#29: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW Super Power Series (6/6/1997).
This is for the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
Pretty hot crowd already for this one. This is THE defining rivalry of All Japan Pro Wrestling, not just in the 1990s, but in the entire company's history.
They lock up, and Kawada takes the back quickly. Misawa escapes. Kawada connects with a boot to the face. Big chops from Kawada follow, and then some knees. Forearm exchange in the corner. Misawa hits a nasty back elbow to the ear of Kawada, and then a discus elbow drops Kawada. That exchange looked like a legitimate fight!
Misawa connects with a Tiger Driver on the floor! Misawa starts his forearms up, and Kawada side steps him. A German Suplex drops him on his head. Misawa is right back up, and he gets a big kick to the face. Misawa blocks another kick with his arm, and it looks pretty dreadful. Kawada locks an armbar in now. He unloads with some nasty kicks to the arm.
Kawada tries for another armbar, and Misawa escapes. He tries for more forearms, and Kawada gets the armbar locked in again. He drops his knee to the arm. On the outside of the ring, Kawada sends Misawa arm first into the steel barricade. He kicks him over into the fans. He then sends him arm first into the barricade again. An axe kick to the extended arm of Misawa from Kawada next.
Kawada drops his knees to the arm again, and tries for the armbar. Misawa decks him with a forearm, but he injures himself in the process. Misawa gets a face crank locked in. Multiple forearms by Misawa, and a dropkick to the back. A German Suplex drops Kawada on his fucking head. Ouch. He's up and gets forearmed immediately. He responds with one of his own to Misawa.
Big clothesline by Kawada gets a 2 count. A flipping heel kick catches Misawa in the throat. Ouch. Misawa counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Kawada then sends his knee into Misawa's face. Kawada hits the powerbomb and Misawa somehow kicks out. Kawada connects with a back suplex, and Misawa gets spiked on his head. My God.
An axe kick to Misawa's back. He powerbombs Misawa on the floor, and the thud is absolutely sickening. Kawada connects with Kawada Kicks in the ring. Misawa fights back with some forearms. Kawada slaps the shit out of him. Misawa catches a spin kick and slaps Kawada. A spinning kick knocks Kawada down. The Tiger Driver connects, and Kawada kicks out. Misawa dives off the top, and Kawada kicks him in the face on the way down.
A back suplex spikes Misawa again! And another, right after. Motherfucker. Kawada gets the Stretch Plum locked in. Kawada tries and fails to get the powerbomb off, but Misawa is able to fight it off. He then simply collapses. Misawa flips out of another powerbomb attempt, but Kawada lariats the hell out of the back of his head. Another back suplex, and guess what? Another fucking head spike.
Brain buster by Kawada connects flush, and he goes into an Arm Triangle Choke. Another back suplex, and another spike. Man, Misawa is getting his shit rocked tonight. But he's right back up like nothing's happened! He decks Kawada with a forearm. Another forearm exchange, and big counters from both men. Misawa with a standing shotgun dropkick to the face. Misawa hits the Tiger Suplex, and Kawada kicks out.
Misawa hits a German Suplex, and Kawada lands on the side of his head. He's up and Misawa pops another one off. A running kick to the face - or neck - by Kawada. Misawa avoids a boot and forearms Kawada. Tiger Suplex connects, followed by a discus elbow to the back of the head. Another German Suplex gets a 2 count. Misawa goes for a running forearm, and Kawada simply collapses.
Kawada comes back with hard slaps to the neck. Misawa with forearms next. One drops Kawada and another! That gets the absolute thinnest of two counts. A German Suplex connects from Misawa, and that's enough for the 3. That was excellent and violent. At times, it was a masterpiece. At others, it felt a bit excessive. I think it went about 5 minutes too long, because after that, it was almost dragging along. Also, all the goddamn head drops to Misawa was ridiculous. Honestly, how this man lived longer than he did is a miracle.
Still, this felt like a true struggle between two bitter rivals. The excessiveness keeps me from liking it more than the 1994 bout. I do think Kawada should've won here. He kicked Misawa's ass.