Misawa vs hansen

[Guest Black Tiger]

I was just watching Misawa vs Hansen, when Misawa won his first triple crown.

I'm not sure if it was just me, but when Higuchi counted to three, the crowd didn't start to cheer right away. It was like they didn't know the pin was coming.

 

I thought it was a good match though, somewhere in the *** range. The finish could have been better, I understand that was how Misawa helped get his elbows over as a lethal finisher, but come on. He'd been trying for over two years to get the Triple Crown, shouldn't he have gone over with a bigger move like a Tiger Driver '91 or a Tiger Suplex '85?

 

Anyone else have thoughts?

[Guest Dangerous A]

I think he wouldn't be able to take TD 91 or TS 85. Hansen was known to take some harsh strikes like Misawa's elbows, Kawada's kicks, or Kobashi's chops but not none of the head dropping. From the Hansen matches I've seen, they take care of Hansen and drop him on his back instead of his skull.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

Hansen did take some nasty bumps to the outside for a guy of his size but there is no way he could have taken the TD91. Thinking about I don't know how else the match could have ended(A normal TD maybe?), it may have been anti-climactical but it built credibility of Misawa's elbow which would be important for years to come.

 

BTW after the match I enjoyed the sight of Kawada pouring champagne or saki on Misawa while smiling.

[Guest wolverine]

Eh, I've never been a fan of Misawa vs. Hansen matches, although I still haven't seen their 5/21/93 match that's reportedly their best.  They didn't seem to click nearly as well as Kobashi and Kawada did with Hansen.

[Guest Black Tiger]

Misawa's chase for the triple crown, spanded over two years, a brutal feud with Doc and Gordy and some great matches out of the Jumbo feud, his shoulder injury and previous losses for the titles. Shouldn't Misawa have been able to go over Jumbo to end the feud? Is that typical All Japan booking. When Kawada won the TC for the first time, he never got to defend against Misawa. Then later on, Kawada beat Misawa for them, to end the feud.

 

I know that Hansen was the champion, but with the direction All Japan was going in, and Hansen being unable to take Head bumps, shouldn't someone in better shape be Triple Crown Champion?

[Guest wolverine]

I think the plan all along was for Misawa to beat Hansen for the TC.

 

But Jumbo, had he not contracted Hepatitis, would've beaten Misawa on 2/28/93 at Budokan for the TC.  Since Jumbo was gone, it was time for the promotion to create a new Ace, which is what happened in August '92.

[Guest J*ingus]

But the head-bumping style didn't really start in earnest until 95 or so.  The promotion was still more reliant on hard strikes than anything else back when Hansen was champ.  And being as big and as old as he was, there's no way he could've taken a TD91 or TS85 without sustaining some sort of injury.