Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

[1994-04-10-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Jun Akiyama vs Steve Williams


PeteF3

Recommended Posts

Holy SHIT. Doc is just absurd at this point--it's one thing to start putting on great matches with the Four Corners, but to have a match THIS good and THIS well-worked with Jun (who's still not a Corner, despite his tremendous rookie credentials), after where Doc was just a couple years ago, would have been beyond my comprehension. This opens with some of the best matwork seen in an All-Japan ring in years--I daresay I'd put it up against almost any '80s Project match outside of Robinson vs. Bockwinkel. Then we progress, and it's another star-making performance from Jun in defeat, but this may be the most star-making of all. Some great hope spots and comebacks from Jun here, set up perfectly by Doc. I particularly liked Jun taking a page from Williams' book and ramming his back into the turnbuckle before hitting the Northern Lights. Williams fails to put Jun away with the Stampede and then Jun counters the Doctor Bomb, leaving Doc no choice but to bust out the backdrop driver for a tough, tough win. Williams is making a strong Wrestler of the Year push, and he's still got a lot of big matches to go! I enjoyed this as much as almost any match I've seen so far on this Yearbook--it was THAT good. And a very different style of match by '90s All-Japan standards. Easily the best of Jun's career to this point--he deserves to get a pin over somebody before the year is out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

Carny 1994 Pimping Post:

 

Williams-Jun is a good match given their different rankings in AJPW. Early "amatuer" style wrestling, and frankly they do well with it without overplaying it. Then they do a short "old school" section, and it's not bad either. In general, it's having Jun get Doc's number early before of course Doc kicks his ass. When it's time for Jun to look good later and get his stuff in, they do a very good job of it. Quite enjoyable, and up there with Jun's best singles matches in 1992-94. I'd really keep this one... reflects well on Jun, but *really* well on Doc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

On paper this looks decent but skippable, so I'm glad I came to this thread. Doc was at the peak of his powers in 1994, having greatly matured over his years in Zen Nihon. Some enjoyable matwork to start, inspired by their amateur backgrounds. They employed several throws and counters that you'd rarely see in the promotion. As well as being stylistically interesting, Jun showed good toukon and provided a stiff test in more ways than one. Compact pacing too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

This is a match given to me in secret santo by Jetlag

 

Steve Williams vs Jun Akiyama 10.4.94

 

My data base says I gave this ***3/4 last time I watched it but I have no memory of it and no notes from back then

 

This is from the 1994 champions carnival. Jun Akiyama is one of my absolute favourite wrestlers of all time but here he is just a few years before his peak years. Steve Williams here is at he zenith in maybe the best run by a gaijin star ever in his post Gordy run from 1993 up until 1997 (anyone who says he falls off a cliff in 1996 has no idea what they are talking about), On top of that this is in my favourite promotion during its best run so I am now feeling really quite bad for giving jetlag a dragon gate match.

 

We start with some quick mat work, both guys are ex amateur stars, Akiyama being a freestyle champion I think? Baba is on commentary with his absurdly low voice. Williams having to rush to the ropes to get out of an Akiyama grapple is really small but puts over Akiyama’s skills without making a show of it in an indie respect spot. More mat back and forth with Williams just throwing Akiyama away to finish with pure power.

 

We transition into more traditional pro wrestling with a head lock and body tackle where Akiyama lands right on his head. Akiyama avoids a charge and hits a German suplex for a two-running knee gets a one count, Poor young Jun has only succeeded in pissing the monster off. Williams starts torturing Akiyama with a couple of holds before throwing him into the corners and slapping him. Crowd are now big into Akiyama, Williams cuts off a comeback and hits a calf branding (top rope pushing kneedrop).

 

Big bodyslam from Williams, goes to the top and gets dropkicked out of a cross body, big nearfall from Akiyama on a northern lights even though I don’t think I have ever seen him pin somebody with it. Scoop powerslam from Williams before a kensuke sasaki style arm drag and backdrop for the finish.

 

I am a little predisposed to like this but not to the level that I thought I would, looking at the two guys at this time and the match length I was thinking I must have overrated it a lot last time I watched it. No it was that good, this match did several things at once, it put over Akiyama big as a future hope in a great starmaking performance, it showed how much Williams had progressed in a few years, at the 91 carnival for example I would not expect Williams to build a match this well in a lower level cc match third from the top. On top of all of this great stuff it has some of the best matwork in ajpw in the 90s, maybe the best of the decade. ***3/4

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • GSR changed the title to [1994-04-10-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Jun Akiyama vs Steve Williams

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...