AJPW October Giant Series 1994
Mitsuharu Misawa & Stan Hansen vs. Akira Taue & Kenta Kobashi - AJPW October Giant Series 1994 - Day 17 22/10/1994
Interesting match. The commentator seemed to mention that this was a dream match and while the wrestlers have faced each other many times but not really with these pairings. Kobashi and Taue together is one thing but Misawa and Hansen teaming is another. And we got our first real taste of Kobashi and Misawa being potential rivals. The crowd really sensed that when Misawa first stepped in the ring to face Kobashi. The best parts of the match though were Taue and Kobashi’s teamwork. I thought they gelled together really well and complemented each other offensively. The Backdrop/chokeslam combo was great. The match ultimately wasn’t excellent and seemed to trot along without that great energy you’d expect from the four. It’s a well worked match without being anything great. ***1/2
Triple Crown Title Match: Steve Williams (c) vs. Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW October Giant Series 1994 - Day 17 22/10/1994
One of the most consistent opinions that I’ve had throughout this project is that Toshiaki Kawada is the absolute best and this is the payoff to all of his excellent work from 1991 to 1994. So naturally I was excited to witness it. The match doesn’t have a great reputation as the Misawa or Kobashi match, mostly because Doc’s strengths lie in his signature high-impact offence which also is All Japan’s bread and butter. This feels a more stripped down, methodical match that I can see coming off as dull and not as captivating to some as it was to me. It went a bit too long in parts and they could’ve gone home earlier but I enjoyed the ride they took us. I thought they did a tremendous job in teasing and building up their biggest hits that the match exploded when they finally went for them. Whether it was Kawada going for the kill shots at the end or Williams hitting the Stampede, Doctor Bomb and the Dangerous Backdrop for many great false finishes. Kawada’s strikes were timed perfectly as well. I don’t remember him hitting as many spinning backfists before to such great effect. They were the turning point for his eventual win. And I must point out how great Williams’s selling was towards the end. Even when he was blocking the kick attempts, he was staggering around, clearly out of his feet. Just great stuff. There were a few people in the front row crying when Kawada won the title. I felt that. Loved this wholeheartedly. ****1/4
AJPW Real World Tag League 1994
Real World Tag League 1994 Match: Super Generation Army (Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa) vs. Can-Am Express) Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas) - AJPW Real World Tag League 1994 - Day 1 19/11/1994
This was a really strong tag match. The Can-Ams looked impressive and equal to the Super Gen Army. Misawa and Kobashi took back roles allowing them to shine and they took that. Misawa even got a few boos for some of his snide tactics, further putting the shine on them. They were fluid as a tag team. They were good as individuals, Kroffat in particular impressed a ton. I loved him socking Kobashi in the face with a closed fist. Great match. ***3/4
Real World Tag League 1994 Match: Super Generation Army (Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa) vs. Holy Demon Army (Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada) - AJPW Real World Tag League 1994 - Day 6 25/11/1994
This was a good match like every rendition of it is. It was slightly JIP with the match cutting out 8 of the 30. Which is still a large chunk of the match. Some great nearfalls for the finishing stretch. Kobashi lit up Taue with nasty chops. Good match. ***1/2
The way this Tag League played out was very interesting. A bit out of the box. There is a chance that Baba had an oversight in sorting out the order of the cards but here we are. Misawa & Kobashi and Ace & Williams have 14 points. While Kawada & Taue have 15. While Kawada and Taue are in the lead, if they don’t beat Baba and Hansen, the World Tag Team Championshipgoes to the winners of Misawa/Kobashi and Ace/Williams. Either match is essentially a title match but we won’t know until the end of the Baba/Hansen v Taue/Kawada match. Neat huh.
AJPW World Tag Team Title Real World Tag League 1994 Match (Vacant): Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Johnny Ace & Steve Williams - AJPW Real World Tag League 1994 - Day 18 10/12/1994
They had Budokan Hall rocking for this match. And the way they laid the match out, that’s no surprise. There was very little downtime with the match going at a very hot fast tempo. All while putting Misawa and Kobashi in the vulnerable position. Ace and Williams were the dominant team for the whole match, working over Misawa for such a long time which set up the eventual comeback climb perfectly. And then the dramatic closing stretch with a ton nail-biting nearfalls for both sides. This was just a superbly worked tag team match. ****
Real World Tag League 1994 Match: Giant Baba & Stan Hansen vs. Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW Real World Tag League 1994 - Day 18 10/12/1994
This was only 2 minutes longer than the semi main event to this show but boy this felt much, much longer. Baba and Hansen winning means Kobashi and Misawa are crowned World Tag Team Champions! I thought this was good in parts but awkwardly paced. The bits with Baba weren’t very good at all. Kawada seemed scared to even touch him, throwing kicks that clearly don’t touch him by a mile. The difference between Hansen in the match and Baba in the match was staggering. Thankfully Kawada redeems himself with Hansen. ***
Jumbo Tsuruta makes a rare appearance for the Coronation Ceremony too. A year that’s not been too kind to Misawa with injuries, losing the Triple Crown, etc but he lifts the Trophy at the end of it all along with Kenta Kobashi.
Year-End Awards
Match Of The Year: Toshiaki Kawada vs Mitsuharu Misawa - AJPW 03/06/1994
Easy option. One of the best matches of all time. The best Ka. ada v Misawa match. The only question mark over this was the booking. But there are valid arguments that the booking was correct. So you have the quality, the history and the viable discussion.
Wrestler Of The Year:
Now this is the toughest award out of the lot. There are so many candidates for this. The two main ones are Toshiaki Kawada and Steve Williams. Both have very similar progressions throughout the year. Both made the Champions Carnival finals, with Kawada getting the nod. Both won the Triple Crown Title, with Kawada beating Williams for the title. And both are in the biggest matches of the year, in contention for the Real World Tag League, neither gets the win though. Very similar paths. However I think Kawada getting the MOTY (plus the May HDA vs SGA 1994 5 Star Classic) is what edges him over Williams. But it’s close. Very close.
Feud Of The Year: Steve Williams vs The Natives
I’m kind of a cheating heel because Williams never really seemed to have a set feud against only one of Kobashi, Misawa or Kawada, rather all of them collectively. Title defences against all three of them, plus tag matches, etc. Just a great series of feuds that I put together.
Most Disappointing Match Of The Year: Giant Baba & Stan Hansen vs. Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada - 10/12/1994
My least favourite matches of the year aren’t usually every booked to get better than they were (Hansen vs Akiyama, for example) so this fits the bill even if I liked it. Baba was a disappointment. I really didn’t like what he brought except for his popularity.
Top Five Matches Of The Year:
Toshiaki Kawada vs Mitsuharu Misawa - 3/6/1994
Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa - 21/5/1994
Toshiaki Kawada vs Steve Williams - 16/4/1994
Kenta Kobashi vs. Stan Hansen - 10/4/1994
Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Steve Williams - 28/7/1994
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