Wednesday, 21 October 2020

Kobashi & Kikuchi v Cam-Am Express

Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi v Doug Furnas & Dan Kroffat (All Japan, 5/25/92)

Probably the perfect blend of 90s All Japan and your traditional southern tag formula. I actually think this is the first time I've watched the full version. I couldn't even have told you anything specific from whenever I last watched the JIP version (probably about a decade ago), so I can't say one way or the other if those added minutes significantly enhanced the viewing experience, but I know they were GOOD and it never hurts to have a clear picture of the match they worked bell-to-bell. We can say for an absolute certainty that the crowd were nuclear hot right from the beginning. They're in Kikuchi's hometown as he and Kobashi try to win the All-Asia Tag Titles so they lose their whole entire mind for basically everything he does. I've seen it compared to a college basketball crowd and that's really how it feels. As soon as he steps in the ring the place goes nuts, any sort of offensive move he performs the place goes nuts, and the highlight early on was him fighting off a Can-Ams double-team and retaliating with a couple leg lariats. The place went nuts. Of course it only lasts so long and we get some DOUBLE PERIL. Furnas is built like a brick shithouse so Kikuchi biting off more than he could chew and getting ran over for it was a great transition spot. The first heat segment is good but the second one is excellent. Furnas and Kroffat just abuse the hell out of him and try to snap him in two with full and half crab variations, while Kobashi periodically comes in and stomps on someone's face to raucous applause. Danny Kroffat was an absolute hoot in this. He acts like a cocky dickhead whenever the Can-Ams pull off a mugging and his little strut after slamming Kobashi off the top turnbuckle (while Furnas held him in place) was godly. He also took Kikuchi's jaw off with one of the meanest superkicks he's ever thrown, which might've lit a fire under Kobashi because HE threw more superkicks in this than I've ever seen him throw in a match. Furnas putting Kobashi on his head with a Frankensteiner was maybe the best spot of 1992 and in general the finishing run was awesome. This is one of the most universally acclaimed matches in history and it's not very hard to see why. 

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