Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 6: Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen (4/3/80)

Inoki and Hansen go at it again coming off Inoki’s count out loss and Hansen’s bad ass post-match promo.

Hansen is your champ, and Inoki is the people’s choice. I already like this match better based on the fact the fans are chanting for Inoki. Hansen really sells the early arm damage well, as they both go after each other’s arms. Hansen’s clubbing forearms are violent as hell. Hansen’s abuse has Inoki rolling out to the floor a few times. They tease the lariat early. You know it will pay off later. Inoki pulls off an enzigeri that scrambles Hansen to the floor. They have the heated strike off with few strikes, and Hansen backs down. The fan’s get hot, complete with chanting, for that. Hansen’s submissions this time don’t have a sense of urgency, but when he drops the knee it looks killer.

Wow, a bulldog gets this crowd hot, and it gets a near fall. The world has certainly changed. Hansen’s control has ebbs and flows, ranging from great exclamatory strikes to dull rest holds. Inoki finally starts making him work for it, and gains an arm bar out of the deal. Inoki’s taking it to him with kicks, before Hansen hits a crushing lariat. Eleven minutes in Hansen hits a brainbuster (the old style) on the apron to some heat. Inoki slow gets up, and the crowd reaches an apex as he ducks a shot and Hansen falls over the ropes to the floor. Inoki hits a jumping knee to the floor, and then a Brainbuster back into the ring. That’s the finish, as the ref starts counting before Inoki pins, and Hansen kicks out huge a moment to late. The place goes crazy for Inoki’s title win in 13 minutes.

This match was different then their last match, but the end result felt the same. A lot of meandering and slow building early, a few back and forth control segments, and a big final minute. The final stretch felt like it never quite reached the top level, which is probably how they liked this back then to lower expectations. I’s put this just slightly above their first match, if only because the finish was better and they used less time to do something similar to the first match, cutting some fat. 3 ¼ and 6.6/10.