FUJIWARASMIRK

On one side of the ring stands Mitsuharu Misawa.

After spending the better part of half a decade trying to be something he’s not, Misawa finally ditched the Tiger Mask persona to the immense approval of the All Japan crowd. He clearly looked more comfortable without the mask , a night and day difference in the quality of both his matches and his individual performances. This led to the Elbow Heard ‘Round The World in May, when Misawa decked company ace Jumbo Tsuruta in the face with one so hard that it send the 6’6″ titan to the floor motionless. From there, a powder keg was set off, an opening salvo to a feud that would serve to immediately revitalize the company in the wake of Genichiro Tenryu’s departure.

On the other side of the ring, of course, stands Jumbo Tsuruta.

Jumbo Tsuruta, arguably, is the best wrestler on the planet. He established himself as the ace of the company eight months prior, when he beat the aforementioned Tenryu for the Triple Crown tite in a rematch to their all-time classic last June. Baba even solidified his standing when they tagged once more, allowing Jumbo’s name to be announced after his own. All this, and yet here comes an incessant gnat in green tights daring to challenge his claim to the throne, and even managing to find a way to hurt him in the process, though momentarily.

Thus, after a series of skirmishes in tag action between the upstart and the would-be king, a singles match between the two is finally set for June 8th. taking top billing over even the Triple Crown title match between Stan Hansen and Terry Gordy.

It’s every bit as great as you either imagine or remember it as.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where these two could have hit it any further out of the park for the story this is trying to tell than they did. Save for an admittedly egregious flub from Misawa––momentarily losing his grip on Jumbo’s arm during a test of strength sequence in a way that breaks suspension of disbelief––these two deliver everything you’d want from such a momentous match.

For Misawa, this match is atypical in that you don’t really associate him with the cocky underdog trope, but he’s great in that role here. He’s quick to try and escalate things, landing cheapshots after rope breaks to try and get under the bigger man’s skin. In addition, he seems to have Tsuruta scouted, such as when he blocks the early backdrop driver and turns it into a crossbdy pin, or when he dropkicks him out of the test of strength spot, sending Jumbo careeing into the ropes.

What’s very typical of Misawa here, though, is the precision of his offense. Everything he does looks both smooth and impactful, from a gorgeous dropkick to the outside early on to a late German suplex, and of course his elbows. He throws these elbows early and often, likely seeing them as a way to neutralize Jumbo given how well they worked the first time around.

For as much as he didn’t take to becoming the next Tiger Mask, that junior-based offense would serve him well in this match and the years to come. He utilizes crisp-looking dropkicks and dives like the frog splash to establish his faster, more aerial maneuvers to serve in contrast with Jumbo’s more methodical, bruising approach.

When Misawa’s taking the beating Jumbo dishes out, he’s still really impressive as well, taking great bumps and really feeding into a crowd that’s incredibly behind him as the underdog with his body language. It’s not exactly Ricky Morton-esque pleading for sympathy, but moreso movements with the intent to convey he’s in danger, but he’s still willing to fight. Given how much he’d take to the stoic, unkillable God of All Japan persona down the line, it’s a remarkably great sympathetic underdog babyface performance from Misawa.

With that being said, it wouldn’t mean anything if Jumbo Tsuruta wasn’t so fantastic in his role as the foil here.

Firstly, mechanically, everything Jumbo does here is incredible. He fucking blasts Misawa with some thunderous lariats, nearly taking his former tag partner’s head off with an early one. All his usual trademark offense, such as his running high knee or big boot to the face, look and feel brutal, and his cutoffs are especially emphatic, such as an elbow smash off of an attmped diving crossbody in the match’s climax.

What really makes his performance so great, though, is the anger boiling up under the surface. As mentioned before, Misawa tempts to get under the big man’s skin, knowing his quick-tempered nature, but Tsuruta does well to not take the bait immediately and leave himself vulnerable. However, there are certain moments where you can tell he takes a certain amount of satisfaction in doling out punishment, such as when he drops his opponent on his face and then stomps on him for good measure. When he takes his kneepad off to drill Misawa in the face with his knee, you can feel the contempt in his movements. While this isn’t the most overt iteration of Grumpy Jumbo, as western fans lovingly refer to him as, you’re likely to see, you can see the disdain written plain as day on his face as he tries to put his junior away.

The key to what makes Jumbo so compelling in this period, to me, is the insecurity at the heart of his character. For someone that should be so sure of himself, a multi-time Triple Crown champion and the top native star of the company, he’s anything but in this Tsuruta-gun/Super Generation feud. It’s not something that’s exactly called attention to in the body of the match, but little moments like him hyping the crowd with his “Oh!” chant or a little nod to himself, as if trying to convince his own mind that he’s good enough to beat this guy, all make him look a little desperate and doubtful of his own abilities.

This is only exacerbated by both the raucous “MI-SA-WA” chants at various points in this bout, but also the fact that he can’t seem to put the guy down for good. Whether it’s a folding powerbomb or a flying knee drop or another vicious lariat, nothing he hits is able to keep Misawa down for the three count. The look of incredulity he gives the ref after one particular nearfall reallly makes the whole thing, a reality coming far too soon that he’s unprepared to deal with. He’s never able to hit his killshot, the backdrop suplex, either because Misawa’s always ready for it even after momentarily looking near the brink of defeat.

The best part, of course, is the finish.

For those unaware, Giant Baba, head of the company, had to be convinced to pull the trigger here and put Misawa over his senior. It’s hard to imagine with how rabid the Yokohama crowd were for him on this night, but it’s in line with his more conservative booking ideology. Regardless, the decision was made on the day of the event, and the finish is all the more fascinating with that knowledge in mind.

After Jumbo crashes and burns on a jumping knee attempt, Misawa goes for a german suplex and Jumbo reverses into a crosbody pin similar to Misawa’s own out of a back suplex attempt at the start. Right at the two count, though, Misawa reverses the pin and, if you look closely, you can see Jumbo literally holding the younger wrestler’s head down in what looks like an attempt to force him to not let go of the pin. It’s a moment I can never unsee since the first time I noticed it, one of the most fascinating details in a finish to a match I consider a true classic.

In one of the most historically significant matches in wrestling history, Mitsuharu Misawa won the battle, as his friends hoist him up on their shoulders. But, rest assured, the war between him and Jumbo Tsuruta would be far from over.

Rating: ****1/2