Day 16 2024

 

AJPW Super Power Series 1996- Day 5

AJPW World Tag Team Title Match

Super Generation Army (Jun Akiyama and Mitsuharu Misawa) vs. Holy Demon Army (Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada)(c)

Fucking awesome tag names. Four men beloved by fans and The Meltz himself…yeah. I’ve tried on multiple occasions to get into these matches and just, I don’t know I have a hard time sitting through a forty minute match. I know some of you will probably think lesser of me as a fan, but if you’re reading you probably already think my opinions are bad so does it matter? Nevermind, variety is the spice of the life and the thing that fuels this project so fuck it, let’s see where this goes. 

Within the first three minutes we get an Exploder Suplex, Elbow Suicida, and a Tiger Driver. Beautiful. Kawada stands idly by for the early beating of Taue until he has enough and kicks Akiyama and elbows Misawa. Taue then drops Misawa with a nasty DDT. 

Kawada gets a big pop when he tags in and immediately kicks Misawa in the face with his signature series of kicks. Misawa tries to fight back but Kawada dumps him on his head with a Backdrop Driver. It looked baaaaad. I know it’s the name of the game here in ‘90s Japan but that shit would kill Misawa later on. I can’t tell Misawas his ass or if he’s really hurt as it seems like Kawada and Taue are kinda dragging him along as they work him over.

Misawa perseveres though and tags out. Violence is the name of game as the remaining toss finesse out the goddamn window and just start laying into each other with strikes. Akiyama especially seems like he’s come unhinged. Thing breakdown briefly allowing the champs to take control and literally start slapping Akiyama around. Kawada not one to be a one trick pony starts throwing in kicks and chops for funsies. 

The champs have Akiyama dead to rights until Misawa stops a Chokeslam either on or off the apron. He tags in, folds Taue like laundry with a German Suplex, and attempts a Tiger Driver but gets stopped by a gnarly Lariat from Kawada. 

The champs take control and hit one of the damnedest combo moves I’ve ever seen. A combination Chokeslam/Backdrop Driver folds Misawa but only results in two count. Mans neck was pure plexiglass in the ‘90s. Misawa fights back, blocks an jumping kick with his hands because fuck you, and hits a Roaring Elbow. Jun comes in for the near fall and then things hit a wall. 

Kawada and Jun go back and forth until Kawada hits a jumping kick and appears to injure his ankle. Taue and Misawa fill the space while the ref checks on Kawada. He seems to actually be hurt but that doesn’t stop him from taking a Dragon Screw in the bad leg. Kawada can barley stand let alone wrestle and they work on wrapping it up. Two Exploders, a high knee, and a third Exploder later and we got new champs. Kawada could barely stand up for the knee. 

Great match aside from the unfortunate injury. I can definitely see the appeal of the Pillars and I do want to check out more. Hopefully, I find more stuff that goes by as smoothly and effortlessly as this match did.