There first two matches of the year are both in my top 40, the 2/23/89 match in my top ten. They hook up one more time. Next.

You can feel the intensity as this one starts. Tenryu and Jumbo go at it, and right away they tease Tenryu’s big powerbomb finisher. Jumbo takes control of his arm, trying to rip the shoulder out. Tenryu chops, and then catches a Jumbo jumping knee. Kawada tags in and hits all his kicks well. Jumbo over-powers, then hits a running knee to the gut. Yatsu is in to control, and Tenryu fairs no better when he tags in. Kawada does fair better in his second stint with Yatsu, and Yatsu takes a moment at ringside to rethink. Tenryu tags in and delivers an enzuigiri. Kawada back in with more kicks. Great first five minutes.

Jumbo tags in and hits the jumping knee and a pile driver on Kawada. He slows it with a sleeper that Tenryu breaks up, and they double-team Jumbo with quick tags to keep control. Yatsu tries to get at Tenryu in the corner, but neither are the legal men. Kawada makes a mistake and hurts himself, and then Jumbo picks apart his mid-section with rough moves. Yatsu continues the beating, holds focused on the ribs/abs. Ten minutes gone.

Tenryu tags in, but Yatsu still attacks Kawada outside. When Kawada tags in he goes to Yatsu’s gut, while still selling his own ribs. Kawada tries an armbar, but Yatsu escapes. Tenryu maintains control as Yatsu works from underneath. Jumbo gets the tag, powerbombs Kawada, and then he and Tenryu go at it. Jumbo wins this time, but we get a ref bump out of it. Fifteen minutes gone.

Kawada takes a beating for a second stretch as Yatsu and Jumbo utilize tags. Kawada’s comeback lariat is great, and then Tenryu hot tags and comes heavy at Jumbo. Kawada/Tenryu make a big run on Jumbo, barraging him with moves, before a big lariat stops Kawada. Tenryu comes in and grabs control, ending with a powerbomb for a near fall. Yatsu breaks that up and delivers a powerbomb of his own. Twenty minutes gone.

Tenryu blocks a bulldog out of the corner, giving Kawada time to spinkick Yatsu. Tenryu teases a powerbomb and Jumbo comes in with a lariat to disrupt him. Kawada runs in to kick the crap out of Yatsu to stop a leg submission hold. Kawada struggles and finally hits a German suplex and Yatsu for a near fall. Tenryu takes out Jumbo while legal man Kawada climbs to the top rope and gets planted with a powerslam. A suplex later and Yatsu grabs the pin in 23 minutes.

This might be the most competitive these teams have looked against each other yet, especially the spark from Tenryu/Kawada. Great opening sequences and call backs to signature moves, and it keeps rolling for minutes as everyone looks good and essentially “all in at the poker table.” Then eight minutes in Kawada makes a mistake and Jumbo/Yatsu pick apart his mid-section with stiff offense. Kawada’s selling, as usual, is a cut above. Tenryu gets to come in and be the savior. I love that when Kawada tags back in he’s still selling the ribs, which gives it a nice revenge feel to it, and Yatsu’s hope spots in this section are decent, by numbers stuff.

One of the main stories that carries this is the tension between Jumbo/Tenryu that we know coming in, becomes an issue right away, and gets highlighted throughout the match. They layer it into the match evenly enough that its exciting, so when Tenryu gets beat up on the apron, then hot tags in for a run on Jumbo, you are feeling it emotionally. After everyone (perhaps not Tenryu) has sold for a spell, not to mention an offensive run or five, we head to an exciting stretch run. This match is more of a stiff heavyweight sprint than anything, which is what the top style is becoming anyway. I dug the partners run in to break up holds and big moves part of this final run. Good finish and you knew who was taking it. I didn’t like this as much as the 2/23/89 match, but it was probably better than the 1/22/89 match that went to long. So this one sneaks into my top 25. Wow, what a year 1989 was for quality. 3 ¾ stars and 7.55/10

Joe knows mat holds. Fuchi is one of the best mid card juniors from 80s All Japan. They hook it up and I watch.

First five minutes is almost exclusively on the mat, a constant struggle, fighting for holds and escapes. Good, quick stuff, but not on the level of the Malenko vs Malenko match from earlier in the year. That match might have looked more cooperative on inspection, but it was a good balance and a tad smoother. Fuchi gets a good amount of control though, and the only really bad looking spot is a blown bridge out of a pin.

Fuchi spends the next few minutes trying to rip Malenko’s arm off his body. It’s violent looking. Joe sells it reasonably, more of a verbal sell, but nothing I’d call theatrics in an impressive way. Fuchi is pretty much dictating this, and it’s good submission stuff, but it’s done in more a a shoot style than a pro wrestling style. It impresses me, but doesn’t blow me away.

Malenko’s backbreaker escape was pretty badass. He doesn’t press enough on offense for my tastes, given this guy just contorted his arm for minutes on end, but Fuchi makes up for itby making Malenko look good. We get more of the pro wrestling stuff from Fuchi as we move to the fifteen minute mark, and they wrestle back and forth for the final stretch. Malenko just sort of wins with a pretty suplex in 17 minutes. I’m glad this match was on the set, it deserves to be, but it’s also a style of match that I can never rate super high in a “best of”-general sense. 2 ¾ stars and 6/10

A young Kobashi, future legend of the 90s, is thrown into a tag with the All Japan 80s legends.

Nice little switch for a Hansen match, as it’s Jumbo/Kobashi who jump Tenryu/Hansen before the bell. They brawl, Hansen taking out Kobashi with a chair while Tenryu makes a comeback off a Jumbo-sized beating. Except, he eats a jumping knee, and we settle into a tag match with the crowd chanting “Tsur-u-ta”. Kobashi gets a chant when he steps in and stares down Tenryu. Young boy, meet a master! Tenryu chops him down to size, hits an ezuigiri, and then we get some heavy Hansen offense. Jumbo rips him off and Kobashi tries to capitalize, but misses. A motivated Jumbo tags in, delivers another jumping knee to Tenryu, and takes out Hansen too. They tease a Jumbo powerbomb (Tenryu’s move), and Jumbo works some holds. Five minutes gone.

Kobashi tags in and immediately gets isolated. He does knock Hansen out of the ring, but for that Hansen violently grabs ahold of him and roughs him up. Double team shoulderblock on Kobashi, and Tenryu takes over with heavy chops and knees. Kobashi takes some Hansen offense and then Jumbo gets mauled by Hansen too. Big Lariat from Tenryu and Jumbo is on some trouble. Jumbo fixes that with a big boot. Diving knee from the turnbuckle by Jumbo. Running lariat for a near fall by Jumbo. Kobashi tags in and grabs a half-crab at the ten minute mark.

Tenryu/Hansen abuse Kobashi with stiff kicks and laraits. This audience is REALLY behind Kobashi. Tenryu powerbomb tease, but Jumbo comes in to back him off. Jumbo gets in with Hansen and goes right to work on Hansen’s lariat arm. Kobashi continues the work with an armbreaker. Hansen clubs him and Tenryu tries to take over, but Kobashi is badass and continually slaps Tenryu before dropkicking him. Jumbo continues the run of near falls, then grabs a headlock. Fifteen minutes gone.

Kobashi crossbodies for a two count, then grabs a hold. He switches into a leglock. Kobashi gets brash, slapping at Tenryu, and Tenryu knocks him on his ass. Jumbo tags in to save him, and Kobashi tags back in to control Hansen. This is a feat, and doesn’t last long. Jumbo gets in, takes some great chops from Tenryu, then drops him with a backdrop driver. Jumbo tries to powerbomb Tenryu again, but Hansen cuts it off with a lariat. Tag to Kobashi, who hits a dropkick and gets a near fall fisherman’s suplex before getting an enzuigiri by Tenryu. Powerbomb by Tenryu finishes off Kobashi for the pin in 20:13.

The first ten minutes of this is awesome action and well done moves with well defined characters and motivations. What makes this for me is the little things, like the nuclear crowd that is so passionately behind the young Kobashi, while the arrogant, stoic Tenryu teases one of his powerbombs after a beating by he and Hansen, and a fired up Jumbo walks into the ring to back down Tenryu from devastating his partner. Also love that after the arm work on Hansen, Tenryu tags in, saunters over to Kobashi to smack him around, and doesn’t expect the chopping flurry of Kobashi. Jumbo gets on the turnbuckle and implores the crowd to love this young kid, ignoring a tag opportunity, as if to say, “This is your time, kid.”

Of course, Kobashi makes the mistake of getting to cocky and brash, and Tenryu makes him pay, but usually Jumbo is there for the tag and a rally. Jumbo going toe to toe with Tenryu at this point is a refined sight, and Kobashi trying to handle Hansen is pretty intense too. Can’t find much fault in the second ten minutes either, and the finish was perfect. ’88 and 89 is chalk full of these great tags where Kawada or Kobashi struggle, sell, get over, but ultimately take the fall. I love that story. Top 50 match for me, maybe top 30, because I like this more than the lesser stuff from the established big name heavyweight tags from the 85-88 era. Fair or unfair, this has to go above the last match (Fans vs Malenkos) just because you know, and could feel, this meant more. 3 ¾ star and 7.6/10

A bit of American flavor hits Japan as the technical wizards of the Malenko family take on Southern tag team the Fantastics.

Tommy Rogers and Dean Malenko run through a ton of hold/counter-hold sequences that looks beautiful. Joe Malenko gets in, and man are his knuckle lock takedowns wonderful. He grounds Tommy in a hold. Fulton tags in a moment later, but Joe outclasses him. Five minutes gone.

Futlon continues to try to eecute takedowns and holds, but Joe knows the escapes and chains. Dean gets in with Rogers again, and Rogers works the arm. The action gets faster, with Rogers and Fulton making quicker tags. No real sustained advantages, but Dean is really efficient when he takes over. Joe takes over to work Roger’s arm. Fulton is in and shows over some counterholds. Ten minutes gone.

Joe goes to work on Fulton’s arm with really good holds, and Fulton counters with kicks. Dean comes back on Rogers with a Texas Cloverleaf attempt, and Rogers counters with a doomsday device (with Fulton doing the top rope clothesline). Dean comes back with a dropkick, tags in Joe, and Fulton tags in Rogers. Rogers uses some strikes, and knocks Joe in the corner. Great spot where Rogers misses an elbow and really takes the turnbuckle. Dean uses a bow-and-arrow at the fifteen minute mark.

All four men in the ring, Joe gets knocked outside. He comes back as they do a great sequence, and the Malenkos double team Fulton. Rogers saves from the top rope and pankcake Dean with a double team of their own. Back and forth these teams go as it slows down again. A good amount of tags. Great spot where Dean gets in trouble, and big brother Joe takes a top rope move to cover his brother from further injury. They trade several convincing near falls, ending when Dean hits a lariat, Joe grabs a waistlock, and Dean dropkicks Fulton into a German suplex with a bridge for the pin at the twenty minute mark.

On first take, given the ring jackets, boy do the Fantastics seem out of place on this set visually, probably even more than the RNR did. No matter, this is a great change of pace match for this set, and really not as foreign as I expected wrestling-wise. Dean and Rogers put on an opening clinic, and then Joe outclasses Fulton. I like the way Rogers took over Dean’s arm, and Fulton was fine holding the work in short spurts (he’s not bad, I just think of him as the least in this match). And man are the Malenkos an efficient offensive team. Along with their array of holds and transitions into holds, they seem destine to leave the ring with one of the Fans arms. When the Fans do decide to come back with strikes it definitely pops the match as the Malenkos use 95% pure wrestling to that point. It also makes sense as a story without a true heel team.

This progresses past the 15 minute make with a little more flare and fire, and grows to include some great double team sequences that I liked before they slow it down again. I liked seeing the Malenkos get more violent with strikes as time went on. Again, played well with the chess match going on here. Loved the spot where big brother Joe saves Dean and takes a move to spare his brother. Very Funk influenced moment, as we’ve seen. Loved the near falls at the end, and the finish. This was nice because I’ve tired (momentarily) of the Jumbo/Tenryu tags where guys do a million moves that look like they could be finishers, and this had a great pace and a reasonable build up for my tastes. Easily in my top third. 3 ¾ stars and 7.35/10

Brother versus brother in a technical bout.

The opening minutes are beautiful technical wrestling worked around a greco-Roman knuckle lock. Lots of point/counter-point. Dean moves to working the leg. Joe takes hold of a leg and tries to bridge back, controlling the knee until Dean escapes and grabs a bow-and-arrow. They reset. Fived minutes gone.

They trade full nelsons. Dean gets the edge on a takedown battle and tries an armbar. Joe has a takedown that leads to a can opener-like submission. They engage again and Joe clasps on a headscissors. Dean escapes and tries some form of the Texas cloverloaf, but can’t turn his brother. Dean gains a crossface on Joe’s knee in a move I’ve never seen before, then continues on the knee until he’s kicked off at the knee. Ten minutes gone.

Dean sells the knee well and Joe grabs a cravat. Dean attempts a crucifix takeover pin and Joe shows a nice escape for that. They size each other up again. They trade waistlocks and Dean hits a German suplex with a brigde for a two count. Joe battles for a fisherman suplex, and then they trade nearfalls. They crossbody each other in the middle and sell. Dropkicks at the same time and sell. Fifteen minutes gone.

They counter each others piledrivers until Dean hits one. Dean misses a twisting crossbody off the turnbuckle and Dean uses a nifty pin for the win in about 15:30.

Beautiful hold-based wrestling. Perfect point/counter-point stuff with a great progression from knuckle locks to knee holds to full nelsons. They battle over every takedown leading to arm work, and back down again. The chaining from one thing to another is some of the cleaner scientific wrestling you’ll ever see. They built it to where a simple German suplex late felt like a substantial near fall. Basically your appreciation of this match hinges on you finding this clean style interesting, and while it’s not enough to push this really high for me, I enjoyed the psychology and logic. 3 stars and 6.2/10

Ballot After 12 Disks

1. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu Yoshiaki Yatsu (1/28/86) 4 ¾ stars and 9.6/10
2. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Ric Flair (6/8/83) 4 ¾ stars and 9.5/10
3. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (12/16/88) 4 ¾ stars and 9.5/10
4. Dory and Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (8/31/83) 4 ½ stars and 9.3/10
5. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (6/5/89) 4 ½ stars and 8.7/10
6. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada (2/23/89) 4 ¼ stars and 8.5/10
7. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu (2/5/86) 4 ¼ stars and 8.5/10
8. Riki Choshu vs. Killer Khan (7/31/86) 4 ½ stars and 8.4/10
9. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Ric Flair (6/8/82) 4 ¼ stars and 8.3/10
10. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kerry Von Erich (2/3 Falls) (5/22/84) 4 ¼ stars and 8.3/10
11. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs. Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano (7/19/88) 4 stars and 8.2/10
12. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Rick Martel (7/31/84) 4 stars and 8.2/10
13. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu (6/22/85) 4 stars and 8/10
14. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tiger Mask (3/9/88) 4 stars and 8/10
15. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Nick Bockwinkel (2/23/84) 4 stars and 7.9/10
16. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (8/31/87) 4 stars and 7.9/10
17. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (8/30/88) 3 ¾ stars and 7.9/10
18. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (8/29/88) 3 ¾ stars and 7.85/10
19. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu (1/24/87) 3 ¾ stars and 7.85/10
20. Giant Baba vs. Stan Hansen (2/4/82) 4 stars and 7.8/10
21. Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (2/3 falls) (10/9/81) 4 stars and 7.8/10
22. Billy Robinson vs. Nick Bockwinkel (12/11/80) 3 ¾ stars and 7.6/10
23. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Harley Race (8/1/82) 3 ¾ stars and 7.5/10
24. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Slater (5/1/80) 3 ¾ stars and 7.5/10
25. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara (6/4/88) 3 ¾ stars and 7.5/10
26. Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Killer Khan & Riki Choshu (8/2/85) 3 ¾ stars and 7.45/10
27. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (10/28/88) 3 ¾ stars and 7.45/10
28. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen (12/9/82) 3 ¾ stars and 7.4/10
29. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Stan Hanson (10/21/86) 3 ¾ stars and 7.4/10
30. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs. Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano (9/15/88) 3 ½ stars and 7.4/10
31. Stan Hansen vs. Terry Funk (9/11/82) 3 ½ stars and 7.35/10
32. Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen (4/14/83) 3 ½ stars and 7.35/10
33. Genichiro Tenryu & Samson Fuyuki vs. Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa (2/20/88) 3 ¾ stars and 7.3/10
34. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu & Tiger Mask (1/23/88) 3 ¾ stars and 7.3/10
35. Jumbo Tsuruta, Genichiro Tenryu & Tiger Mask vs. Shunji Takano, Hiro Saito & Strong Machine (4/6/86) 3 ½ stars and 7.3/10
36. Yoshiaki Yatsu & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Genichiro Tenryu (1/22/89 TV) 3 ½ stars and 7.3/10
37. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu (2/5/87) 3 ½ stars and 7.2/10
38. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Terry Gordy (10/29/84) 3 ½ stars and 7.2/10
39. Riki Choshu vs. Rick Martel (12/29/86) 3 ½ stars and 7.1/10
40. Masa Fuchi vs. Mitsuo Momota (3/29/89) 3 ½ stars and 7.1/10
41. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ricky Steamboat (2/23/84) 3 ½ stars and 7.1/10
42. Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody (12/7/82) 3 ½ stars and 7.1/10
43. Riki Choshu vs. Rick Martel (10/19/85) 3 ½ stars and 7.05/10
44. Genichiro Tenyru & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody (4/28/84) 3 ½ stars and 7.05/10
45. Ric Flair vs. Rick Martel (10/21/85) 3 ½ stars 7.05/10
46. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen & Ted Dibiase (8/31/85) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
47. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Stan Hansen & Toshiaki Kawada (6/8/89) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
48. Ric Flair vs. Ric Steamboat (6/4/82) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
49. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka vs. Dory and Terry Funk (12/13/81) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
50. Stan Hansen & Ted Dibiase vs. Shinichi Nakano & Yoshiaki Yatsu (7/17/87) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
51. Genichiro Tenryu, Mighty Inoue & Takashi Ishikawa vs. Riki Choshu, Animal Hamaguchi & Isamu Teranishi (1/10/85) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
52. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen (3/9/88) 3 ½ stars and 6.9/10
53. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen (3/27/88) 3 ½ stars and 6.9/10
54. Giant Baba vs. Stan Hansen (3/24/84) 3 ½ stars and 6.9/10
55. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs. John Tenta & Shunji Takano (1/5/89 TV) 3 ½ stars and 6.8/10
56. Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk Jr. (10/9/81) 3 ¼ stars and 6.8/10
57. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs. Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas (6/5/89) 3 ¼ stars and 6.8/10
58. Jumbo Tsuruta, Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa vs. Ashura Hara Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki (3/11/88) 3 ½ stars and 6.8/10
59. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (12/5/87) 3 ½ stars and 6.75/10
60. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (10/10/87) 3 ½ stars and 6.7/10
61. Stan Hansen & Dan Kroffat vs. Rock N Roll Express (10/26/88) 3 ¼ stars and 6.65/10
62. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu & John Tenta (2/29/88) 3 ¼ stars and 6.65/10
63. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ric Flair (2/3 Falls) (9/12/84) 3 ¼ star and 6.6/10
64. Harley Race vs. Ric Flair (5/22/84) 3 ¼ stars and 6.6/10
65. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (9/15/88) 3 ¼ stars and 6.6/10
66. Ted Dibiase & Stan Hansen vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu (12/12/85) 3 ¼ stars and 6.6/10
67. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (12/11/87) 3 ¼ stars and 6.6/10
68. Giant Baba vs. Stan Hansen (7/31/84) 3 ¼ stars and 6.6/10
69. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mil Mascaras (7/30/82) 3 ¼ stars and 6.5/10
70. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Stan Hansen (7/31/86) 3 ¼ stars and 6.5/10
71. Jumbo Tsuruta & Hiroshi Wajima vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara (4/21/88) 3 ¼ stars and 6.5/10
72. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu (11/30/85) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
73. Tiger Mask & Isao Takagi vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada (7/16/88) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
74. Joe & Dean Malenko vs. Masa Fuchi & Great Kabuki (1/5/89 TV) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
75. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hanson & Ted Dibiase (12/12/86) 3 ¼ stars
and 6.4/10
76. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (3/5/88) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
77. Stan Hansen & Ted Dibiase vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara (7/23/87) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
78. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Tiger Mask (6/11/87) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
79. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu (9/3/86) 3 ¼ stars and 6.3/10
80. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen (9/20/87) 3 ¼ stars and 6.3/10
81. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki (5/20/89) 3 stars and 6.3/10
82. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Murdoch (3/5/80) 3 ¼ stars and 6.3/10
83. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ted Dibiase (10/23/83) 3 ¼ stars and 6.3/10
84. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Bruiser Brody (3/27/88) 3 stars and 6.3/10
85. Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich (5/24/84) 3 stars and 6.2/10
86. Terry Funk vs. Nick Bockwinkel (7/12/83) 3 stars and 6.2/10
87. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Hiroshi Wajima (1/24/88) 3 stars and 6.2/10
88. Dory and Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen (4/20/83) 3 stars and 6.2/10
89. Giant Baba vs. Harley Race (9/9/80) 3 ¼ stars and 6.2/10
90. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu (11/26/87) 3 stars and 6.2/10
91. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hansen (7/27/88) 3 stars and 6.2/10
92. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk (12/11/80) 3 ½ stars and 6.2/10
93. Dory and Terry Funk vs. Umanoseke Ueda & Buck Robley (10/6/81) 3 stars and 6.1/10
94. Hiro Saito vs. Masa Fuchi (6/12/86) 3 stars and 6.1/10
95. Stan Hansen vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (4/19/86) 3 stars and 6/10
96. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Stan Hanson (7/26/86) 3 stars and 6/10
97. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Road Warriors (3/12/87) 3 stars and 5.9/10
98. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu & Shinichi Nakano (6/9/87) 2 ¾ stars and 5.9/10
99. Giant Baba vs. Stan Hansen (4/22/82) 3 stars and 5.9/10
100. Dan Spivey, Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki (5/21/89) 2 ¾ stars and 5.9/10
101. Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk Jr. (4/21/82) 2 ¾ stars and 5.9/10
102. Kuniaki Kobayashi vs. Masa Fuchi (4/6/86) 2 ¾ stars and 5.8/10
103. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy vs. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka (11/22/87) 2 ¾ stars and 5.75/10
104. Chavo Guerrero vs. Masa Fuchi (8/31/83) 2 ¾ stars and 5.7/10
105. Masa Fuchi vs. Pete Roberts (5/5/87) 2 ¾ stars and 5.7/10
106. Mighty Inoue vs. Chavo Guerrero (2/26/84) 2 ¾ stars and 5.7/10
107. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Bruiser Brody (5/26/83) 2 ¼ stars and 5.6/10
108. Stan Hansen & Ted Dibiase vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Tiger Mask (7/11/87) 2 ½ stars and 5.5/10
109. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Higo Hamaguchi (3/13/86) 2 ½ stars and 5.5/10
110. Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen (8/23/85) 2 ½ stars and 5.5/10
111. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs. Takashi Ishikawa & Hiroshi Wajima (6/8/87) 2 ½ star and 5.4/10
112. Genichiro Tenryu & Samson Fuyuki vs. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu (8/25/86) 2 ¾ stars and 5.4/10
113. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Murdoch (2/23/80) 2 ¾ stars and 5.4/10
114. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Harley Race & Dick Slater (12/13/82) 2 ½ stars and 5.3/10
115. Stan Hansen vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (4/16/89) 2 ½ stars and 5.3/10
116. Mil Mascaras vs. Ricky Steamboat (2/3 Falls) (August 1981) 2 ¾ stars and 5.3/10
117. Chavo & Hector Guerrero vs. Mighty Inoue & Gran Hamada (9/12/84) 2 ½ stars and 5.2/10
118. Dos Caras & Mil Mascaras vs. Chavo Guerrero & Ricky Steamboat (9/6/81) 2 ½ stars and 5.1/10
119. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Giant Baba & Tiger Mask (11/28/86) 2 ½ stars and 5/10
120. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Harley Race (10/26/83) 2 ½ stars and 5/10
121. Jimmy Snuka vs. Ricky Steamboat (6/3/81) 2 ½ stars and 5/10
122. Mil Mascaras vs. Genichiro Tenryu (2/4/82) 2 ½ stars and 5/10
123. Kuniaki Kobayashi vs. Tiger Mask (6/21/85) 2 ½ stars and 4.9/10
124. Tiger Mask vs. La Fiera (8/26/84) 2 ¼ stars and 4.8/10
125. Giant Baba vs. Harley Race (10/26/82) 2 ¼ stars and 4.6/10
126. Giant Baba vs. Harley Race (9/4/80) 2 ¼ stars and 4.5/10
127. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Kerry Von Erich (4/7/83) 2 stars and 4/10
128. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ole Anderson (4/5/86) 2 stars and 4/10
129. The Sheik vs. Ricky Steamboat (12/9/80) 2 stars and 4/10

1. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (6/5/89) 4 ½ stars and 8.7/10
2. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada (2/23/89) 4 ¼ stars and 8.5/10
3. Yoshiaki Yatsu & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Genichiro Tenryu (1/22/89 TV) 3 ½ stars and 7.3/10
4. Masa Fuchi vs. Mitsuo Momota (3/29/89) 3 ½ stars and 7.1/10
5. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Stan Hansen & Toshiaki Kawada (6/8/89) 3 ½ stars and 7/10
6. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs. John Tenta & Shunji Takano (1/5/89 TV) 3 ½ stars and 6.8/10
7. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs. Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas (6/5/89) 3 ¼ stars and 6.8/10
8. Joe & Dean Malenko vs. Masa Fuchi & Great Kabuki (1/5/89 TV) 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10
9. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki (5/20/89) 3 stars and 6.3/10
10. Dan Spivey, Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki (5/21/89) 2 ¾ stars and 5.9/10
11. Stan Hansen vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (4/16/89) 2 ½ stars and 5.3/10

Fun little match as Hansen has the unlikely partner in Kawada to take on the established Jumbo/Yatsu team.

This is for tag belts held by Jumbo and Yatsu. Hansen goes after Jumbo before the bell, and the crowd heat builds as they are separated. Kawada and Yatsu go back and forth, Kawada starting harder and faster. Hansen takes Yatsu outside, but ends up fighting Jumbo. Hansen works Yatsu over, then tags in Kawada again. Yatsu comes back with a backdrop suplex, and then it’s Jumbo coming in with the jumping knee. Kawada comes back to do a dive over the top rope onto Jumbo, and Hansen joins in, stomping outside. Jumbo works knees to the gut to come back. Hansen continues to try and get involved, but the ref keeps him out. Yatsu takes over, and Kawada matches him evenly. Five minutes gone.

Hansen tags in, and soon Jumbo is in for a segment with him. Jumbo takes over with a spirited jumping knee, then slows down with a shoulder lock. Hansen comes back heavy on Yatsu, and they double team him while Jumbo gets in. Hansen goes to work on Jumbo’s back, but then Jumbo hits a lariat and takes back control. Hansen tags in Kawada, who shows off his kicks, but gets shoved to the mat and then powerslammed. Jumbo takes over, working Kawada’s knee. Hansen sneaks in to interfere, but Jumbo/Yatsu control. Ten minutes gone.

Yatsu hits an elbow drop from the top, but Hansen breaks up any pin. Yatsu hits a sick powerbomb and Hansen again breaks it up. Jumbo hits a powerbomb. To count. Kawada gets a flash pin attempt, and then another hope spot that is dashed. Yatsu stomps on Kawada, gives him a backbody drop, and then tags in Jumbo. Kawada eats forearms and gets caught in a Boston crab. Hansen continues to save. Hot tag to Hansen after a desperate Kawada lariat, and Hansen is all over Jumbo (and Yatsu). Yatsu stops Hansen when Hansen signals for the lariat, giving Jumbo a moment to recover. Kawada takes over, with Hansen guarding the ring from Yatsu when Kawada makes pins. Fifteen minutes gone.

Kawada gets several nearfalls, including a small package and a German suplex. Jumbo catches a spinkick, tosses Kawada to the mat, and then plants him with the backdrop driver for the pin in 15:30.

Interesting match up because of the Kawada/Hansen tag team. Anyone have background on the story behind this, and why Hansen was out to celebrate Tenryu’s win over Jumbo two days before? Anyway, first ten minutes is decent, but I become a fan when Kawada is in peril and Yatsu hits a sick powerbomb on him, the Jumbo hits one. Hansen keeps making the saves, which is great, and Yatsu/Jumbo look really strong offensively whenever matched up with Kawada. I’ve said in other threads how much I love Kawada hopespots with Jumbo and the cut offs. Hansen is just Hansen, which is a good thing, breaking up pins and going crazy on the hot tag. I liked the final moments where you think Kawada might take a big pin as Hansen protects the ring, only to get planted by a backdrop driver. Another great, realistic, closeout by Jumbo. This is a solid mid-range pick, but there’s so much greatness on here this could fall into the 50s, 60s, or 70s on my ballot. 3 ½ stars and 7/10

This is the match that was pegged as the consensus favorite to take #1 going into the decade review. Lets see if this holds up to that standard.

Hansen is watching the match from ringside. The atmosphere is electric. Tenryu actually avoids the jumping knee (something he rarely does) in the first minute and German suplexes Jumbo for a near fall. Jumbo slows everything with a headlock, Tenryu tries to chop out, and Jumbo delivers a running bulldog. Back to a resthold from Jumbo. Crowd comes alive as Jumbo chokes him, then we get a great sequence where Jumbo misses a back elbow, a lariat, and the jumping knee, but finally hits with a big boot. Great stuff. Jumbo is selling Tenryu’s chops huge, and comes back with another big boot. Jumbo grabs the same sleeper submission and the fans chant for Tenryu. Five minutes gone.

Jumbo clubs and stomps at Tenryu, then takes him outside for the traditional throw into the guardrail. Back inside, Tenryu comes off the ropes with a lariat and knocks Jumbo out of the ring. Tenryu follows, bodyblocking Jumbo from the apron. Tenryu drops down into a leg submission and fans chant Jumbo’s name. Tenryu punches at the side of the kneecap, adding extra aggression. Tenryu stiffs him with forearms to the face, stomps, and chops. Jumbo comes back with a belly-to-belly, then clamps on that submission choke again. Jumbo hits the jumping knee for a near fall. They tease a Jumbo powerbomb, but Tenryu gets free. Ten minutes gone.

Jumbo chooses to clamp on the abdominal stretch. Tenryu gets wrist control and comes back, chopping and lariating his way to a near fall. Jumbo teases a backdrop driver, but Tenryu holds the ropes. Jumbo then hits a jumping knee in the corner, hoists Tenryu up for the driver, but Tenryu kicks off the turnbuckle as he falls and they both sell the damage. Jumbo is first to his feet, hitting a lariat at the fifteen minute mark.

Jumbo continues his onslaught, dropping a knee on Tenryu’s head from the second turnbuckle. But Tenryu, as he has been, keeps getting his feet on the ropes to break the pinfall. Jumbo hits two more knees from the second turnbuckle. Tenryu gets his foot on the bottom rope again. Jumbo tries the Thesz press, but Tenryu kicks out at the last second. Jumbo is frustrated, dropping a stiff knee on his neck. He then picks Tenryu up for the backdrop driver, they struggle, and Jumbo finally sends him over. Tenryu kicks out of the pin with some fire. Jumbo; looking exhausted, sends Tenryu by his hair into the ropes, Thesz presses him again, but Tenryu drops him backwards into the ring ropes throat first. Jumbo kicks out of the near fall. Running dropkick by Jumbo. Near fall. Jumping knee from the top rope connects. Jumbo signals for one in the corner, but misses and get enzuigiried. Near fall. Twenty minutes gone.

Tenryu tries a powerbomb. Jumbo flips him into a near fall. Jumbo lariats, a belly to belly gets blocked, and Tenryu is the first up. He misses his top rope elbow. Jumbo has a short control before Tenryu takes him out with a lariat. Enzuigiri. Powerbomb! 1-2-kickout. Great near fall. Tenryu attempts the powerbomb again, finally getting Jumbo up. 1-2-3, Tenryu is the Triple Crown Champion in 24 minutes.

Wow. It’s a crowning moment for Tenryu and a heck of a match. Crowd was really into everything, chanting for Tenryu whenever Jumbo slowed it down with the choke resthold, and everything else for the most part was active. The nearfalls for the last ten minutes all felt legit, so if you like a lot of near falls, here’s a match for you. It was epic in a way, presented a big move arms race, and highlighted Tenryu’s refusal to give in (I enjoyed Tenryu getting his foot on the ropes instead of constant kickouts.). I guess my trouble is, while this feels like a top ten match, and certainly a historic match, I have trouble as seeing this as well built. It’s kind of a bombardment of big stuff and I almost feel like I have to watch it again to fully catch a clear story/full sub-text. Maybe I’ve listed a lot of plot and I’m just not sure if that excites me. I think I’m going to sit on this one and wait for others to comment, then watch again. It’s very good, but I felt something special with each of my top ten to twenty matches that will make me rewatch each many times over. This didn’t quite feel like something I wanted to watch again and again, so it’s placement in my top ten puzzles me. 4 ½ stars and 8.7/10

After the previous six man, Footloose takes on Furnas/Kroffat in a straight up tag affair.

Kroffat and Kawada start with a spirited kick battle that erupts into a brawl. Their teammates separate them. Crowd loves it. Instant match story. Furnas and Fuyuki tag in. Fuyuki slaps Furnas, and Furnas nails him with an immediate lariat. Then Furnas goes to work on the arm, but that doesn’t go anywhere. Kawada ends up back in with Kroffat, and beats him with kicks. Five minutes gone.

Kawada and Kroffat have another run, and Kroffat throws Kawada down. He hits a sidekick on Kawada, but then Furnas is in to double team. Furnas ends up running through Fuyuki, though Fuyuki fights off Kroffat on the outside. Fuyuki, and then Kawada, work over Furnas until he hits a dropkick comeback and tags out. Ten minutes gone.

Kawada/Fuyuki take back over, until Fuyuki ends up selling. Cool moment where Furnas catches Fuyuki coming off the top in a bear hug, and then Kroffat comes off another turnbuckle with a clothesline while Fuyuki is still in the bear hug. Good near fall there. Belly to belly for a two count. Kawada in as the house of fire, hitting a thick lariat to take over. We get Kroffat/Kawada again, and Kroffat brawls until he gets a belly-to-belly. Kroffat and Fuyuki end up going back and forth, largely with Kroffat having the advantage. Fifteen minutes gone.

Kawada takes over with stiff offense on Kroffat. Furnas breaks up a double team, sending Fuyuki to the floor. Kawada kicks Furnas for what he’s done, and Kroffat decides to plancha Fuyuki on the outside. Fuyuki gets taken out, and Kroffat finally hot tags out to Furnas. Kawada does really well one on one, but eventually falls victim to double teams. Great near falls on Kawada. Kroffat hits the tiger driver for the win in twenty minutes.

Nothing really sloppy or out of place, but the first fifteen minutes just felt like disjointed segments of “this is what I can do.” There was a Kroffat/Kawada sub-story, but not enough to really carry a match with. First match in a while where I really felt disconnected from it and I’m wondering if it was just me. The last five minutes were really exciting, and I totally go into the double teams, Fuyuki getting taken out, the near falls, and of course the title change. Really not sure how to place this on my ballot. 3 ¼ stars and 6.8/10