This review is dedicated to the memories of Tomomi "Jumbo" Tsuruta, Mike "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand, John Tenta and Joe "Road Warrior Animal" Laurinaitis. R.I.P.
NWA United National Heavyweight Title (vacant): Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ricky Steamboat, AJPW Excite Series 1984 Night 12, Kuramae Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan, February 23, 1984
Historical Background: Sadly, the title was vacant due to David Von Erich's death 13 days earlier. The title would later become part of the All Japan Triple Crown Championship.
They circle each other and Steamboat offers a handshake but Tenryu declines. They tie up and Tenryu powers Steamboat into the corner. Steamboat raises his arms and we get a clean break. They tie up again and Tenryu gets a side headlock. Into the ropes and Steamboat sends Tenryu into the ropes. They do a couple of criss-crosses ending when Tenryu chops Steamboat. Steamboat gets up and Tenryu goes for an Enzuigiri but Steamboat blocks it, to the surprise of the crowd. Clipped to Tenryu holding Steamboat on the mat with a headscissors. After a few minutes, Steamboat pops out and locks on the Figure Four Leglock. Tenryu reverses it, but Steamboat reverses that and they roll to the ropes and out to the apron. They fall to the floor, still in the Leglock. The referee has to release Tenryu from the hold. Both guys get up and Tenryu gets back in the ring first. Tenryu chops Steamboat and gets a side headlock, but Steamboat turns it into a Backdrop Suplex. Steamboat hits a big chop on Tenryu, dropping Tenryu to his knees. Tenryu gets up and Steamboat chops him again. He tries for a third time but Tenryu ducks and knocks Steamboat down with a big chop of his own. Tenryu hits Steamboat, grabs his head and looks to smash Steamboat's head into the turnbuckle but Steamboat gets his boot up to block it. Steamboat smashes Tenryu's head into the turnbuckle. Steamboat grabs a side headlock but Tenryu powers Ricky all the way across the ring into the opposite corner. They exchange chops for a bit. Back into the middle of the ring and Steamboat hits a Swinging Neckbreaker. It gets 2. Steamboat knees Tenryu in the head and follows with a Snapmare and a Rolling Necksnap. Tenryu responds with a Jackknife Pin for 2. Tenryu whips Steamboat into the ropes and Steamboat goes for a Sunset Flip but Tenryu sits down for 2. Steamboat turns it into a Boston Crab. Tenryu powers out into a pin for 2 and Steamboat escapes that for a pin attempt of his own. Criss-cross, Tenryu drops down and they collide. Both guys up, Tenryu chops Steamboat and hits a Gutwrench Suplex. It gets 2. Tenryu whips Steamboat into the ropes and Steamboat counters with an inside cradle for 2. Steamboat whips Tenryu into the ropes, Tenryu leapfrogs Steamboat and hits the Enzuigiri. Steamboat gets his foot on the rope before the 3. Tenryu gets a Vertical Suplex and goes for a Top Rope Back Elbow, but Steamboat rolls out of the way. Steamboat climbs up and hits the Flying Bodypress. It gets 2. Steamboat whips Tenryu into the ropes and goes for a chop but Tenryu catches the arm and turns it into a Koji Clutch for the pin and the title! ***1/2.
Steamboat raises Tenryu's hand, Tenryu gets the belt and some trophies and is interviewed.
While both guys had bigger and better things waiting for them in the years to come, this was a good, solid match between two future all-time greats.
You can watch this match here.
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The Road Warriors (w/Precious Paul Ellering) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta and John Tenta, AJPW Super Power Series 1987 Night 20, Fukuoka International Center, Fukuoka, Japan, June 8, 1987
The Road Warriors were the NWA International Tag Team Champions, one half of what would become the All Japan World Tag Team Titles, though this match appears to be non-title from what I've found. Tenta was still in his rookie year, having debuted a month earlier at AJPW All Japan vs. Japan Pro vs. International Army: Three Army Opposition Champions Night - Night 1, May 1, 1987, two years before he became Earthquake in WWE, and he's downright skinny here compared to how he would be two years later.
Tsuruta and Tenta get introduced first. "Iron Man" hits, with the LOD and Ellering as usual running to the ring. Animal and Tsuruta start. Tsuruta looks to tie up and Animal kicks him in the gut and power press slams him and drops an elbow. Animal powers Tsuruta into the corner and hits him and then sends him to the opposite corner but Tsuruta gets the boot up before Animal could do anything. Tsuruta bursts out of the corner and clotheslines Animal for 2. Tsuruta rolls out to the floor but Hawk catches him and throws him over the guardrail! Hawk picks up Tsuruta and rolls him back into the ring. Animal whips Tsuruta into the ropes and hits the flying shoulderblock. Animal picks up Tsuruta and twists Tsuruta's arm while tagging in Hawk. Hawk comes off the second rope with a punch to the arm. Hawk holds Tsuruta's arm but Tsuruta tags in Tenta. They tie up, clean break. Again. Again. Another tie-up and Hawk grabs a headlock. Tenta whips Hawk into the ropes and Hawk comes off with a shoulderblock, but Tenta stays standing. Again. Hawk dropkicks Tenta, who bounces off the ropes and comes up with a dropkick of his own. Hawk kicks Tenta in the stomach and slams him. Hawk climbs to the second rope and tries coming off but gets caught in a bearhug. Quake turns it into a Belly-to-Belly Suplex for 1. Both guys up, and Hawk whips Tenta into the ropes and they do the double-clothesline spot. Hawk up first and he tags in Animal. Animal powers Tenta over to his corner where he tags in Tsuruta. Tsuruta holds Animal by his arms and Tenta gets in some shots. Tsuruta grabs Animal's leg and trips him and locks on a legbar. Animal reverses the hold, forcing Tsuruta to break. Animal takes down Tsuruta by his leg and tags in Hawk. Hawk ties up the legs and goes for something that is almost but not quite a Sharpshooter. Tenta breaks up the hold. Hawk grabs a headlock and tags in Animal. Animal kicks Tsuruta in the gut again and slams him again, but this time he misses the elbow. Tsuruta tags in Tenta, who kicks Animal in the gut. Tenta slams Animal but misses the elbow drop. Animal whips Tenta off the ropes and powerslams him. Animal tags in Hawk and they hit The Midnight Express' Rocket Launcher on Tenta. Animal cuts off Tsuruta as the ref counts to three at 4:46. All action, bell to bell. ****.
Just a lot of fun all around. Tsuruta was awesome, the LOD were on fire and you get to see how good Tenta was even as a rookie.
You can watch the match here.