Puroresu Show Reviews

I recently had the chance to watch this tape in it's entirety all over again the other day, and it's still an awesome tape to add to anyone's tape collection! Highlighted by an incredible Triple Crown title match that was voted Match of the Year by Wrestling Observer, and a great tag title match between BURNING and the Holy Demon Army!

Mitsuharu Misawa & Jinsei Shinzaki VS Kenta Kobashi & Takao Omori (10/24/98)
- Highlights of this tag match to hype the upcoming Triple Crown match between Kobashi and Misawa. Clipped down, so not much is shown. But the reigning Triple Crown champion Kobashi nails Misawa with a rare Burning Hammer to pin the then company ace. I won't rate this match since it was clipped down alot.

All Japan Triple Crown Title (10/31/98)
Mitsuharu Misawa VS Kenta Kobashi
After all this time, this is STILL one of my all time favourite classic matches! A great back and forth bout with good strikes thrown, good mat work and some insanely painfull looking big spots, including Misawa delivering a very dangerous Tiger Driver to Kobashi off the apron to the floor! And Misawa's Tiger Driver '91! As well as the usual goodness from Kobashi's half-nelsons and sleeper suplexes! This 45-minute classic is a must have for anyone into awesome, no-BS, high-impact modern pro-wrestling matches! A great showcase of two of the greatest modern day pro wrestlers of our time and it's no wonder this match was voted 1998 Puroresu Match of the Year!
Match Rating: *****

All Japan Double Tag Titles (10/11/98)
Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama VS Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue
Team BURNING VS The Holy Demon Army. What more do I need to say about two of the greatest tag teams in the world EVER? This was another awesome encounter between these two rival teams with the usual tag greatness associated with the four men involved.
Match Rating: ****

Jinsei Shinzaki VS Mitsuharu Misawa (10/11/98)
This was decent, despite the slow pace of the match. You could probably consider it a standard "by the numbers" match, with Shinzaki trying to take down the ace of All Japan. Best spot of the match was when Shinzaki did an incredible dive off the top onto Misawa in the crowd, taking out the first three rows of seats! Misawa made Shinzaki look good, taking alot of his kicks and strikes, even the Praying Powerbomb, but at the end of the day, Misawa prevailed with his patented Tiger Driver.
Match Rating: ***

Overall: Even after all this time, this is still a great tape to get for the Triple Crown match alone! Definately recommended for collectors of the classics, or newbies wanting to find out what the fuss over the Misawa/Kobashi feud was all about.

Labels: AJPW