All-Japan Pro Wrestling Appreciation Thread

[Seth82]

seems like All-Japan put out some of the best matches during the 1980's and 1990's yet most here probably haven't seen alot of them

I love alot of the great All-Japan matches and am a fan of the promotion

here are a few favorite matches

the legendary Jack Brisco versus Jumbo Tsuruta for the NWA World title on Janurary 30th 1974
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpT4PGu-0c4?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpT4PGu-0c4?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

The British Bulldogs vs Tiger Jeet Singh/Abdullah The Butcher from 1989
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WKFYC0cJhSw?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WKFYC0cJhSw?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Nick Bockwinkel/Blackjack Lanza vs Terry Funk/Dory Funk Jr
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sOg11LXw6yw?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sOg11LXw6yw?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Dory Funk Jr/Terry Funk vs Giant Baba/Jumbo Tsuruta from December 1977
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RW6Es9B9feg?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RW6Es9B9feg?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Brother vs Brother - Dory Funk Jr vs Terry Funk from April 30 1981
-the only time these two ever faced each other
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_iUlLd8vBd8?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_iUlLd8vBd8?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SdtFr6YPCGc?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SdtFr6YPCGc?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jteYDuz6Mzw?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jteYDuz6Mzw?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QaIMiDoOyMk?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QaIMiDoOyMk?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ENR4AigzyiE?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ENR4AigzyiE?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Dr Death Steve Williams vs Kenta Kobashi from Sept. 3rd 1993
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6AsjhRd9JHU?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6AsjhRd9JHU?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Hiroshi Hase vs Kenta Kobashi from Aug. 26th 1997
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0YD1cJUcXzI?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0YD1cJUcXzI?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Misawa from June 8th 1990
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YsydlB1IpU0?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YsydlB1IpU0?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Bruiser Brody/Stan Hansen vs Harley Race/Dick Slater from Dec. 2nd 1982
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aVhs6-byx_g?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aVhs6-byx_g?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RC0mLgCEeis?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RC0mLgCEeis?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

[DLVH84]

AJPW was great. When I heard of the NOAH exodus back in 2000, I was shocked.

Giant Baba was a great wrestler and a great promoter, and very unselfish, as he would step back and move down the card, and give guys like Jumbo Tsuruta and Mitsuharu Misawa the chance to shine as big stars.

The only drawback Baba had was giving Johnny Ace a job as a booker and not knowing that his wife was having an affair with Ace.

[Jordan]

I wish Mutoh would start All American Pro Wrestling with some good talent.

[Testicle]

All Japan was the shiznit before Misawa took all the talent to make NOAH.

Seriously, Seth, how are you going to make threads when you run out of promotions?

[Testicle]

Also for people that are like, 'I am never going to watch all that shit. If I had to watch one which should it be?' Go with the Jumbo vs. Misawa match, it pretty much explains/sums up puroresu from 1990-today.

[DLVH84]

Also for people that are like, 'I am never going to watch all that shit. If I had to watch one which should it be?' Go with the Jumbo vs. Misawa match, it pretty much explains/sums up puroresu from 1990-today.

The June 8, 1990 Jumbo-Misawa match was definitely the changing of the guard. You had Jumbo Tsuruta, who was the biggest star of the 1980s (he was the very first Triple Crown Champion and the very first Double Cup Tag Team Champion along with Yoshiaki Yatsu), put over this young man, who had just started to find his own path, as he just removed the Tiger Mask. And that match, made Misawa the most over wrestler in Zen Nihon ("All Japan" in Japanese) of the 1990s.