Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 19: Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen (4/23/81)

Not sure how I feel about another go ‘round from the chin and the Lariat, but it’s on the set, so I’m watching it.

A live band plays Inoki’s theme as he comes out to a laser light show. That’s pretty cool. And they say Vince McMahon created Sports Entertainment. Ha. Hansen gets the same treatment. We get the national anthems being played. This certainly has the stage befitting a big match. The crowd is chanting for Inoki early. He stays a step ahead of Hansen for a moment, but Hansen grounds Inoki, and for lack of a better term, pounds Inoki. Hansen’s clubbing blows have an effect, and Inoki has to reassess is game plan. The utilization of chin locks and head scissors in this series is astounding in number.

Hansen pulls out the thick knee drops and forces Inoki to sell a bit (I’ve got beef with Inoki’s lack of selling, and if you’ve read these diaries, you are sick of hearing about it). The big move of the first six minutes is a Hansen pile driver, forcing Inoki to the outside. If this was Memphis there would be dire ramifications. It really was not used as a finishing move in any of the matches I’ve seen. Inoki’s comeback is a quick arm bar submission attempt. Hansen stops it with knees. He even throws in one ugly drop kick, and gets a near fall. I desperation Inoki chops the big man down with kicks to the knee, and grabs the leg for a wear down submission.

This is my favorite Inoki/Hansen match so far for consistency of psychology and story telling. Maybe the other ones just didn’t catch me and there was depth there too. It’s in the eye of the beholder sometimes. Inoki manages to stay on step ahead using his feet, and they create some movement here too, which is nice on the eyes. Hansen is narrowly escaping Inoki just past ten minutes, as the smaller guy is really giving him a run for his money. Finally Hansen sends him into the ropes for the big lariat. 1-2-kickout! The place erupts. This rules.

A great spot slightly smudged: Hansen goes for a short lariat, misses, and Inoki goes for a kick to the back of the head – miss. He does it again quick and it seems fine. Glad he fixed it quickly, though some may argue you don’t redo spots. Inoki comes off the top and nails him. He comes off the top again with a knee to the body. 1-2-3. Hansen kicks out a second too late. In a way it ended at the right time, but at 13 minutes, it kinda didn’t have a second act where Hansen destroyed him. Hansen’s offer of a handshake after the match was a great moment that I’m glad I saw after the series. They run through a zillion highlights of Inoki’s career as he’s given the belt. In a lot of ways I liked this the most of the series they had. 3 ¼ and 6.5/10.