear from the impact of the blow). This gave Taue

enough time to regain his senses, hitting a Dangerous released German

suplex then tagging in Kawada. Kawada worked for his powerbomb, but

Misawa avoided it twice. Misawa went back on offense, hitting a Dangerous

released German suplex which Kawada sold magnificently. He rolled over

slowly and let the momentum take him up to a sitting position, then,

since he was "out," he let the same momentum make him slowly fall to his

back. Misawa tried to drag him up, but Kawada was still limp, so Misawa

covered for a near fall. Misawa hit his Tiger driver and it looked like

it could be deja vu for Kawada, but, unlike 11/29, Taue was there to save

the day. Misawa took Taue out with an elbow with the crowd going crazy,

as this now looked like 11/29 again, sensing that another trophy was

ready to be added to Misawa's mantle. Misawa and Akiyama gave Dangerous K

their consecutive released German suplex spot, with Kawada getting up

glassy-eyed, but still having the presence to save himself the only way

he could, by falling through the ropes to the floor. Akiyama, who had

been very aggressive in the big matches against Kawada & Taue and

Williams & Ace, was fairly timid here, and it showed when he had Misawa

come to the floor to assist him in rolling a limp Kawada back into the

ring. Misawa eventually dragged Kawada up and Tiger drivered him. Though

Akiyama went to the middle of the ring, poised to cut Taue off, it was

clear that there was no way that Taue could make it back into the ring in

time to save his partner from Misawa's finisher. Kawada was going to have

to kick out this time, and, though not very convincingly, he managed to

do it. Misawa stood over his helpless rival, as he contemplated the

manner he was going close another chapter in his legend, and condemn

Kawada to another year of agony. Misawa controlled Kawada's carcass

enough to drag him up and attempt his rarely used #2 finisher, the Tiger

suplex ‘85 (half-nelson German suplex). However, Taue lurched forward

with a shoulder in an awkward way that only Taue can, crashing into

Misawa, with the momentum sending Kawada tumbling to the floor. Misawa,

none too happy that his little plan backfired, charged at Taue. However,

Taue caught him with a Baba neckbreaker drop, which Fukuzawa called so

emphatically that he seemed to lose his voice during the "doroppu."

Akiyama came in aggressively, but Taue took control and, in what appeared

to be the only blown spot of the match, tried to crotch him, but

Akiyama's knee wound up landing on the top rope. Months of seed planting

and teasing culminated in the most important spot of the match, and maybe

the AJ year, as Taue took Akiyama out with his nodowa off the apron. This

set up the possibility that Kawada could come out on the winning end of a

classic AJ storyline. In the 1988 final, he was the youngster, teaming

with the legendary Genichiru Tenryu, who was taken out, leaving his

senior partner to fight alone. Tenryu couldn't withstand those odds,

could Misawa?

 

Misawa was down in the ring during this spot so, as he got up and

immediately ate Taue's jumping high kick, he had no idea that his partner

may as well have been a vampire with a stake in his heart. The camera man

stood over Akiyama, zooming in to get a closeup of Akiyama wincing in

pain. Taue brought Kawada back into the ring and tagged him, so he could

legally put Misawa away. Taue lifted Misawa up for his Dynamic bomb, but

the resourcefulness of Misawa showed as he shockingly turned it into a

huracanrana for a near fall. Misawa then exploded off the ropes with a

big elbow and wobbled to his corner to make the hot tag. Taue and Kawada

were both down in the ring, with Kawada lying flat on his stomach and

Taue lying on his back struggling to get to his feet. This was Akiyama's

big chance, and a befuddled Misawa was looking all over for him, but

Misawa finally realized Akiyama was "KO'd." A dazed and confused Misawa

was forced to try to mount an offensive, but he was simply too worn down

to put much on his elbows.

 

Taue, in an ode to Baba, quickly took control with two Northern chops

followed by two coconut crushes. Misawa tried to counter Taue's high kick

the Akiyama way, but Taue was familiar with what Misawa was doing and

spiked him when he tried the jumping forearm. Misawa avoided Taue's

nodowa, so Taue used a tope suicida to set up the more dangerous nodowa

off the apron. There was an incredible mid shot of Taue, with his hand on

Misawa's throat trying to lift Misawa, who was not really able to resist,

but for some reason Misawa wasn't going up in the air. We see Taue look

down and the camera tilts down, revealing a desperate and damaged Akiyama

stopping the move by holding on the Taue's leg. Suddenly we see Kawada

dart across the bottom corner of the frame and high kick Akiyama off

Taue. Taue high kicked Misawa and, with Akiyama now out of the picture,

began to move forward for the nodowa otoshi off the apron. However,

Misawa came to life, knocking Taue off the apron with a big elbow. Misawa

& Taue both rolled across the ring, still selling, trying to make the tag

first. Misawa, who had the head start, made it to his corner first. After

all the times Misawa saved Akiyama in the big tag matches earlier in the

year, when Misawa finally needed Akiyama in a match against Kawada &

Taue, Akiyama wasn't there twice in a row. Misawa's head sunk, as he once

again realized he had to continue to do it on his own. Meanwhile, Kawada

stalked over to Misawa with a look that says, "I'm not going to show you

any mercy." In the 1993 finals, Kawada came in with a bad knee and he was

worked over by both Misawa & Kobashi for an extended final stretch. He

was never able to tag and he was eventually pinned. Would Misawa end up

in this role this year because he either can't make it over to tag or

can't find anyone to tag?

 

Kawada exploded with a series of kicks, knocking Misawa down in the

corner. Kawada then acted as if he'd "lost it," repeatedly stomping and

punting Misawa's face as if to say, "This is for all the times you beat

me in Triple Crown matches, and this is for the times you beat me in Real

World Tag League finals, and this..." Misawa tried to fight off both

opponents with elbows, but this time when Kawada ducked his rolling

elbow, he planted him with a Dangerous backdrop, and Misawa sold it like

he was dead. Kawada screamed as he picked Misawa up for his powerbomb,

then dropped Misawa down hard, causing his head to bounce off the mat.

Kawada leaned in deep for the cover, but at 2 1/2, Misawa kicked out,

shooting Kawada forward onto the ref's leg. The camera got a closeup of

Kawada, who had a look of disbelief and dismay on his face, as if he was

wondering if there were forces above that give Misawa the power to kick

out of all the sure finishes. Kawada had no answer to that question, nor

for the question of how to pin Misawa, so he tagged Taue. Taue hit his

nodowa otoshi then delivered his Dynamic bomb, another sure finish, but

at the last second Jun dove and took out Taue. Kawada stalked over to

Akiyama as if he had a point to make. Kawada and Taue then made their

point, delivering a killer Dangerous backdrop/nodowa otoshi combination,

which made Akiyama unstable when he tried to move. Taue tried a Dangerous

released German suplex, but Misawa rolled through and fired back with an

elbow, then both collapsed after Misawa's rolling elbow. The crowd was

rocking since it was apparent the end of the match was near, but the fans

didn't know if Misawa could once again make the miraculous comeback after

the elbows, or if he would finally succumb to Kawada.

 

Kawada hot tagged, delving into his arsenal of kicks. However, as he held

Misawa up and was set to deliver a big one, Akiyama came diving onto the

screen to tackle Kawada, and it appeared he headbutted him in the groin.

Since Kawada wasn't holding Misawa up anymore, Misawa collapsed. Kawada

took Akiyama out with a Dangerous backdrop, and Akiyama grasped his chest

like an old man who was going to die if he didn't get his medication

immediately. Kawada set up Misawa for his powerbomb, summoning all the

strength remaining in his body to lift Misawa, but Misawa back body

dropped his way out. Taue took charge, coming in and hitting his nodowa

otoshi then waving his hand at Kawada to put Misawa away. With Akiyama

still lying flat on his stomach "out of it," Kawada hit his jumping high

kick and covered, but still couldn't beat Misawa. Kawada had a look on

his face similar to the one he had before, as the same demon was still

haunting him. Kawada set Misawa up for his powerbomb again and emitted a

very loud "eeeeeeyaaaa" then an "aaaaaaaaaaa," as he tried to lift Misawa

up for the finishing blow. On the third try, he powerbombed Misawa, and

Taue stomped on Akiyama's head at the same time. Kawada actually sat on

Misawa's thighs and leaned forward so far that Misawa was folded in half,

as Akiyama, who was about 4 feet away, reached out in desperation only to

have Taue punch him. In a near fall that was reminiscent of the legendary

one at the 25-minute-mark of the 6/3/94 Misawa/Kawada match, Misawa shot

Kawada off at 2 3/4. Taue held the helpless Akiyama, who was nothing more

than an unconscious carcass, and Kawada took him out again, this time

with a jumping high kick. It was almost like a ceremonial sacrifice, but

it was a sign that they remembered that fateful day on the 23rd of May

when they lost the titles, and they were not going to take any chances

today. Kawada set Misawa up for the powerbomb again, lifting him up on

the first try, and leaning forward so far that his legs were in the air

and Misawa's toes were as down as his shoulders. 1....2........3 and the

crowd erupts as Fukuzawa wails, "COUNT-O-THREEEEEEEEEEEE!

COUNT-O-THREEEEEE!." Kawada & Taue had finally won the Real World Tag

Team League and Kawada was able to do it by pinning the man, not the boy.

Taue, with a rare smile on his face, congratulated his partner by

repeatedly patting him on the back, as Kawada looked so exhausted that he

barely can stand or enjoy his glorious moment. Kawada found a little

strength after the ref raised their hands, and the two friends shook

hands then went to opposite corners to celebrate with the fans. The

camera captured the moment, getting a shot of Kawada from the waist up,

standing on the turnbuckle with his hands raised in joy and victory. It's

a moment Kawada had waited nearly four years for. A few seconds later,

there was a closeup of Misawa, still "unconscious" with a wrestler

pressing an ice pack against his face. It's a shame these two shots

didn't come back to back, but still, it's hard to find two shots that are

so far away from the norm coming in such close proximity with one

another.

 

This is the best match of 1996, the best match of 1997 if you use those

bizarre voting periods, and one of the best matches of all-time. A year's

worth of ring wars could not end on a better note for a league. No match

in 1996 or 1997 comes close to it for storyline, and the build and

psychology are also the best in that period. The work was basically

flawless, with great spots, perfect timing, and incredible selling,

particularly by Akiyama whose selling rose to the incredibly high level,

or at worst a notch below, of Misawa & Kawada in this match. It was a

tremendous effort by all four men, incredibly riveting, and great right

down to the most meticulous detail. However, the match was really only

about the rivalry between two men, and as we saw some closure in that

rivalry we were reminded by their fantastic work together, why their

rivalry will go down as the best of the 1990's. At the same time we see

this closure, the really amazing thing about this All Japan booking comes

to light. As the tag final finished one story whose routes date back to

1988, it left us salivating for the next chapter. The next chapter could

have been long or short, but we all knew it would end with Kawada's first

singles win over Misawa. We didn't know when it would happen, but we were

hooked, and were going to be watching when it did. Unfortunately, Baba

didn't make that April 19, 1997 day a memorable one as far as the

Kawada/Misawa match was concerned (and you could certainly argue that

Kawada's first singles win over Misawa should have been for the Triple

Crown). However, it did logically lead to the next, yet unfinished

chapter, where Kawada finally wins the Triple Crown from Misawa, and

that's what AJ booking is all about. 31:37. *****

[Guest PlatypusFool]

Absolutely, I could not agree more with Wolverine on this occasion. In order to understand AJPW's classic matches of the 90's you need to start in the mid-80's with a few key matches, work through them, and then see as much of the 90's as you can afford, leading up to the classics. A simple description will not suffice either, unless it is supremely detailed like Loriface's, but even then no writing can possibly communicate the subtleties of the work.

 

This is why, instead of just going and purchasing the classics like I easily could, I refuse to watch them until I have done the following...

 

1. Compiled a tape of Chosyu's 'army' invading AJPW, some key matches and moments, and watched it through several times.

 

2. Compiled a similar tape of Jumbo's key matches and moments from the 80's, especially including his matches against Tenryu. This will take us up to Misawa losing his mask.

 

3. And finally, compile numerous tapes of 90's AJPW, from Misawa losing the mask right up to the end of 1999. They will, of course, cover all the classic matches and their backstories, as well as numerous other, extra-curricular matches. To do this I will use the rasman match list (link in the read and dont forget post), and only use matches that were deemed by the general consensus to be *** and above, or interesting in some other way.

 

That's the plan anyway

[Guest red_file]

And a good plan it is.  But, not to knitpick, if you haven't actually gone through with this plan, how can you say for certain that it's the best course of action?  A person only gets one shot at watching the classics for the first time.  Once viewed, it's difficult to judge whether one would've benefitted from knowing more or less.

 

I know I'm probably in the minority, but the storylines never added much to the "classics" for me.  I had no vested interest in which wrestler would go over; all I wanted to see was good wrestling, and good wrestling was what I got.  But, again, I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

My plan is based purely on what other people have been saying. I've been told many, many times that to truly enjoy the 'classics', a full backstory is helpful, although maybe not necessary. I've also been told many, many times that in order to create the style of the mid-90's, Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi, Taue etc. used the Chosyu invasion, the Jumbo / Tenryu feud, and the Jumbo / Misawa matches as a blueprint. Since these things have been mentioned to me, I figure that the best way to enjoy AJPW is to do what I'm going to.

[Guest wolverine]

The end result of seeing all of this backstory is that it will make it clear that Misawa vs. Kawada 6/3/94 is the greatest singles match ever.  But if you watch it cold, it probably won't work (it didn't for me at first).  But that's what story matches are all about.