WWE/All-Japan Summit

Hey, everybody. I'm going to talk about something you might not have heard of, even if you consider yourself a serious wrestling fan. I consider the Japanese wrestlers to be the best in the world, and there are a couple of reasons for this: one, because wrestlers are recruited along very strict criteria; two, because the training is designed to remove all weakness; three, because the fans are so discriminating; and four, because they don't bother with a lot of nonsense. And when they have a chance to test their mettle against established North American stars, it tends to be interesting.

Let's take it back to April 13, 1990, two weeks after Wrestlemania VI. WWE and All-Japan Pro Wrestling put together a supercard at the Tokyo "Egg" Dome that drew over 50,000 fans to see their hometown guys take on Vince McMahon's top men. This was the first time that WWE had co-promoted an event with a Japanese company since 1985.

Now, there were matches strictly between All-Japan wrestlers, but we're going to focus on the WWE/All-Japan face-offs.

Starting at the beginning, we have Masanobu Fuchi, a veteran comedy wrestler, teaming with up-and-comer Kenta Kobashi. Kobashi is nothing less than a legend in his home country, and his climb to the top of the heap really began this year. Their opponents were two stalwarts of the WWE family, Tito Santana and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. I guess you'd say that Tito and Superfly were the heels by default, but it's hard to think of them as villains. The Japanese fans didn't really care; they knew this match would be good.

The match begins with Tito and Kobashi going at it, using moves that are commonplace today, but almost unheard of back then, including a springboard crossbody. After three or four minutes of back and forth, Fuchi tags in and says, "to hell with finesse," and begins brutalizing Tito, who valiantly holds up and make the hot tag to Snuka, who gets a HUGE pop from the fans. Tito and Snuka make some subtle but undeniable changes to their style, showing that they know what ring psychology is all about. In a match with a great workrate from everyone involved, Tito hits his flying forearm on Fuchi, followed by a Superfly Splash for the pin. We're off to a great start.

Our next match features Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Tiger Mask II. Bret Hart needs no introduction, of course. But Tiger Mask II deserves much attention. His real name was Mitsuharu Misawa, and he was arguably the best wrestler in the world at one time. He held the All-Japan Triple Crown Title multiple times and holds the record for 5-star matches from Dave Meltzer (whatever that does for you). Later in the year, 1990, he removed the mask and wrestled as himself until his untimely death in 2009. Here, he wears the costume of Tiger Mask, a character created by New Japan for their cruiserweight star Satoru Sayama. From then on, it became a legacy character, not unlike the Dread Pirate Roberts in the "Princess Bride."
As for Bret, this was about the third time WWE had tried to push him as a singles star. It just didn't work out for some reason, but his day would come about a year after this, and there was no looking back. Also, Bret has stated publicly that he disliked wrestling in Japan because the wrestlers took it so seriously. Curiously, this match appears on Hart "Dungeon" collection DVD.

Not surprisingly, Misawa is the crowd favorite. They begin with a technical sequence, demonstrating that both men intend to fight hard, but honorably. Bret Hart being outwrestled is a strange sight, to say the least, but he learns quickly, a trait all too few wrestlers have today. In some ways, this match can be compared to his match with the British Bulldog at Summerslam '92, but not as good by a long shot. Misawa at one point throws everything he has at Hart, and Bret decides it's time to throw the book out the window. After a goodly amount of back-and-forth, the bell rings. This match ends in a draw because the time limit of 20 minutes ran out. A cheap ending, no doubt, but it saved both men in terms of credibility. That's the good news. The bad news is, that since it was set to be a draw, neither man felt the need to do very spectacular things. On paper, Hart vs. Misawa would make a smart fan drool, but this one felt like it had something missing. That might be due to the language barrier, though. Also, I don't think Misawa was completely at ease with the Tiger Mask gimmick. Once he got a chance to perform under his own name, he took off and never looked back. As for Bret, he did what he usually did when he wrestled someone he didn't care for: he just went about his business.

Moving on, we now are treated to a match between two WWE stars. I think Vince wanted a chance to show the Japanese fans what his product was all about. But I'm a bit confused as to the choice, because here we have Jake "the Snake" Roberts vs. The Big Bossman, with Bossman supposed to be the heel, even though he'd turned face in America several months before this, even beating his former partner Akeem (One Man Gang) at WM VI. As for Jake, he was in a heavy feud with "Million-Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. But, whatever.

Obviously, Jake was one of THE great masters of ring psychology of any era, and Bossman at this point in his career was very agile and coordinated for a man of his size. It should come as no shock to find that he dominates the Snake in the early going. Jake usually started slowly, but that may have been a way to throw his enemy off. I'd include a snide comment from the Honky Tonk Man, but I like to maintain SOME class. After about ten minutes, Jake hits a surprise DDT and that's The End. The DDT was a big move in Japan, and not seen often at that time. Jake really made a discovery when he made that one. As you can imagine, this match was very simple. Basic is the word I'd use

Our fourth match is a real treat, as it combines several different styles among some of the best ring workers of that era or even of any era, I'd dare say. I have to be honest, I was looking forward to this one. It's a tag team match that combines WWE and All-Japan stars. On one side, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig--second-generation wrestler, former AWA World Champion, ring psychology expert and incurable prankster--and "The Model" Rick Martel, former AWA World Champion, and all-around great guy. These two compliment each other--dare I say it--perfectly. Two men who never had a bad match. Nowadays, WWE Creative would make these guys a semi-permanent team with some cheesy name like "Models of Perfection."
On the other side is Haku, who for reason I can't understand is reviving the "King" gimmick, even though he hadn't been "King" for almost a year. Haku was just a flat-out tough guy, and was trained by Giant Baba, the All-Japan owner, but no one would ever accuse him of being a great wrestler in the league of Hennig and Martel. Luckily for him, his partner was pure, concentrated awesome. His name was Jumbo Tsuruta, and it's something of a shame that most modern wrestling fans don't know about him. He's not with us anymore, but he was All-Japan's top star at the time, and for good reason. In America, he'd held the AWA World Title. He actually lost it to Martel, so they had history. He was also the first Triple Crown Champion in the company's history. It's not exaggeration to say that Tsuruta was one the best wrestlers in the world during the 1980's, if not THE best.
So here we go. The Models of Perfection jump Tsuruta and Haku from the get-go and hit a (perfect) double dropkick. Hennig isolates Tsuruta with fists and knees, but Jumbo counters with his jumping knee-to-face. The next few minutes see Haku dominating with power while Jumbo uses precision wrestling. Haku misses a senton and Martel comes in, turning the tables. Martel hits a hurracanrana but only gets two for it. He tries a slingshot splash, but only two. Luckily, Jumbo breaks up the attempt at the Quebec Crab. Martel and Hennig continue to tag in and out, but when Perfect misses a splash, Haku tags in Jumbo, and all bets are off. Haku knocks Hennig to the outside and Jumbo nails another jumping knee on Martel, polishing him off with the Dangerous Backdrop for the three-count.
A quick side-note: In the US and Canada, the term "backdrop" refers to a body toss where the attacking wrestler dips his shoulder and head, snares the opponent at the midsection, then leverages him up over the head into the air. In Japan, this move is used, but referred to as a "body toss" or "shoulder throw," since it resembles a judo throw. The "backdrop" in Japan refers to a high-impact belly-to-back suplex that lands the opponent onto his neck and shoulders, and can be dangerous unless performed by an expert. Not that I need to say it, but I will anyway: DO NOT try this at home!

Nothing fancy about this next set up: the tough Japanese hometown boy vs. the arrogant American heel. The heel in this case being the late and legendary "Macho Man" Randy Savage, still doing his "Macho King" bit and accompanied by Sensational Sherri. The hometown hero is none other than Genichiro Tenryu, a man who can legitimately be called the "Ric Flair of Japan," as he resembles Flair both in wrestling style and accomplishments (not to mention longevity). He also had the ability to stare at his opponents so intensely that it was surprising that the man didn't burst into flames. But Savage isn't one to wither from a stern look. Tenryu attempts a vertical suplex, but Macho Man slips out and lands on his feet, upon which Tenryu chops and slugs the crap out of him. Sherri distracts Tenryu, giving Savage a chance to rally. It doesn't last long, as Tenryu levels Savage with a lariat, dumps him outside and hits a crossbody from the apron. Again, Sherri gets Tenryu's attention and Savage knocks him into the ringside area and they brawl back into the ring. Tenryu hits an enzuigiri (one of his signature moves), but Macho Man nails a hard lariat for a two-count. Tenryu tries to roll outside, but that's what Savage wants, as Savage hits a flying axhandle out on the floor. Sherri gets in a cheap shot with her shoe and tosses Mr. Puroresu back into the ring, where Savage works him over with slams and a kneedrop. Macho Man ascends the top rope and lands the Flying Elbow. 1! 2! NO! Savage again climbs to the top and hits a crossbody, but seemingly hurts his leg in the process. Tenryu his another enzuigiri and pins Savage with the Folding Powerbomb.
This was one HECK of a match. The crowd loved Tenryu and Savage held nothing back. Anyone who can take Tenryu's chops deserves respect anyway.

Our next match is for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. The Ultimate Warrior had just beaten Hulk Hogan to become champion at WM VI, and this was one of his first defenses. His opponent was "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, who gets a big response from the crowd. They obviously remember him from his earlier days in Japan. Can you imagine DiBiase getting cheered in 1990? He was the classic heel back then. Well, DiBiase does NOT remember this match fondly, and we'll soon see why. This match was more of an exhibition for the new champ, and the Japanese fans didn't take as much of a shine to him as was hoped. Par for the Warrior's course, this was a short match with mostly power moves. Let's get to it. Warrior pushes DiBiase around, literally, then hits a couple of shoulderblocks. DiBiase fights back hard, but his offense seems weak against the Warrior. After hitting a piledriver, DiBiase goes for the pin, but Warrior makes his Super Comeback, nails a few clotheslines and the Warrior Splash for the pin at around six minutes.

I told myself I wouldn't do this, but The Ultimate Warrior is a touchy subject for me. I'll admit, I was a big fan of the guy when I was young, but I grew up. And I guess he didn't. I've heard what other people have said about him, how he treated people in a shabby way, and how he only cared about himself, used the wrestling business to get rich without doing much actual work and then turned around and trash-talked everyone who made it possible for him. I'll leave that for God to judge. But from my perspective, there were much more deserving guys than him who didn't make it. As for DiBiase, he got hosed royally in this match. He was basically squashed and that did him no favors with the Japanese fans. I'd just as soon move on from this.

We're getting towards the end now, which means it's time for our final tag team match. One one side is Demolition, Bill "Ax" Eadie and Barry "Smash" Darsow, fresh off of regaining the WWE Tag Team Titles at WM VI. For people who didn't grow up with the times, it's tough to state just how dominant Demolition was from 1987 to 1990. Even though they were thrown together as a rip-off of the Road Warriors, they took on a life of their own and had the longest straight tag title run up to that point and since. This was a non-title match, and it makes sense for them to be the heels of the match, since Demolition made a gradual heel turn upon regaining the belts. On the other side, Andre the Giant, marking his transition to semi-retirement, and Shohei "Giant" Baba, the owner and booker of All-Japan. For those who don't know much about him, Baba was called "Giant" because of his great height of 6'10". And even though he was a massive man, he was well-conditioned, capable of wrestling for 40 minutes or more straight. This was reflected in his three NWA World Title reigns, back when the NWA World Title was the most prestigious in the world. As a booker and promoter, he was honest almost to a fault, and had a tremendous eye for scouting talent. By the mid-80s, he had slowed down, and was phasing himself out as the company's main star. He stayed on the roster as a mid-card special attraction, and he fulfills that role here.
This was a rare thing. Demolition usually outsized and out-powered their opponents. That was not going to happen here, as Smash finds out, locking up with Baba to start. The giants dominate the match until Smash tags in Ax and they both work over Andre. Thanks to his great size and reach, he tags in Baba, who bounces Demolition around like superballs. The Demos break up a few pin attempts, but the giants ram them together, followed by Andre dropping an elbow for the pin.

All of these men deserve tremendous respect. But, honestly, Demolition's heart wasn't really in it, and both giants were past their prime, to say the least. If they'd been ten years younger, the things they could have done. Plus, Demolition was not a team known for technical wrestling.

Okay, the one we've all been waiting for. The main event. Hulk Hogan vs. Stan "The Lariat" Hansen. Some background on this is necessary. The plan was for Hogan, as WWE World Champion, to face Triple Crown Champion Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy. Unbeknownst to Baba, Hogan was set to drop the belt to Warrior two weeks before this event, and Baba was NOT pleased. Moreover, Gordy figured that, since Hogan had no title, there was no point in jobbing. Enter Hansen. Fresh off a BRUTAL battle with Big Van Vader in February of that year, Hansen knew Hogan from their New Japan days, and they were friends, and Hansen was perfectly willing to do a job for the most famous wrestler in the world at the time. Hansen's legend in Japan grew to even greater heights after that.
So, Hansen jogs down to the ring, whipping his bullrope at the ringside area. Once in the ring, he knocks down the announcer in mid-sentence. To his credit, the poor guy just keeps going. Hansen gets a huge pop from the crowd, as he was one of the biggest foreigners to wrestle in that country. Out comes Hogan, and we're off. If you've never seen Hogan wrestle in Japan, it's quite shocking to see him busting out drop toeholds and other technical maneuvers, but he does. He had more moves than just the big boot and legdrop, that's for sure.. Both men spend some time with mat wrestling, but neither gains an advantage. Realizing this, both men turn to their strong point, brawling. This is an old school All-Japan brawl in the strong Japanese style. Hogan holds nothing back, because he knows Hansen won't. Hansen doesn't care how many T-shirts or action figures Hogan has sold. If you fight like a wimp, he'll beat you inside out. The action spills to the outside, where Hogan rams Hansen head-first into the steel post. Now Hansen is bleeding. Like a shark, Hogan goes after it, pounding away at the cut. He throws Hansen over the railing into the crowd and scoopslams him through a table five years before ECW. Who knew? Hogan rams him into the post again, throws him back in, whips him to the corner, but runs full into Hansen's raised foot. Hansen shoulderblocks him for two. Now it's all Hansen, who pounds Hogan mercilessly. Hansen boots the Immortal One outside and over the railing, where he smashes him full-on in the head with a chair, then throws the chair at referee Dave (or is it Earl?) Hebner for trying to restrain him. Now Hogan is busted open, which only energizes Hansen. Hogan tries to grab the bullrope, but Hansen rakes his eyes and lashes him with it. Back in the ring, Hansen attempts his Western Lariat, but Hulk counters with an elbowsmash. knocking the Texan down. Hogan goes for the legdrop, but Hansen avoids it. Hansen whips Hogan to the far side for another Lariat, but Hogan hits a crossbody, which, due to his height, catches Hansen at the face-level. Two-count only. Hansen tries a reverse rollup, but Hogan holds on to the ropes. Hogan turns around just as Hansen gets up and charges him, and stops the cowboy's momentum with a big boot. With Hansen stunned, Hogan nails him with the Ax Bomber out of nowhere for the pin. The announcers are going nuts, and the fans are chanting "Ichiban!" Japanese for "Number One," which is Hogan's nickname over there. Hansen sells the surprise of the finish well, leaving angry but still dignified, while Hogan celebrates.
This match truly was the "Main Event." Two massive American brawlers winning the hearts of the Japanese fans, and each man's legacy only became stronger. Moreover, it was a solid, fast-paced, stiff match with both men giving their all, working with each other instead of just following a laid-out template. Hogan looked strong and Hansen was man-and-a-half for stepping it up.

This event had its ups and downs, to be sure. But the rarity of America's best (to hear Vince McMahon tell it) battling Japan's legends is almost like an Olympics of pro wrestling. The crowd was hot for most of the matches, and that counts for a lot. So check it out if you can.