[1988-03-27-AJPW] Genichiro Tenryu vs Stan Hansen

[JKWebb]

I watched this last night, and with some of the praise that Shibata/Goto received for their recent bout at WK11, I couldn't help but think of it while watching this. I think the phrase was "hoss battle." Well, that is what this is. Man, these guys stand toe to toe and really lay it into each other the entire match. Hansen is OUT FOR BLOOD in this match. That sounds like a Steven Seagal movie, but seriously he is a man possessed here. He is pacing before the match, and when the bell rings he's shot out of a cannon. He nails Tenryu above the eye and works the cut during the majority of the match. I'd go about ****1/2 right now. It's a fantastic brawl. He's not alone in the violence. Tenryu delivers his fair share of monster blows too... including a punt from the opposite side of the ring. The finish didn't exactly deliver, but I can see around that just fine for what this is. GREAT.

[...TG]

As good as their earlier match in the month was, this was even better. Tenryu was giving almost as good as he got with his work on Hansen's the ribs, but that eye was nasty by the end of the match. I didn't mind the finish, two lariats are a pretty definitive win for Hansen, and I guess they didn't want to take the belts off Tenryu so soon.

[Superstar Sleeze]

PWF & United National Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Stan Hansen - AJPW 3/27/88

Forget everything I said in the previous review, this was a WAR~! Tenryu delivered; he matched Hasen's pugnacity and stiffness. I liked this even more than the Hansen/Jumbo match before it was red-hot, hate-filled from the start. Tenryu has a bandage over the fresh, raw cut on his eye that Hansen gave him about three weeks ago. You know that a bullseye for Hansen. There is some many good little details than I am going to watch this again live so I can capture them all:

Tenryu charges at Hansen and they meet like two rams. One right punch square to the face from Hansne and ten two wicked pops from the left wing. It spills to the outside and Hansen keep firing away at the eye. Tenryu unlike on 3/9 keeps roaring back with chops. Hasnen fights through it. Tenryu tries for the bodyslam but keeps fighting.  Enziguiri and Hansen immediately dives with an elbow drop on Tenryu. This is why I love Hansen. He is always moving forward. He is a fucking animal in there. I love the overhead elbow he throws smashing into the cut. Red-hot, hate-filled. Hansen is very literally out for blood and Tenryu needs to fight for survival. Hansen again with that elbow crashing down into the cut, rubbing the face into the ropes. Tenryu comes back with a Lariat but on the second he charges and eats buckles. Great facial expression as Hansen takes him over with a Back Suplex. Tenryu fights out of a tight smother and Russian Legsweep. I love that Tenryu is trying to press the issue and take control of his own destiny. Tenryu only gets one and immediately goes for the Powerbomb. Smart. In a fight for survival, go for your biggest bomb early. Hansen deadweights him. Tenryu moves with him into wrist control and trying to get an armbar. There's a great close-up of Tenryu at this point, you are so focused on how nasty the cut is and then BAM! all of sudden Hansen's left hand comes flying into the screen and pops him with precision into the cut. Great struggle over the armbreaker, but that moment was so damn badass.

Hansen rolls to the topes. Hansen drags Tenryu outside like a bear to his lair. He rams him hard into the ringpost. Tenryu takes some time to regroup as Hansen looks great. Tenryu's eye looks all sorts of fucked up. Tenryu gets a half knucklelock and starts mercilessly and relentlessly kicking Hansen's left side and the crowd comes more and more alive with each rapid kick and this becomes Hansen's Achilles Heel, the monster's weak underbelly if you will that Tenryu can exploit later.  Tenryu is overzealous with his running punt to the ribs and goes ass over tea kettle over the top rope. Typical Hansen fashion, he thrust kicks Tenryu from is back completely Tenryu's drop to the floor. Hansen is left clutching at his ribs and is having trouble standing. Tenryu fights from his back in the ring. Kicking at the injured ribs while Hansen is punching the cut. This is fucking badass. Tenryu toe kicks to the bad ribs. Hansen is selling so damn well. Resisting the Irish Whip so hard. Tenryu drives his shoulder into the injured ribs. Hansen collapses outside the ring ass first. In a rare moment, Hansen looks more battered compared to his opponent. Hansen rolls back in and is trying to protect his side. AWESOME! Toe kick and THEN BASHES WITH THE OVERHAND ELBOW! BRUTAL! Another one to sitting Tenryu this time. Hansen with these wicked short left jabs to Tenryu's cut. Hansen misses the running elbow eats turnbuckles and Tenryu toe kicks the injured side again. This is incredible. Tenryu is thinking Powerbomb so smart to attempt it now. Back to punting the ribs when he cant get him up. Hansen drags him down by the wrist. This is so Hansen just flailing with his kicks from his back and grabbing whatever bodypart he can get. Then driving the exposed bone on bone knee to the orbital bone of Tenryu. I love Hansen! Everything is a struggle with him. 

This is when we get a proper heat segment from Hansen after how hard fought the first ten minutes were for both men. Hansen seems to have weathered the storm and really rung Tenryu's bell with all these headshots. Hansen piledrives Tenryu! Tenryu gets a foot on the ropes. Nice gradualism on the sell. OH MY FUCKING GOD! Hansen rears back and just RIFLES Tenryu in the face with a kick. Not to be outdone, Tenryu FUCK YOU PUNCH FOLLOWED BY A FUCK YOU LARIAT! OH FUCK YEAH! 

Tenryu Enziguiri! POWERBOMB! 1-2-NO! Probably one of the best Tenryu powerbombs ever which is damning with faint praise. Hansen took it smartly. He went up in a traditional piledriver once steady, He did a sit-up and Tenryu dropped him. Everyone else in the world has a better powerbomb, but at least that one looked ok. Tenryu hits his Top Rope Reverse Back Elbow. That's his four big moves! Oh shit! Hansen lunges and pops him good with a left wing. WESTERN FUCKING LARIAT! HE DECAPITATED HIM! OH MY FUCKING GOD! Tenryu drapes the foot on the ropes at the last second. YES! YES! YES! Perect use of the ropes. Hansen Clobbers Him Again with the Western Lariat but pulls him up at two to start rapid fire punching Tenryu in the cut. He shoves the ref. Uh oh. Tenryu fires up and starts swinging wildly with headshots. Hansen tries to strangle Tenryu to death with his bullrope as he throws Higuchi and Hara around, Higuchi calls for the bell. Absolute chaos as Hansen should be tried for attempted murder! Fucking hell!

This was a WAR~! Like I said it is ahead of the Jumbo match because it was kickass from smart. I imagine most people's issue with this if any is the finish. Not just because it is DQ but because he pulled him up. I agree that knocks it down from ***** for me, but not too much. The whole strangling with a bullrope is a perfect, chaotic DQ finish. Everything before that is manly, stiff, beefy, bloody, hated-filled wrestling. Hansen sees red from jump and is just merciless targeting the eye. Tenryu in order to fight fire with fire needs to create a weakness and attacks the ribs. You just get great dueling psychology, with great selling especially from Hansen and tremendous offense from both. When Hansen reared back kicked Tenryu hard as he could and Tenryu's response was to CLEAN HIS CLOCK WITH A FUCK YOU PUNCH AND LARIAT was so fucking epic! I am jacked to the Moon after watching this. Probably the best Hansen singles match between 1984 and 1992, killer. ****3/4