#27: Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue, AJPW Super Power Series (5/21/1994).
This is for the AJPW World Tag Team Championships.
I thoroughly enjoyed their legendary encounter from 1995, and according to Cagematch - which is good or bad, depending on your perspective - this is their second best tag match together.
Kobashi and Kawada start things off, as the crowd is hot for both men, it seems. They shoulder tackle each other and neither one gives. Kawada shakes his head in disgust. Kobashi connects with a diving shoulder tackle. Misawa is in, and Taue tags in as well. Misawa hits a dropkick. He controls the arm of Taue, then does a standing senton.
Kobashi comes in with a powerslam, followed by a leg drop that would make Hulk Hogan blush. He cranks the neck of Taue and digs his knee into the back. Kawada is in now and he kicks the shit out of Kobashi's face. Kawada then just kicks Misawa in the face, and knocks him off the apron for good measure. A Half Crab follows, and Misawa comes in and Kawada just steps off.
Taue connects with a leg drop. Big chops from Kawada. Another boot to Misawa! What a total prick. Misawa breaks up an abdominal stretch by forearming Kawada straight to Hell. He tags in, and gets a dropkick off. Kawada boots him, and Misawa connects with a standing spin kick. Snap mare by Misawa, and straight into a chinlock. Misawa blocks a boot and pops a forearm off.
Kobashi is in with hard chops and a diving shoulder tackle. Chop exchange between he and Kawada ends with one to Kawada's neck. Kobashi hits a powerslam, then a jumping splash from the apron from Misawa. Misawa goes for a back elbow off the middle rope, and Kawada kicks his back instead. Taue lifts Misawa up for a suplex, and just sends him halfway across the ring. An abdominal stretch follows.
Kawada locks a stretch in now, and he clotheslines Kobashi when he tries to break it up. Misawa hits a spin kick to Taue. Kawada kicks the shit out of Kobashi's hamstrings. On the outside, Taue drops Kobashi knee first onto one of the ringside tables. And those tables didn't break in the 1990s. Taue then slams the knee into the mat. Kawada has an almost standing knee bar locked in. He pulls the kneepad down and stomps on it, then drops his own knee on it.
Taue locks on the Sharpshooter. Kawada stretches Kobashi's back, knee and shoulder at once. Half Crab by Taue and Misawa comes in to break it up. Despite the crowd cheering for Kobashi to escape, they boo Misawa. Taue tries for a back suplex, and Kobashi chops his head. Kawada is back in and sends Misawa to the floor again! What a total dick. He and Taue hit a double suplex to Kobashi. He fighst back and kicks Kawada's knee out! A jumping knee, and elbows from Misawa to Kawada.
Another one drops him and he sends Taue off the apron. Misawa with a tope to the outside onto Taue. Kobashi beats Kawada up at ringside. Misawa hits the Tiger Driver on Kawada, and he kicks out at 2. Taue drops Misawa face and chest first on the top rope. Kobashi comes in to help slow Taue down. And Taue just kicks his leg out. Kawada nails quick chops to the side of Misawa's neck.
Stretch Plum is escaped by Misawa, who eats a boot and blocks an enziguri. Big forearms and Kawada kicks next. Misawa simply raises himself up slowly, and stares a hole at Kawada. Big forearm exchange between the two. Spinning kick right to the temple of Kobashi. Running boot from Taue to Kobashi. Kobashi then chops the shit out of Taue. He then switches to throat chops. Taue explodes with a shoulder tackle.
Kobashi hits a DDT and punches his hurt knee to find some feeling. A leg drop follows, and he connects with a moonsault. He unfortunately hurts his knee on the way down. A diving corkscrew clothesline from Misawa to Taue. Misawa puts a neck crank on, and Kobashi puts a sleeper hold on Kawada. He escapes and Kobashi grapevines his legs around the midsection.
Kawada clotheslines Kobashi on the outside. Taue pops off a suplex from the top rope. Huge lariat out of the corner to Misawa from Kawada. Back suplex sees Misawa land on the back of his fucking head. Taue chokeslams Kobashi. Kawada with a powerbomb to Misawa, and that gets a nearfall. Kobashi breaks up another powerbomb pin attempt from Kawada. Kobashi clotheslines Kawada. Discus forearm to Kawada by Misawa.
Kobashi tags in and Kawada immediately dropkicks the leg out from under him. Kobashi with some kicks to his hamstrings, followed by a back suplex. Misawa knocks Kawada off the apron, and Kobashi hits Taue with a German Suplex that gets a razor close 2 count. They double team Taue. Misawa connects with a Tiger Driver, and Kawada breaks up the pinfall.
Kobashi hits a powerslam to Taue, and a moonsault! Taue kicks out again! Taue avoids another moonsault. Kawada hits a back suplex. He sends Misawa to the outside. Taue hits a back suplex that gets a 2 count. German Suplex by Misawa to Kawada. Taue with a chokeslam to Kobashi. Misawa breaks up that pin attempt. Misawa with another German to Kawada. Kobashi powerbombs Taue for a nearfall. Another powerslam and a moonsault to Taue, and that's enough to finally get the 3!
That was an awesome match, and was totally different from the one they'd have in 1995. The crowd was molten for the entirety of it. Each man hit hard, and took crazy bumps. Kobashi sold the leg really well. And the confrontations between Misawa and Kawada were awesome, as their legendary 6/3/94 match was weeks away. Highly recommend.