[1991-10-15-AJPW-October Giant Series] Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Other than 4/20, the best six-man tag of the year, with Kikuchi bent like pretzel, Misawa knocked out and Jumbo and Taue in general just wreaking havoc everywhere. Again, Kawada just sort of blends in, which is odd for him. There was very little down time in this, and the Jumbo/Kikuchi stuff was the best part of the match.

[PeteF3]

Jumbo's Army are about the biggest cocksuckers ever in this. Fuchi gets on the mic and trash talks something before the bell, sparking a brawl. On the rare occasions Misawa is in the match they all home in on his broken/injured nose. Kikuchi gets brutalized some more, with a few gratuitous drops on the guardrail. Fuchi flips off Kawada as he attempts to make a save in a great moment. Kikuchi fights his ass off and gets in some great punch flurries on Taue and Jumbo. But...it's basically a 3-on-2 handicap match and that's only going to take the babyfaces so far. Misawa's presence loomed large over this match even when he wasn't in, which was well-done. He was more of a factor than Kawada, who had a really nice exchange dodging Jumbo strikes and the meltdown with Fuchi, but otherwise didn't offer a lot. Still a great match, based on hate and heels trying to torture babyfaces which is a refreshing change for an All-Japan 6-man even in the context of this feud.

[Kevin Ridge]

Misawa has a bandage over his nose which becomes an immediate target for Jumbo’s knee. What a performance by the heels. Taking out Misawa right away, isolating Kikuchi when they can and getting Kawada distracted and off his game. Jumbo even throws a kick at Kobashi on the outside . I think Jumbo and company might be my favorite heels on 91. Taue was just trying to rearrange Misawa’s face by the end of match. Kikuchi also had one of his better performances in this.

[Zenjo]

Misawa came into the match with a nose injury. His weakness was ruthlessly attacked on the rare occasions he entered the ring. He spent most of the time lying on the floor, which is an absurd way to sell a nose injury. Seriously WTF? Still the others made up for him. Kikuchi took a Jumbo sized beatdown and Kawada brought the anger. The heels were really dominant and all kicked ass. A little long but a good watch throughout.

[soup23]

This match felt like the equivalent of a parent going up to a kids room, unplugging the boombox and throwing it in the trash. Jumbo's team has had enough of the young people's shit and is fighting back. Fuchi in particular is angst ridden giving the bird and saying something on the mic. I liked how even when Misawa's team would tag out it was done relatively easy because Jumbo and company were not backing down in this fight. Taue really goes after Misawa's face as a receipt from the last match and Kikuchi gets bent all sorts of ways. Finish was sublime and definitive. Awesome match that brought Jumbo back as a threat after his submission defeat last month.

[garretta]

If Jumbo and company have to dominate this feud, this is how they should do it. I've seldom seen a match where one non-jobber team so thoroughly dominates another and looks like they're having fun in the process. Not only was Misawa's nose ruthlessly targeted, so were Kawada's ribs and Kikuchi's body in general. Jumbo and his boys came to kick tail, and kick tail they did. The Misawa side brought just enough fire for this not to be a squash; they manage to stun their opponents and briefly knock them off their game plan, but at no time do they ever fully take control. It'll be interesting to see if Misawa's crew can get back on track with the Real World Tag League on tap in November.

 

Zenjo, I think Misawa sold his facial injuries perfectly. If you got hit in the nose, wouldn't you wait until were sure you hadn't reinjured yourself before rejoining the fight? That said, most of Misawa's trips outside the ring lasted too long; Unless he'd been legitimately knocked unconscious, I'd have liked to see him fight his way back up to the apron within a few seconds of being tossed out instead of leaving his partners to fight three-on-two for almost half the match (practically three-on-one when you consider the hellacious beatings Kawada and Kikuchi each took at various points).

 

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[JKWebb]

http://placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-350-301/2/

 

#308

 

Jumbo is a monster here. He's fantastic. I was glued to his performance. Kikuchi showed a lot of fire too. Loved him off the hot tag. There's a match on 10/20 where Misawa is in the stands and Kobashi has taken his place on this team. Jumbo and company target the nose of Kobashi the entire match. The Misawa save out of nowhere at the end is one of the best of its kind. He's totally off camera, and you almost forget he's there. Great match.

[G. Badger]

Man, I love this feud! Below is my "mark" take on the match

 

Filthy, dirty cheats!! Jumbo's team are a bunch of cheats! Misawa attacked Fuchi at the start but soon he was out of the action because they re-injured his nose. So this was a 2 on 3 match but, Kikuchi is one tough SOB and Kawada was really fighting as two men, especially later when you really need him too. He was hitting Jumbo with some of the stiffest elbows! They really had Jumbo & Co. on the ropes but they cheat, injuring body parts & taking turns at stomping & grinding them. I know why they do it too! They're beat! If Misawa was here they would've lost...the facelock would've been in play for sure. Classic match especially in generating heat...I was marking out for Kawada to kill the entire other team & some great saves/near falls too. ****1/2

[dawho5]

This was a great, great 6-man with some huge moments. Once it becomes a 2-on-3 match the crowd is buying into Kawada and Kikuchi's shit whenever it comes. And the brief flashes of a Misawa comeback get HUGE pops. Team Jumbo are such vicious pricks in this. I love how Fuchi takes that and feels the need to one-up both Taue and Jumbo on the dickish offense. Finish is just an absolute destruction by Jumbo and co. and we definitely know who is in charge.