Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Choshu versus a Russian wrestler, Vader against the same heavyweight Russian, a primer for Liger vs Sano greatness, and Fujiwara tangles with Maeda. First up on my DVD player…

# 132. Riki Choshu vs. Salman Hashimikov (7/12/89)

I’m shocked by how low this finished. I was fascinated by the Russian shooter stuff after the Hash match at the Dome, so I when I saw this on the same disk I made a point to watch it. It’s not that it’s a top 20 match or anything, but it’s a solid eight minutes, an appropriate length given the story, and didn’t come apart in the body for me like so many other 20 minute matches on this set. Everything meant something here. A decent technical battle to start out, Choshu bringing the presence and fire while allowing the bigger Hashimikov to show off a few holds and colorful suplexes. These Russians don;t really understand selling at a high level, but they were scary good in big match situations with what I assume was very little training. The odd thing about this match is the native babyface Choshu starts taking a beating (vicious overhead suplex on the outside), and begins his comeback with an illegal kick to the groin. He sells, while at the same time bringing some strong, dramatic lariats, and Choshu takes the clean three count. I know some would argue you can’t go over three stars for an eight minutes story, but this would have been higher on my ballot than # 132. I’d think it’s between 40 and 55.

I’m stepping away from my top 25 goal again, but I saw this on match on the menu and had to see how it held up…

44. Jushin Liger vs. Naoki Sano (7/13/89)

They have a match voted into the top ten from a month later, so this will serve as a primer. I’ve seen more 1990s Liger than early Liger, but I remember great word of mouth about this match up. This is juniors action, for those who don’t know. Just the opening series of exchanges alone – a point, counterpoint of reversals and holds – is way ahead of its time. It’s the precursor of “demonstration/standoff” wrestling that we still see today in workrate-based matches and promotions. I knew Liger was great, but it’s important to mention how much Sano holds up is end of this match. Its fast and crisp stuff that gradually gets meaner as the contest wears on.Even the lariats are stiff, well-timed, and compact. A body slam in this match gets my attention. Sano’s control segment flows well, and there’s a spot where Liger gives Sano back a surfboard he had suffered a minute before.

Liger does a diving elbow that would make Randy Savage proud. I think what I’m digging so much about this match is that it doesn’t need a million punches, elbow shivers, or shoot kicks. It’s a wrestling contest without a wasted moment or sense of hyperbole that pulls me away from the agreed upon illusion. As I write that last line Liger gives Sano a snap suplex to the floor, followed by a senton dive. I’ll let it slide. The crowd, and I, are invested in this one. My only minus is the selling doesn’t feel dramatic enough, but it makes up for it with urgency and a real sense of drama that develops.

This has built to all out crazy move insanity. They are slowing down to sell, but at fast moments it’s dizzying. Sano’s advantage produces a few near falls, which lead to Liger hope spots. They get somewhat sloppy, but in a realistic way that actually adds to the match. It ends around fourteen minutes, as both men can’t make the refs count to ten in the ring. They lay there, selling for a while. Only nitpick I have is the ref was so anxious to get to the finish that there was no drama in the fast count. It made it obvious he was getting to the finish when he started counting the minute they hit the mat.

A very good match that serves as a great primer for the eventual top ten rematch.

I can not help myself. I wanted to get to match # 24, but the next match on the DVD has Vader coming out in his crazy smoke-shooting head dress, and a Russian shooter. Main Event heavyweights. So we’ll do…

# 63. Big Van Vader vs. Salman Hashimikov (7/13/89)

Vader has so much charisma here, getting the crowd involved and yet scaring them at the same time. I’m watching the opening Vader beatdown of Hashimikov for the Russian’s selling, and I’ve got to say it’s very acceptable stuff. Awesome moment where Hash comes back with a huge lariat that Vader sells perfectly, and then rolls to the outside. He sells a whip into the barricade, and the place is alive for Hashimikov. Very good start.

The way Vader uses his aggression and size the bully a good-sized Hash around is one heck of an image. Hashimikov won’t back down, and there’s a moment where he’s sent to the outside and hops back over the top rope. It pops the crowd, and I’m into this match myself. Hash’s amatuer technique for getting Vader off his feet are always enjoyable and have an epic, big feel to them. Vader keeps coming. He has a big back drop driver spot in there. Hash comes back with a German suplex (you’d have to see it to believe it), a moment later picking Vader up over his shoulder and carrying him around before dropping him back for a good nearfall.

Vader comes back with a huge lariat (great realistic bump by Hash), a splash, and then a powerslam, all for some credible nearfalls. Hash is playing a great underdog in an MMA sense. He’s not playing to the crowd with spirit, but you can see it in his movements and on his face. Vader finally finishes him with a huge belly-to-belly suplex at 8:46. What a monster. Hashimikov runs from the ring, perhaps in embarrassment, I don’t know, while Vader goes into the crowd to scare people.

I love this match — it’s big man power wrestling done tight and stiff — and I’m shocked at how low this finished. I guess the field was just too great, but all these Russian wrestler matches from ’89 are gold.

Let’s go one more and finally do one form the top 25 list…

24. Akira Maeda vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara (2/5/86)

There are opinion makers at DVDVR that will try to sell you Fujiwara as the greatest of all time, and while I wouldn’t go that far (It’s all very subjective), I like him more now than I did a year before. He definitely has something that you can’t deny, in the same way I feel that for Fujinami and to a greater extent Choshu. Maeda is a famous name who didn’t do anything for me early in the set, but yu could tell his training and work ethic was solid. So I go into this one with question marks and unsure expectations.

I am partial to the hold exchanges and escapes they present early. It’s not like Liger/Sano where it came off as a display, as this felt like more of a contest, but unfortunately at a run-through speed. It didn’t feel lazy, just not intense. Another thing hurting for me is that this is the first match in a while without the big atmosphere, so the work is going to have to carry everything. In alot of ways this has the feel of a second match on the PPV card modern UFC bout. Both guys are looking for an opening, but know a finish probably isn’t coming early.

This is pretty much a complete style change form the 1989 stuff I was watching. Ground-based submission stuff with shoot-style kicks and punches when they do stand. No rope running in the first few minutes, and it doesn’t quite feel like wrestling until Fujiwara pulls out his great headbutts. Maeda seems to dominate the standing against the more reserved Fujiwara. On the ground Fujiwara seems to have the advantage.

This match, so far, is exactly why I dropped out of doing the entire set. Very slow to develop without a clear storyline. Alot of stuff that doesn’t build, and though there is a story, it feels more like they are trying to mimic shoot stuff than tell a wrestling story. It’s not bad, and there is a story for sure, but I loved Vader or Hashimoto versus the Russians much more. This match, so far, is not my style.

So they roll outside in dueling leg locks and the bell rings. They are separated and then the match seems to restart. The language barrier prevents me from knowing what is going on. Perhaps this is a multi-falls match. Maeda continues to dominate standing up, so Fujiwara takes the match to the ground. That’s a good story element to follow. I think Fujiwara is bleeding from the mouth too. Fujiwara takes a beating standing, escapes a German suplex attempt, and gets a flash armbar. His facials are great, as are his quick, desperate transitions into submissions. While Fujiwara is very good, this match continues to lay under the surface for me. Close to breaking through, but not there yet ten minutes plus in. Fujiwara gets caught in a rear naked choke, and his facials while going unconscious are fantastic. Still, I wasn’t that into the struggle. This is bad — again, it’s just not the right blend of style for me. I do think I could like a hybrid of this with Fujiwara though. I do like more modern pro wrestling adaptations.