Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta
06/08/1990
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
(reviewed 03/23/2024) It’s easy to look at the result of this match and conclude that this must be where Mitsuharu Misawa became The Man but you’d be wrong. In reality it’s something much more nuanced and all the better for that fact. This is merely Misawa’s first uneasy step toward that goal and a match that repeatedly illustrates how, in the here and now as well as for a few more years yet, Jumbo Tsuruta is the ace of All Japan.
That’s apparent even before the match starts. In comments made after their Korakuen Hall showdown, footage of which aired earlier in the week, Misawa makes a vague, inoffensive vow to defeat Jumbo whereas the veteran levels a much more direct threat:
“I’ll repay this debt. I’ll crush you.”
When the mealymouthed Misawa takes control of this match, it’s generally by cunning and indirect means. Jumbo is often able to predict Misawa’s initial move or first feint but not his second, in large part because the younger man is so much speedier than the superheavyweight. Misawa comes at him from unfamiliar angles, which I interpret less as a deliberate strategy and more like a happy accident for a new main eventer out of his depth. After an early flurry of highflying moves leaves Jumbo reeling on the floor, Misawa is unsure of how to progress, applying listless, ineffective holds that allow the veteran to take over. He’s visibly nervous in a way we haven’t seen him be throughout this review series, hands slipping from a wristlock when Jumbo tries reversing the hold. When Jumbo finally makes it the ropes Misawa simply slaps him a few times, only drawing the ire of this veteran who, as soon as they lock up again, hits him with a series of knees that actually keep the kid down. Misawa might have quick feet and some slick moves but, within the story of this match, he can’t exert his will in the same way as his experienced opponent.
Even as Misawa fumbles away his control segments Jumbo gives him everything. His knees buckle and bend, he clings to the ropes to steady himself, he whips his full head of smart salaryman hair around to sell every shot Misawa throws at him, a performer in the prime of his career. Even his own offense takes it out of him; see the big man sucking wind after he hits a powerbomb, clutching his elbow after he cuts off the diving headbutt. Still, when Jumbo takes control he does so in a firm, straightforward manner. Even as he becomes increasingly desperate, dropping Misawa throat-first across the top rope in a great reversal toward the end of the match, Jumbo’s reversals are much more direct; he’s not weaving in and out of moves like Misawa does but rather booting the guy in the face or else stumbling backwards into whatever presents itself. This distinguishes him from Misawa not just in style but in experience and demeanor, illustrating that if—when—the younger man beats him, it’ll be a fluke, another lucky break.
If that eventual win is a fluke, it still feels earned because it comes as a progression. Misawa only wins when he’s finally as direct as Jumbo is: stepping aside from the dropkick, pressing the advantage, reversing the backdrop reversal he’d applied earlier in the match. He sees what Jumbo’s doing and, instead of flying around every which way to confuse the veteran, simply stops him in his tracks. Budokan can’t hardly believe it. The crowd’s shocked silence finally coalesces into unrepentant joy as Spartan X hits, confirming what they could only hope was true.
It may have ended with a mere rollup reversal but Jumbo is still spent after the match. He lists painfully to the side as he exits the ring, hand at his abdomen, an old ironclad chugging back to the port with an ugly gash blown open in its hull. He was the better man for most of the match but what does that matter now as he clutches at Rusher Kimura’s arm to stay upright, practically being carried to the back. This loss was a fluke, yes, but how long until it isn’t? How long can he hold Misawa back?
HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO SHAWN MICHAELS VS THE UNDERTAKER FROM WM25: If HBK/Taker tells a story it’s little more than “man, WrestleMania is really cool.” I might not mind that if they weren’t so obnoxious in their telling of it. In any case it’s not nearly the story of this young superstar finally squeaking past the top guy against all odds, changing the course of both their careers forever.
VERDICT: Slightly better than Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker from WrestleMania 25
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