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[1986-07-31-AJPW] Riki Choshu vs Killer Khan


GOTNW

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This is the stuff right here. Beginning is about what you'd expect from a big Choshu match with these two gauging the distance between them and carefully attacking, awesome lock-ups etc. I'm certain I heard the commentator react to Khan not wearing any paint, which-idk, I don't remember ever seeing Khan wear paint but let's build the narrative on him not wearing paint as he's decided to paint his face with CHOSHU'S BLOOD. Ahem. Match really picks up when Khan starts stomping Choshu in the head-the stomps look really good and are reminiscent of the kind of head stomps you'd see in high end lucha matches, the kind of stuff Santo did during his rudo run. Khan misses a Knee Drop on the floor for the big transition which looks just ungodly brutal. Choshu's reaction to this opportunity if to just thorougly beat Khan's ass with awesome punches, kicks, and of course head stomps because fuck you Killer Khan Riki Choshu is the greatest wrestler of all time. Choshu really makes sure you buy into Khan bleeding here-most guys would just be done after one ringpost shot and get to the bleeding part as soon as possible but Choshu slams Khan's ringpost into the head a couple of more times and hits him with the awesome lucha through the ropes kicks and punches to make sure you really believe Khan should do a blade job for this. And it rules. The big hope spot for Khan comes when he reverses a Choshu Lariat with a big boot-a counter that would be very predictable in say, a modern WWE or New Japan match, but the way All Japan uses rope running moves and irish whips in the 80s is that they have a much bigger chance of working so you buy into the sequence more, plus the actual counter looks great and is timed well. Khan's big nearfalls are some of the most brutal knee drops you'll ever see and his delusional heeling complements them perfectly. Choshu uses the awesome looking Backdrop both as a means of coming back into the match and as a means of wearing down Khan and setting him up for the finish-which included one of best nearfalls I've ever seen, it couldn't have been timed any better. ****1/2

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  • 4 months later...

This match is awesome! I really loved how Choshu worked this match. From what I can recall, he actually didn't even go for the sharpshooter once. He was out for blood. I thought both guys put on a hell of a show here. Great match - echoing the sentiments above - ****1/2 - I just love the emotion from Khan calling for three when he thinks he has or should have pulled it off.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1986-07-31-AJPW] Riki Choshu vs Killer Khan
  • 2 years later...

PWF World Heavyweight Champion Riki Choshu vs Killer Khan - AJPW 7/31/86

I am just finishing Jack Weatherford's excellent Genghis Khan and specifically the chapter about Kublai Khan trying to invade Japan twice. In the first invasion, they were only thwarted because a massive Wind storm blew up and destroyed the Mongol fleet. This Divine Wind is known as the "Kamikaze" in Japanese. The use of a "barbaric" Mongol heel in the 1970s/80s, 700 years after the Mongol Invasions of Japan shows the impact of history. It is only fitting I watch a Killer Khan and one of his three classics at that. 

Riki Choshu is such a badass rockstar. What is the backstory here? This is heel vs heel, no? They tagged in 1985? Where was the falling out? This a Clash of Titans brawl. It is very Choshu and Khan is a perfect villain for the the Choshu style. He is much larger than Choshu, very imposing and can go blow for blow with the meaty Choshu. Lots of intense lock-ups. The unique aspect to me in this match was Khan's use of "War Cries" or "Ghoulish Screams". He sounded like a banshee. He clubbers Choshu down, mostly focusing on the midsection. It is a stomp to Choshu while he is in the supine position after being battered by relentless barrage of kneelifts that we hear the first of these war cries. He continues to use the War Cries throughout the match. Another aspect of the match that makes it great is the amount of struggle in the match. There is a lot of fighting through offense. The first major turning point is when Killer Khan misses his favorite Bombs Away Kneedrop from the top rope to the floor! Choshu begins to go to work on the larger Khan by clubbering away. There is such a great intensity to Choshu that makes this engrossing. In the ring, he uses the Dangerous Backdrop Driver and the Scorpion Deathlock to get the quick victory. This is an aspect of 80s  Puroresu, dont fuck around, humiliate your opponent by beating him so bad that it is a quick win. Khan gets to the ropes and escapes to outside. It is here we see the most emphatic use of the War Cries! Khan SCREAMS as he unloads with the Mongolian Double Chops! Choshu fires right back and bashing Khan's head into the ring post twice, he signals to the crowd that he is a badass and Khan is wearing the Crimson Mask! This is killer! Khan is stumbling and bumbling. I love how quickly Choshu closes the gap when Khan is trying to scale the apron. Those punches were wicked and the acceleration was ferocious. Choshu just keeps punching the head while Khan sells blood loss/concussed really damn well. He looks like he has been beaten to a bloody pulp on the floor. Choshu allows him to get back in presumably to end him. Choshu mercilessly punches the open wound but have he feels enough punishment has been meted out, he winds up for the Lariat but eats the BIG BOOT?!?! There is life in Killer Khan yet. Kneelift back to the midsection. Big double kneedrop followed up with the BOMBS AWAY KNEEDROP! Khan cant capitalize! He is too beaten up. Khan covers for two! Khan is incredulous! He is so besides himself, that he collapses outside to tell the front row fans that was three. This is crazy!  I have never seen anything like this. He is telling anybody that will listen that was three. Back in the ring, KNEEDROP! He still has three fingers up to the crowd. Again Choshu kicks out! Killer Khan is besides him as the crowd chants for Choshu. I think the end is nigh for Khan. He settles for choking the life out of Choshu with his care hands and then with wrist tape. Choshu kicks him off and the tape goes flying. Choshu pours it on with Big Dangerous Backdrop Drivers, BIG POPEYE WINDUP, Mack Truck Lariat, 1-2-NO!!!! Are you shitting me? Another Lariat does Khan in. 

More things change, the more they stay the same. The extra Lariat would become a staple of All Japan, NOAH and now New Japan and WWE. I dont think it was necessary at all. There was more heat on the penultimate pinfall attempt than the final. This is Clash of the Titans Tokyo Dome, WrestleMania Main Event structure to a tee. Everything feels huge. Khan not accepting his two count felt very Ultimate Warrior looking at his hands at WrestleMania VII for instance. Very simple (Khan works the midsection, misses Kneedrop, Choshu kicks ass, bloodies Khan, misses Lariat, Khan finish run, Choushu hulks up final finish run), but incredibly effective because of the heat. The heat is Khan's War Cries, his Kneedrops and his crazy awesome selling. The heat is Choshu oozing badass charisma out of every pore, not giving an inch and just kicking ass. Not quite tippy top, Greatest Match of All Time, but definitely an awesome Clash of the Titans-style, Dome Main Event match that Choshu excels in. ****1/2

 

 

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On 1/17/2021 at 3:26 PM, Superstar Sleeze said:

What is the backstory here? This is heel vs heel, no? They tagged in 1985? Where was the falling out?

Khan turned on Ishingun to join the Calgary Hurricanes, the heel team of Super Strong Machine, Hiro Saito, and Shunji Takano. They didn't work any AJPW events proper until April '86. I did all my 1986 AJPW watching back around late Sep.-early Oct. and I'm a bit fuzzy since I've powered through another three years since, but I think the turn happened around the end of the previous tour, in early June.

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