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[1993-03-27-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada


Loss

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  • 1 month later...

Awesome awesome awesome. I know they've had better matches, but this is a worthy addition to the feud and deserves plenty of praise too. Misawa is just amazing in '93, probably my pick for Most Outstanding Wrestler at this point. The nearfalls are interesting to watch in hindsight, because I know Kawada isn't winning anything, but there's still that small bit of doubt where I wonder if he beat Misawa and it was forgotten about because they built up the pin attempt so well. That's a huge credit to these guys. This is an all action match, a faster pace than any of their other singles matches I've seen, and ... yet another low-end MOTYC.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 2 months later...

Misawa's head takes even more of a pounding than usual as Tosh had the majority of the offense. The basic story was that Misawa survived everything thrown at him and then KO's Kawada with the Elbow of Death. Nowhere near their October TC match but consistantly good stuff. Too much of the match was closing stretch.

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  • 5 months later...

They come out swinging early. Kawada moved on to the headlock which allowed him to have a good portion of the match as he wears down Misawa. Kawada had his chances here before the end. Loved the finish with the selling of both guys on the elbow. Kawada looked like he was completely knocked out cold and Misawa was holding his arm after as he put everything he had into the KO blow to the point of injuring himself.

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  • 4 months later...

The elbow is now officially marked as a Death Move, which makes this finish a lot less anticlimactic one than the Hansen title change. Note Fukuzawa invoking the names of Hansen and Gordy when Misawa hits it. Anyway, this wasn't quite as good as 10/92 but a very fun match, with the two really working as adversaries even if the split hadn't been finalized yet. Kawada was put over well in defeat--Misawa hitting the tiger driver in the first minute came off as a desperation move, and he got one last comeback when he first looked left for dead.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 months later...

Wow, this may be the match between these two I am least familiar with actually but I had seen it before. However, this time it really grabbed me and now I am wondering if this, 10/92, or 7/95 is my 2nd favorite match between these two. Just a great match that escalated from sportsmanship to chippiness signifying the change that was occurring in All Japan at the time. Misawa's elbow continues to reign supreme and is treated like the ultimate death blow. I also think Misawa is really fully embracing being the ace at this point and feels like a major star in the way he carries himself. Super stuff. ****1/2

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  • 1 year later...

This was so much better and more intense than the October match it wasn't funny. It's as if Baba told them to go out there and have their final breakup as part of the match, because by the end you wonder how they were ever partners. These guys stiffed the hell out of each other.

 

Zenjo said above that too much of this match felt like a closing stretch. Maybe, but what a closing stretch it was! These two are being built as the two toughest bastards on the planet, as they each survive multiple mortal-lock finishers before Misawa throws once of the hardest forearm/elbow strikes in wrestling history to put Kawada away. I didn't hear the announcer since I was calling the match in English for my own amusement, but his comparison of that elbow to Hansen's lariat is dead-on.

 

If you're looking for a "heel turn" moment for Kawada, check out the bulldog on the floor. That's when I realized that these two wouldn't be exchanging any more Christmas cards or changing each other's flat tires anymore.

 

I think the powerbomb is losing its danger. Kawada executed three of them on Misawa and didn't come close to putting him away, and Misawa hit a pair of Tiger Drivers on Kawada to no avail. When the Yearbooks started in '90, a well-executed powerbomb was a guaranteed finisher, and multiple powerbombs meant a stretcher job.

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  • 6 months later...

#275 - placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-300-251/2/

 

These guys don't waste any time tearing into each other once the bell rings. They get right down to business, and it doesn't let up until Kawada hits a big kick to the head of Misawa. I loved how they slowed it down there and let it all sink in. Kawada does a beautiful job of selling his foot at this time, before rolling Misawa back into the ring. There's another super brutal kick from Kawada while Misawa is leaned against the middle rope further into the match. I also loved the elbow exchange leading to the multiple slaps coming out of the corner towards the end. The elbow that finally put Kawada away at the end, again was sold perfectly. Great match.

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#275

 

Man, this was gritty as fuck. It really looked like they were trying to hurt each other as much as possible. Check out how red Misawa's chest is! Even the submission attempts looked like they were actually trying to force a submission. I loved every thing about this -- the slap exchanges out of the corner; the tope, which was a worn out Misawa spot that felt fresh again; Misawa's selling of the wrist; Kawada's selling of the knockout. It almost felt like the Ikeda vs. Ishikawa version of a Kawada/Misawa match and that's an excellent thing. Ditto on the great match call.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1993-03-27-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada
  • 6 months later...

A really awesome match that kept the pace high and the intensity strong. For the first time, Kawada's aggression and intensity earns him the majority of the offense in the match but that elbow and Misawa's bombs can always get the job done. Lots of action packed into a tight match that adds a dramatic shift in the dynamic between Kawada and Misawa.

****1/2

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  • 11 months later...

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshikai Kawada - AJPW Champion's Carnival 1993

I have seen all their title matches before but I dont think I have seen all their Carnival matches so I think I havent seen this and if I have I had totally forgotten about it. Now this is more like it. I thought this was a substantial improvement over the October match. It being a Carnival match with a 30 minute time limit you know you are going to get a much faster paced match and they dont disappoint. They come out swinging. Kawada is just stiffing Misawa with chops and Misawa is ready to fuck shit up. I like Misawa being overzealous on the dropkick but still persisting and getting the Tiger Driver early for 2. I like when finishers are at least teased or hit in the beginning as it makes me feel like they are trying to win the match from jump. Also it mirrors the Backdrop Driver start from October. I liked Misawa having the sudden Spinning Heel Kick scouted and dumping Kawada on his ass. Now it was Kawada turn to persevere and he nails a jumping kick. Misawa powders to sell it. The opening was about 2 minutes or so and then he just go into delicious, delicious heat. 

Kawada is so much nastier in this match. He is such a dick to Misawa. I liked how he went progressively higher and higher with his kicks when Misawa was against the ropes until he kicked right across the eyes. Misawa sold this so well. I loved how much Misawa powdered during the heat segment. It really put over the punishment and I liked how Kawada never made it easy for him when he came back in. There was a great bulldog from the apron to the floor. They started to incorporate their surroundings a bit more. Kawada has a great clothesline. Not quite as great as Hansen and Kobashi, but it is STIFF as fuck. Kawada was all about the powerbomb and the Stretch Plum! I think he nailed three powerbombs and went for the Stretch Plum at least three times. Misawa does show he is still alive throughout this with flurry of wicked Elbow Uppercuts, but Kawada just kept head-hunting and he would not relent. After all the powerbombs and stretch plums, Misawa was able to armdrag to avoid a suplex. He grabs a FACELOCK! I love how much the Facelock and Stretch Plum are still over. They execute them really well. Misawa is right up against the nose. Kawada grinds his forearm bone along Misawa's jaw. I liked how Misawa used the Facelock repeatedly to sap Kawada of his energy and then hit his big bombs. This is so much better than sudden counters all the time. It is great escalation. We get the Tiger Driver but it is still only 2. Frogsplash and an AWESOME ELBOW SUICIDE DIVE! Misawa is two for two on these diving elbows outside the ring. Misawa misses a missile dropkick and here comes Kawada. Stiff clothesline. Misawa gets a spinning heel kick. Kawada OBILTERATES HIM WITH ONE OF HIS OWN! WOW! Kawada hits an insane Back Drop Driver on Misawa! How Misawa did not break his neck right there I dont know! Kawada goes for another kick, but Misawa blocks and BLOWS HIM AWAY WITH AN ELBOW FOR THE KO WIN! 

In the end after all the powerbombs and stretch plums, it felt like Kawada just didnt have that extra gear to beat Misawa, which is the story of their rivalry. He would have to go deeper and deeper inside himself. Whereas, Misawa always had the trusty elbow to bail him out. I liked the efficiency of this match a lot more. Long Kawada heat segment that built to his nearfalls. Logical transition to Misawa running through his offense. Then a HOT 2 minute finish stretch. Misawa did a great job in typical understated way of selling the damage and trouble he was in. Kawada is always great at being scrappy. Im back on the All Japan train and I think I am going to stay on. ****1/4

 

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  • 1 month later...

This was an excellent follow up from their Triple Crown title match in 92. One of my main criticisms of the match would be Misawa hitting the TD early, which while unexpected, was honestly something that didn’t have much prevalence as Kawada would control the match a few minutes later. However, I liked them playing from their first encounter with more strikes and big blows. Kawada was excellent with his targeting of Misawa’s neck with brutal downward elbows to the area, wrenching chin locks and eventual setups to the Stretch Plum. Kawada fought with great strategy effort too. He knew when to take his time and when to urgently follow up with his attacks. At first he’d wait patiently after Misawa rolls outside for a reprieve and then attack instantly as he gets into the ring. And when Misawa catches Kawada out doing that method, he’d learn from it and attack him on the outside too. He was very explosive when he was going back and forth with Misawa later in the match too. Loved their competitive stretches of offence, like the rams into the turnbuckle and the elbow blows which Kawada would actually win. Misawa was really good working from beneath, putting over Kawada’s work, working desperately with his big elbows and facelocks. The submission work by both men was excellent too. The crowd really latched on whenever the face lock or the stretch plum was locked on. The finish was really clever. The nearfalls of both the Tiger Driver and Powerbomb were effective and then doing a KO finish from a Misawa elbow gave it a big exclamation point. You can definitely feel the escalation of their feud from friendly rivalry to slightly nasty and bitter. ****1/4

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