What's the story, champions of counterfeit challenging?!
We're starting to get some motivation back, slowly but surely, as I dig around my media server to find matches to watch this week. I was feeling like watching some Stan Hansen this week and happened to find a rather historically significant match by complete happenstance! What luck!
Let's see how this match shakes out, yeah?
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| AJPW |
Here's what I watched for the week;
The Wrestling Vault Gallery
Recently, I've realized that I have quite the collection of random wrestling photos. Some cool, some dumb and funny, a few rare ones and others in pretty common circulation. I felt like sharing my photos for all to see and, for a while, I considered using my Instagram page that has nothing else going on right now, but opted against that. No real reason, I just didn't really want to use Instagram and try to play around with the algorithm on there. Instead, I did some digging and found a website that works for me for my image hosting needs.
Zonerama was the site I eventually landed on, and I created the Wrestling Vault Gallery, linked at the top of the blog next to "The Collection." I'll be updating this album semi often as I find new photos around the web, so check in on it here and there to see what new stuff I've found.
If you happen to be the owner of any of the images in the gallery and want them removed, please contact me via email, CliffMorganWSTL@gmail.com and I will be happy to fulfill your request.
| Match | Show | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Stan Hansen | AJPW Champion Carnival 1989 - Day 21 | 04/18/1989 |
• • • • •
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Basic Breakdown
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| From left to right; PWF, NWA Int'l, NWA United |
During this era, All Japan's main title was the PWF Heavyweight Title, the PWF abbreviation standing for Pacific Wrestling Federation. Previously a world title, it took a step down to regional status when All Japan joined the National Wrestling Alliance, thereby giving them access to the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship as well as the two other titles that would eventually go on to become crowns two and three of the All Japan triple crown.
A title still recognized to this day, many consider the AJPW Triple Crown to be the most prestigious championship in history. Held by some of the greatest to ever step between the ropes, it's hard to find a bad Triple Crown match during the first decade of its inception, with the Four Pillars of Heaven trading the title back and forth for years and helping to elevate the gold to near mythic status.
It's difficult to keep any championship prestigious for it's entire lifetime, and it can be easily argued that once NOAH was formed and AJPW was robbed of it's biggest names, the title started to struggle, as did the company. However, it's early years created a solid foundation to work from, with the title still treated with respect and reverence, almost 40 years later. The history books would have looked at this title a whole lot different had it's early years not been as successful as they were, with this match playing an important part in establishing the importance of this gold.
Bell To Bell
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| The fight to create the richest prize. AJPW |
This match was an interesting watch, honestly. Having watched a handful of All Japan matches at this point, you start to figure out how the shows work, how the wrestlers and referee's act, things just sort of make sense. This match had a few things that caught my attention, however. Right off the bat, you can see John Tenta, better known as WWF's "Earthquake" in the corner of Jumbo as this match starts off. Wrestling earlier on the same card in a losing effort to Haruka Eigen & Motoshi Okuma alongside his partner Shunji Takano, Tenta spent the first three years of his career almost exclusively with All Japan, wrestling primarily in tag matches. It's nice to see a familiar face in the opening moments here. Rest easy, John. You are missed.
Also, it's kinda funny to watch how each wrestler handles the "formalities" that come with a match like this one. There are children in the centre of the ring with bouquets of flowers, set to present them to the competitors. 3 go to Tsuruta, and another 3 go to Hansen. Jumbo accept the flowers and nods to each child, handing them off to one of his cornermen on the apron. Hansen, on the other hand, takes the flowers and simply dumps them over the top rope, trusting one of his cornermen will catch them, barely giving the children the time of day. That damn dirty heel!
Slow to start, Hansen paces the ring before pushing in for a lockup, immediately sending Tsuruta to the ropes. A chop lands, and Jumbo fires back with one of his own, not letting the brawling Texan get the better of him in the early moments. Another lockup allows Hansen to snatch a headlock, but Tsuruta backs Hansen to the ropes this time, shooting him off and catching him with a back elbow off the rebound. It's a stiff, short shot, with Jumbo following Hansen right to the ropes, giving his foe little distance to clear before he crashes face firs into the elbow pad.
Rising quickly from the canvas, Hansen measures Tsuruta from his knees, realizing he'll need to be more tactical than previously anticipated to best his foe. Opting for a knuckle lock in the centre this time, Hansen looks to go for the double, but instead twists and rips at the left arm of Tsuruta, wrapping it around the top rope before clubbing at the shoulder over and over again. Releasing himself from his grasp, Tsuruta fires back with more chops, with Hansen bellowing at the referee to back him up, feeling he was being held unfairly against the ropes. Funny how the rules matter when they benefit him, isn't it?
Back to a lockup, Tsuruta snatches the left arm of Hansen quickly, an attempt to isolate the lariat arm of "The Lariat." Dropping to the canvas, he rolls Hansen down with a double wristlock and traps his head between his legs. Releasing the double wristlock, Tsuruta rises into a high pushup position, putting an extra squeeze on the head of Hansen, who twists and rolls when Jumbo lays back down to try and wrench himself free of the grip. Pushim himself around until he's able to get to his knees, Hansen is able to pull Tsuruta around for a pinfall attempt, but Jumbo gets free quite easily at one, pulling Hansen back down. It's a pretty simple philosophy here, you control the head, you control the body.
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| Like wrestling King Kong. AJPW |
Using his kneeling position, Hansen thinks on his feet, or his knees, I suppose, popping himself up off the canvas before driving his knee into the gut of Jumbo twice, breaking the hold rather quickly. From his feet, he drops an elbow across the chest of Tsuruta, rolling around his torso to snag him in a front facelock, but Jumbo slips to the apron in an attempt to break the hold. Refusing to break the hold until the count of 4, Jumbo is already stood on the floor by the time the hold is broken, with Hansen getting in the face of the referee to reassure him that he did, in fact, break at 4.
Stalking the ropes, Hansen watches Tsuruta get back inside the ring, ducking a lockup attempt and going for a single leg takedown, ditching the leg once Tsuruta is flat out and dropping for a headlock. Wasting no time, Jumbo snags the head of Hansen with his legs again, loosening his grip and squeezing his head again. Twisting around on the canvas, Hansen makes it to the ropes, tying himself up in an obvious gesture to tell the referee to break the hold. Resetting in the middle, a lockup gives Jumbo the chance to get a headlock this time, squeezing on the already damaged head of Hansen, who previously seemed to adjust his equilibrium after standing, the damage to his ears apparent.
Switching stances quickly, Tsuruta gets a cravat and wrenches it in, able to twist the burly Texan to the canvas. Again, you control the head, you control the body, it really doesn't matter if you are 150 pounds or 350 pounds, the body goes where the head goes. Wrenching and squeezing, Hansen has to kick out of pin attempts made by the tightness of the cravat, trying to rip Tsuruta off him by snagging his chin and rolling with the pressure of the cravat. He is able to break the grip and quickly rises to his feet, again dropping the knee, but this across the face and throat of Jumbo.
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| There's no escape! AJPW |
Pulling his foe to his feet, Hansen effortlessly tossed Tsuruta to the floor, following him out and assaulting him on the outside with a kick and a vicious chop that reverberates off the walls of the Ota Ward Gymnasium. Sending Jumbo face first in the ring post, Hansen tosses his victim back inside the ring, attempting a cover before snatching a chinlock when he escapes at two. Switching tactics, Hansen clobbers Jumbo's chest with sledgehammer-like forearm shots over and over, covering him for a pin but Tsuruta gets free at two.
Not letting him get far, Hansen snatches a front facelock once again, beckoning for the referee to ask Tsuruta if he submits. Now, I'll admit, I've only seen few Stan Hansen matches, but not often do I remember him talking during his matches. He's certainly never quiet, but hearing him speak is a bit weird to me, honestly. Regardless, Tsuruta is able to get to his feet and force Hansen back first into the corner. Hansen fights back with a forearm across the back, with Tsuruta coming back with one of his own, catching his foe in the chin. They trade shots out of the corner for a moment, with Hansen ripping Tsuruta down with a snapmare before dropping an elbow across his shoulder to get a deep, deep headlock.
Hansen is able to pull Tsuruta down with the headlock for multiple pin attempts, but Jumbo is able to keep his shoulders up to survive. Changing tactics again, Hansen releases his grip and rises to his feet, driving his knee into the head of Jumbo over and over again, who responds with a nasty chop to the chest of Hansen, rocking him like a gunshot.
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| Just brutal. AJPW |
With Hansen backed to the corner now, Jumbo boots him down to a knee, but Hansen fights his way vertical and chops Tsuruta around the ring. A whip attempt is made by Hansen, with Jumbo reversing and landing his signature jumping knee strike to the head of Hansen, dropping him instantly! A cover is made, but he gets free and rolls to the apron, escaping the kicks of Tsuruta. This time, it's Jumbo who follows Hansen to the floor, tossing him head first into the ring post and clobbering him in the back with forearm shots.
With both men back inside the ring, a mule kick doubles Tsuruta over hard inside the ring and a forearm shot rocks him long enough for Hansen to shoot Jumbo across the ring to the opposing corner. Charging in elbow first, Hansen nearly turns Jumbo into paste, but he shifts to the side just in time to leave Hansen to crash land in an empty pool, soaring over the top rope to the floor.
Leaping off the apron, a knee catches Hansen between the shoulder blades and a series of heavy double-axehandle strikes further soften up the back of Hansen. Jumbo is back inside the ring as Hansen crawl inside, using the ropes to pull himself to a knee, only for Tsuruta to help him - in a matter of speaking. Ripping Hansen off the canvas, he drops him with a heavy bodyslam, the Texan bouncing off the canvas before Jumbo covers, holding tight even after the first kickout, forcing Hansen to work double hard to get out of a second cover. With Jumbo's strikes shifting from the middle of Hansen's back to his left flank, Hansen is bent to his left as he stands, favouring the ribs to try and protect them further.
Backed into the corner, Hansen fights Jumbo off, catching him with a boot under the jaw to drop his foe, almost dismissively. But Jumbo gives him no time to recover, firing up from his knees with a forearm shot to the ribs, zeroing in on Hansen's weakspot further with an abdominal stretch. Saving himself from being held in a compromising position for too long, Hansen drops his ass, forcing Tsuruta to bear more of Hansen's weight than anticipated as his legs given out from under him, both men falling into the ropes. Before breaking the hold, Jumbo lays in further punishment to the torso of Hansen with clubbing forearm shots.
Rolling back to the floor, Hansen does a lap to catch his breath, opening the barricade to march out into the crowd, fans within 10 feet of him leaving their seats for fear of the wild Texan lashing out in frustration. Following him into the crowd, Jumbo challenges him, only for the brawl to lead back to the apron, with Hansen eating the ringpost face first again. Back between the ropes, a kneeling Hansen lays into Tsuruta with a heavy-handed chop to the chest, with kicks out of the corner dropping Jumbo, giving Hansen a chance to catch his breath. A chop from Hansen forces Jumbo to respond not with a single-handed chop, but a series of two-handed chops! Doubling down on the damage, he backs Hansen to the corner again, stomping him when he falls to his ass.
Pulling Hansen up, he shoots him into the corner and charges in for a jumping knee shot, but Hansen dodges the shot, with Jumbo's knee crashing into the top corner pad. Acting quickly, Hansen snatches a waistlock and rips Jumbo up with a vicious back suplex, stacking him high on his neck. Slowly, Hansen is able to roll him over for a cover, but Tsuruta gets free at two. Rolling Tsuruta back to his stomach, Hansen drops knees across the back of his head and covers again, but Jumbo still gets free.
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| Watch your back! AJPW |
Backing himself to the corner, Hansen drops the kneepad and marches out, dropping a nasty kneedrop to the forehead of Tsuruta, bone-on-bone. Rolling to the floor, Jumbo is desperate for reprieve, but Hansen grants him none, fighting out to the floor through the cornermen to charge in with a running elbow shot to the forehead of Tsuruda , backing him into the barricade. His head now leaking crimson, Jumbo staggers around the ring as Hansen brandishes a chair, catching Jumbo in the back and the head as the referee manages to restore order, robbing Hansen of the chair as he rolls back inside the ring.
With Jumbo on the apron, Hansen drives him face first into the metal turnbuckles. further opening the would created between his foe's eyes. A suplex from the apron returns Jumbo to the confines of the ring, and a cover is made, with Tsuruta surviving at two. Firmly in control, Hansen drops him on his head with a piledriver before landing another kneedrop for another quick cover, but it's still only good enough for two. Fighting up to his knees, Jumbo catches a series of boots to the face, with Hansen shooting him off the ropes and catching him with a back elbow of his own. A fist drop from the middle rope is zero'd in on the crimson bullseye, with the referee yelling at Hansen, in perfect English, to "watch the fist!" I can't ever recall these All Japan referee's speaking English, so this caught me off guard.
A cover is made again, and again, Jumbo survives. With another whip across the ring, Hansen lands a jumping knee to the face of Tsuruta, using his own arsenal against him. A massive elbow drop across the chest and throat would have sent a mortal man's innards outwards, but Tsuruta survives the blow and escapes a pin. Knees and fists rock a barely vertical Jumbo, with Hansen adjusting his elbow pad to call for the lariat. Charging with wild speed, he tries to take Tsuruta's head off but misses, colliding with the ropes and falling backwards off the impact. Desperate, Jumbo catches the legs of Hansen and holds him down for a flash pin, the referee counting three! Jumbo does it!
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| Not quite as accurate! AJPW |
Hansen is on his feet in seconds, shocked he was held down for the final pin, dropping an elbow across the chest of a prone Jumbo before laying into him with rapid punches to the head. He further lays into Jumbo with kicks as he tries to escape the ring, with some of the cornermen inside the ring now to tend to Jumbo, catching strays from Hansen as his rage cannot be contained. One is thrown to the floor, with another nearly cleaved in half from a lariat. The bell is rang frantically to try and break up the melee, with Hansen finally rolling to the floor before marching through the crowd to return to the back, content with his moral victory, even if it wasn't a win on paper.
Inside the ring, Jumbo is helped to his feet as he celebrates with his newly won hardware, the first ever AJPW Triple Crown Champion. It may not have been officially recognized as the triple crown upon Jumbo's victory here, but from this night own, these three titles would never exist as separate entities again, their lineage would be forever intertwined.
Match Time: 17:53
I quite enjoyed this match! While it may not be either man's magnum opus and may not quite live up to the historical significance that the crowning of the first ever Triple Crown Champion maybe could have, or should have had, it was still rather enjoyable. Not quite a Hansen hard-hitting brawl and battle for survival the whole way through, Jumbo did need to fight his way out of disaster once his head was opened up. Perhaps if that stretch of the match went on a bit longer and they spent less time "wrestling", it would be better received, a crazy concept, I know. But when you consider Hansen became famous for beating people senseless, and Jumbo was no slouch in the striking department, these two could have had a great slugfest in there, but instead opted to keep things grounded for a good portion of the match. Not to say that the fundamentals don't matter, I literally just wrote a review praising those that tend to the fundamentals, but when each man excels at swinging like their life depends on it, I kinda expected a bit more of that. Regardless, this was a great match.
• • • • •
Until next week. Be well, stay safe, and love one another.
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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