Like His Guitar Strings, Tenryu Will Always Change His Tune. He'll Swear to what You Want and He'll Promise You the Moon

Genichiro Tenryu v Riki Choshu (JPW, 2/21/85) - EPIC

Somehow I'd never seen this. I always assumed I had, but I guess I'd just read about it and/or seen enough Tenryu/Choshu singles matches that I concluded I'd watched them all. I mean, it seems unlikely that I just forgot how fucking awesome it was, because it might be the best Tenryu v Choshu match of the lot. This was like twelve minutes of bombs and nuclear heat and no down time at all. Straight from the bell Tenryu waylays Choshu with a monster lariat and just unloads the full clip thereafter. He drops him with a DDT, spikes him with a MEAN old piledriver, then gets frustrated because he can't put him away and starts booting him in the face. This was more 1993 Tenryu than 1985 Tenryu, but the Choshu feud really was where Tenryu became great so I guess it's fitting his cantankerous side came out. Choshu's selling through all of this ruled, the way he could barely muster any fight like that early lariat had completely thrown him for a loop. Of course the moment he counters a headlock with a backdrop - Tenryu's legs flailing wildly as he realises he's about to be dropped on his neck - blows the roof off the place. You knew he was getting that revenge lariat as well and boy did he clobber him with it. They really fought over the sharpshooter, really had Tenryu put over the damage by rolling out the ring, then Tenryu coming back with a big apron enziguri set us off perfectly for the last couple minutes. I figured we were getting a double count out as soon as they both wound up on the floor, but they smacked each other around some more, Tenryu launching Choshu into the barricade, Choshu hitting another big lariat, before the awesome backdrop on the apron to save Choshu's bacon. As far as count outs go that's about as satisfying as you'll get. Killer match. It's been a long time since I checked out their other matches from the 80s so maybe there are similarities there, but their 90s matches felt like grittier, more deliberate affairs. This just went pedal to the floor right away with an unbelievable crowd, and for a twelve minute bombfest you can't really ask for much more.


Complete & Accurate Tenryu