Loss Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 The best Kobashi singles match so far on the set. Gordy looks really good and these two do have excellent chemistry, but this is really the Kobashi show all the way. Great drama and struggle for some of the big moves, with Kobashi showing a pretty wide range of offense. Big credit to Gordy to putting Kobashi over so strong. Excellent match. Not one of the best of the year, but one of many really strong matches. An interesting match to bring up in the context of the recent DiBiase discussion, because this is not a career match for either guy (or even a year match), but I'd put it ahead of most DiBiase except maybe some of the Duggan matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenjo Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 A match that showcases AJ long term booking at it's best. Wins and career progression really used to mean something. You had the rising young star facing off against the declining ex-champion, and here they met along the road. Gordy had the majority of the offence and looked good in there with KK selling for him. A deliberate pace but always kept moving. The underdog took a lot of punishment and came back into it as conditioning started to tell. He got the landmark win and it was a feelgood moment. Consistant G-VG quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 I don't think they were booking Gordy as a declining ex-champ. Carny Beat: Misawa, Kawada, Doc Lost: Hansen, Taue (1st) Drew: Kobashi Sapporo Lost: Kobashi (1st) June Budokan Beat: Hansen The June Budokan has the first Four Corners tag on top, which set up Misawa-Kawada on the next Budokan. Gordy was getting the Triple Crown challenge on the Budokan after that, where Misawa would look to avenge his only non-Hansen singles loss since becoming Champ. A bit of the standard practice of Taue and Kobashi getting "firsts" close to each other: Singles win over Gordy: Taue - 1993 Carny Kobashi - 1993 Sapporo double shot Singles win over Hansen: Kobashi - 1994 Carny Taue - 1994 Carny Singles win over Doc: Kobashi - 1996 Carny Taue - 1996 Carny Final Triple Crown win: Taue - 1996 over Misawa Kobashi - 1996 over Taue Anyway, on Gordy... This was his first push to a TC shot since he overdosed in July 1990 and vacated the title. He actually was getting a push in here. Just that Kobashi was too with Jumbo going out and Kobashi having to move up to be Misawa's regular tag partner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenjo Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Didn't Gordy lose to Hansen in June 93? OK so was Gordy meant to have the September 93 title shot instead of Williams? I'm guessing that's the tour where he overdosed on the way over and fell into a coma. It wasn't that Gordy was being booked weak in 1993, but not as strongly as he had been in previous years. He was struggling to maintain his in ring performance also. This match was ultimately a last hurrah for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Didn't Gordy lose to Hansen in June 93? You are right. Gordy & Doc gave Hansen the beat down at the taping right after Budokan. OK so was Gordy meant to have the September 93 title shot instead of Williams? I'm guessing that's the tour where he overdosed on the way over and fell into a coma. Yep. It wasn't that Gordy was being booked weak in 1993, but not as strongly as he had been in previous years. He was struggling to maintain his in ring performance also. This match was ultimately a last hurrah for him. Agree on the performance, as it's likely the dope increased... which is saying something given his years of doping. I'm not sure that he wasn't pushed as strongly as in years past: 1990 * Monster push paired with Doc * double TC reigns * OD * wins Tag League His push was cooled after the OD. One could read the booking where only Gordy & Doc could have won the Tag League: Baba wanted Misawa, Kawada and Taue to wait to have the Tag Titles (which would go to the winning of the League). In turn, Hansen had the TC, was dropping it in January to Jumbo, and it played better for Hansen & Spivey to challenge and win the titles rather than defend. So even that might not have been a "push" at the end of the year. 1991 * doesn't work Carny * tag title dance with Hansen & Spivey * drop tag titles to Misawa & Kawada * wins Tag League * zero TC challenges of Jumbo Mixed. Confident enough in him to have his team get the titles back to job them to Misawa & Kawada, rather than have Hasen & Spivey do it. This also was clearly a Tag League where Jumbo & Taue could have won it, as well as Misawa & Kawada. Gordy & Doc winning it was a positive sign. 1992 * drops tag titles to Jumbo & Taue * 3rd in *block* in Carny behind Jumbo and Misawa (Hansen won other block) * zero TC challenges of Hansen or Misawa * didn't win Tag League Not a lot of good here. Spent most of the year chasing the Jumbo & Taue team, and in the end didn't get the belts back from them in the October challenge. 1993 * wins tag title from Misawa & Kawada * beat Misawa in Carny * 3rd overall in Carny (single block) * dropped tag titles to new Kawada & Taue team * TC shot * OD Positives here. Even losing the tag titles to Kawada & Taue was a positive: they put over one of the new teams. Tag League Final night appears to have been planned: Hansen & DiBiase vs Gordy & Williams Misawa & Kobashi vs Kawada & Taue On one level you could see Misawa & Kobashi getting their win back from June just as they did in real life. But one wonders if it might have been similar to 1994 where one team was in the clubhouse with the "lead", Misawa & Kobashi effectively out of it (3 points behind Gordy & Williams), while Kawada & Taue needed a win to take the league or a draw to force a playoff with Gordy & Williams... and Misawa & Kobashi beat them. Misawa & Kobashi (14) vs Williams & Ace (14) Kawada & Taue (15) vs Baba & Hansen (13) With this first: Misawa & Kobashi (16) over Williams & Ace (14) Meaning Baba & Hansen were out, other than as a spoiler... Baba & Hansen (15) over Kawada & Taue (15) Which is what they did. Might have done the same thing a year earlier, with Misawa & Kobashi "spoiling" Kawada & Taue which lets Gordy & Doc win from the clubhouse. Anyway... I'm pulling that out of my ass as a possibility, since it's not clear what they were thinking for December when Gordy OD'd. Just saying that his push in 1993 was better than 1992 where he really didn't get anything. 1991 was a tag push, respectable but lack anything of note on a singles front other than putting over Misawa at a Budokan. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Ridge Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I was wondering when Gordy's OD happened in 93. Match itself was pretty good and feels like the best I've seen of Gordy in a match in a while. Well, I'm being harsh there but all the Gordy/Williams tag matches I've watch lately have been a drag. AJPW booking can be ultra conservative but when the younger guy finally goes over it really does feel special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 It's pretty amazing, and ridiculous, how much better Gordy is in these settings than he is working tag slogs with Doc. Great performance from Kenta with Gordy being a strong anchor for him to work spots off of, with Kenta having to make two comebacks to get what has to be his biggest singles win to date. Gordy had just pinned Misawa in the Carnival, so he was still being positioned as a Big Deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 I was wondering when Gordy's OD happened in 93. On the plane flight over for the Aug-Sep series. Last worked the July Budokan. Tag title challenge a couple of days earlier which I recall was watchable. He was to have the TC shot at the Sep Budokan. When he went out, they had Doc vs Kobashi for the spot, and Doc then challenging Misawa. Bubba then teamed with Williams for the tag league, and of course Doc really picked up his game. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 One other add: Gordy was a month past his 32nd birthday here. He'd been around forever, but you forget that he wasn't that old. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Love the post-match with the crowd chanting for Kobashi after what I believe is his first singles win over a top tier star. This was also the best Gordy I've seen during these yearbooks. Does anything of his even approach this until you go back to the '88 tag league finals? From the outset the story here was Kobashi taking this not just as an underdog, but as Gordy's equal. Along the way it felt like Kobashi could take this, but I didn't see him hitting a pair of moonsaults, much less winning with one. Really great way to cleanly establish him at a new level. ****1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Gordy's last great match and its tragic he was only 32 as it does seem like he was around forever. he worked well vs. Kobashi's energy and Kobashi throwing out everything he could to vary his offense and take the monster down was great. I am starting to formulate my thoughts for the GWE project and while I had always pegged Misawa as my #1, the one thing Kobashi has going for him is I think he was better in singles vs. gaijin than either Misawa or Kawada. This is a good example of that as Misawa or Kawada didn't match up vs. Gordy near as well as Kobashi here. Even though they both have great stuff vs. Hansen, Kobashi series is better. The Doc stuff is more up for debate but I like the long term Kobashi vs. Doc matches better than Kawada, Misawa. Then you have his match vs. Joe which is at least equal as the Albright Kawada match. Also funny to hear Loss bring up the Dibiase debate in the early Parv days, has it been that long. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR Ackermann Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Wasn't really feeling this. Gordy looks like he's in pain most of the match and I'm not sure if its legitimate or not. I'll give this a rewatch later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretta Posted September 8, 2016 Report Share Posted September 8, 2016 This was tremendous. The crowd was really ready for Kenta to do something special, and he did. You knew it was going to be his night when he didn't back up from Bamm Bamm's intimidation tactics as he might have in the past. Bamm Bamm may have been working in pain here, but he still looked great. I loved him constantly trying to stun Kenta by taking shots at the back of his neck, knowing that the only way he wouldn't fight was if he was unconscious, My favorite spot of the match was when he pushed Kenta off the top of the railing, sending him splattering to the concrete. Again, in earlier times that would have been all for the plucky youngster, but not here. They're obviously still protecting Bamm Bamm here, as it takes two moonsaults from Kenta to pin him. Selling sore ribs from the second moonsault as he made his way back up the aisle was a nice little veteran touch on Bamm Bamm's part. So was turning his head so he wouldn't take the full impact of Kenta's DDT on the floor earlier. Kenta definitely looks ready to be Misawa's new second-in-command, but he has a lot to live up to in order to fill Kawada's shoes. We'll see how he does in the months ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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