AJPW '93 - King's Road Global

AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship - V4
Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
(If Jumbo Tsuruta loses he won't challenge for the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship again)

AJPW National Openweight Championship - V4
Kenta Kobashi (c) vs. The Gladiator

AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship - V1
Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas [Can-Am Express] (c) vs. Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk [The Funks/The Outlaw Stable]

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship - V1
Ultimo Dragon (c) vs. The Great Sasuke

Special Singles Match
Eddie Gilbert vs. Steve Williams

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Billy Black, Joel Deaton (Wild Bunch), Stan Hansen [The Outlaw Stable] vs. Terry Gordy, ???, ???

Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Akira Taue, Masanobu Fuchi, Satoru Asako, Yoshinari Ogawa [Tsuruta-gun] vs. Johnny Ace, Toshiaki Kawada, Dean Malenko, Naoki Sano

Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Al Perez, Giant Warrior, Bobby Fulton, Tommy Rogers (The Fantastics) vs. Chris Youngblood, Mark Youngblood (The Youngbloods), Jackie Fulton, Johnny Smith

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Giant Kimala, Haku, Richard Slinger vs. Mighty Inoue, Rusher Kimura, Kazuo Yamazaki

BONUS QUESTION:
Who will Terry Gordy's "outlaw" partners be? I have absolutely no clue but I looked into the time period and I want this to be true...THE STEINER BROTHERS!!!
Hint: both are from USA and worked in Japan during that time period

Danny Spivey and Big Bubba (Ray Traylor)

Championships and holders:
» AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship: Mitsuharu Misawa
» AJPW National Openweight Championship: Kenta Kobashi
» AJPW Unified Tag Team Championship: Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas [Can-Am Express]
» AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Ultimo Dragon

Results – Full Show:

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Highlights – Non-Title Matches
»» Match #1: Poor Kazuo Yamazaki was done dirty in the opener, as his team lost the match to the heavy duo of Giant Kimala and Haku (who worked pretty good together) and Richard Slinger. Kimala pinned Kimura after a Savate Kick by Haku and his Running Big Splash.

»» Match #2: To the shock of many, the post-match delivered a very interesting development. Al Perez, Giant Warrior and The Fantastics won and, after the bell, Jackie Fulton (from the losing side) hugged his brother Bobby (from the winning side) as it was Bobby’s last match in AJPW, as announced by the commentators. Maybe that’s why Jackie was a bit distant to his partner in the previous weeks? The hug, however, was interrupted… by Johnny Smith and Tommy Rogers, who attacked their own respective regular tag team partners, beating the brothers up before shaking hands.

»» Match #3: Turned out the partners of Terry Gordy were… Bob Backlund and Gary Albright, from UWF-i. What?! Stan Hansen and the protégés of The Funks, Wild Bunch, put up a great fight, driven by Hansen’s fighting spirit, but ultimately Gordy and the invaders were successful dismantling Black and Deaton. Black ended up tapping to Backlund’s Crossface Chickenwing.
After the match, Giant Baba had a message for Stan Hansen: he told him that someone challenged Hansen for a very special singles match, but he can only reveal it in 1993.

»» Match #4: Tsuruta-gun lost yet another multi-man tag team match. That’s the price you pay for having rookies in the middle of the pack, but they know it. Once again, Naoki Sano had his head off the match at some points, teaming up with Johnny Ace, Toshiaki Kawada and Dean Malenko. Kawada pinned Ogawa after breaking him in half with a Folding Powerbomb.

»» Match #5: Eddie Gilbert may have asked for more than he can handle… again. ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams defeated the ‘Hot Stuff’. But, credit where it’s due, Gilbert manage to hang on for a while, failing to hit the Hot Shot DDT, but not failing to scare Williams at spaces. Plus, he avoided an almost-certain fate in some occasions, even escaping his pin after a Backdrop Driver, before falling to the ref’s three-count following a devastating Doctor Bomb. However, the bout will go down as one of the best and one of the longest in the event.

Highlights – Title Matches

AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Championship – V1
6. Ultimo Dragon © vs. The Great Sasuke
Two months after winning the title, Ultimo was defending it for the first time against the man he debuted along with but soon turned on him. Now showcasing some fairer ways, The Great Sasuke earned the title shot.
And they had their best match together yet. Fiery from the start, as the two started with the same sequence they presented on the go-home show, only with Sasuke ending it with an Enzuigiri to send Dragon to the outside for a Tope con Hilo. Nagoya knew Sasuke was coming for the belt.
The bout was always fast-paced and the champion began trying to take it to the mat, where he was slightly superior, but it was in the air that the match peaked, as both used their high-risk offence to the crowd’s delight.
Unpredictable until the end, it got to a point where both men traded forearms on top of the turnbuckle. Blocking a shot, Dragon then went for the Dragonsteiner, but Sasuke shoved him during the head-scissors part, causing him to tumble. Sasuke saw the break! Senton Atomico! But nobody was home. Both got up as quickly as possible, and Dragon surprised the challenger with an Asai DDT! Enough? He didn’t think so, so he climbed the ropes: Cancun Tornado! 1…2…3!!! High risk pays off and Dragon keeps his gold!
Result: Ultimo Dragon over The Great Sasuke --- Pinfall --- Still champion! --- 15:16

»» After the match, Ultimo Dragon couldn’t believe his eyes: his trainer and legend, Gran Hamada, made his return to AJPW, meeting Dragon in the ring. The masked flyer promptly dropped to his knees, bowing for Hamada. The two shared a hug in the ring, but, with a smile, Gran Hamada distanced himself from Ultimo Dragon before pointing at the World Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Dragon nodded affirmatively and the two hugged again. Does this mean we’re having Ultimo vs. Hamada for the title?

AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship – V1
7. Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas [Can-Am Express] © vs. Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk [The Funks/The Outlaw Stable]
Misawa vs. Tsuruta has been build up as, possibly, Tsuruta’s last shot at gold. But one has to wonder: what about this match? Can’t it be The Funks’ last shot at the Unified World Tag Team Championship… that they never held?
The match revolved around that idea, as it became clear that Can-Am Express are the better team at this point, but The Funks were hungry to hold gold in Japan. The double teams favored Can-Am Express as they got closer and closer to victory at each minute.
A Spinning Toe Hold attempt by Dory Funk Jr. represented The Funks’ best chance to claim the titles, but Doug Furnas managed to escape the submission attempt. And then, Terry became the biggest motivator of the challenging duo, not conforming to their predicted fate. He kicked out of a Frankensteiner by Furnas, a Sunset Flip by Kroffat and even raised his shoulder following a Doomsday Device, becoming the first person to kick out of Express’ version of the move.
However, Dory Jr. wasn’t so capable of dealing with the champions’ punishment and when they debuted the Doomsday Missile (similar to a Doomsday Device, but with a Missile Dropkick) it was all over. Can-Am Express retained, but the fans applauded The Funks. And in the ringside, Wild Bunch received a lesson in resiliency from their mentors of The Outlaw Stable.
Result: Can-Am Express over The Funks --- Pinfall --- Still champions! --- 16:47

AJPW National Openweight Championship – V4
8. Kenta Kobashi © vs. The Gladiator
No longer undefeated, The Gladiator still came to this match – his first title challenge – as a serious contender. Specially after Terry Gordy’s brutal unexpected attack to Kobashi a week ago. But we know Kobashi and we know his guts and will are unmatched.
The match started slowly, but soon Gladiator started to hit the champion’s torso and back hard to capitalize on Gordy’s work. Kobashi absorbed it for a while, but when the fight spilled to ringside, it became harder to avoid being a hostage for pain. A few bumps against the apron and guardrail really took their toll on Kobashi and Gladiator even tried winning by count-out (which in puroresu would give him the championship).
Back in the ring, Kenta Kobashi managed to fight evenly again and did so for the majority of the match, although he couldn’t really hit any power move to Gladiator. But the crowd was popping for the Machine Gun Chops and they jumped off their seats when ‘Orange Crush’ managed to drop the challenger with a Bulldog.
After one more Bulldog and a Burning Lariat, The Gladiator was in big, big trouble! And Kobashi got to the top rope for a Moonsault… only to meet… knees! Things took a turn south there, and Gladiator was back in control, even delivering multiple German Suplexes for fun at one point, culminating with a pin attempt. 1…2… but Kobashi’s spirit was still in the match!
The Gladiator began being even more aggressive and finally he hit the Gladiator Bomb. Would Kobashi kick out? We don’t know, as the challenger climbed the ropes to crush Kobashi with a Gladiator Splash! 1…2…3! The Gladiator is the 2nd National Openweight Champion, beating KK for the second time in a little over a month!
Result: The Gladiator over Kenta Kobashi --- Pinfall --- New champion! --- 21:31

»» The Gladiator’s celebration, however, was cut short. Seeing Toshiaki Kawada approach, he had to drop the belt to the floor. The two then traded some punches in the ring and as the new champion went for a big Lariat, Kawada ducked, hitting him with a Shoot Kick instead, forcing him to retreat to ringside! Then, Kawada grabbed the National Openweight Championship and a mic, challenging The Gladiator for a title match after having broken his undefeated streak.
Note: The Gladiator has still not been pinned. Remember: he lost to Kawada by KO.

AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship – V4
8. Mitsuharu Misawa © vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
Possibly the most anticipated match of AJPW’s 1992. The crowd, from Nagoya, in Tsuruta’s home region Chubu, was vocal. Yes, Jumbo is mean-spirited, but they didn’t care. Misawa was booed by the majority throughout the match.
That doesn’t mean he played the bad guy role. He didn’t. Both played the good guy part, actually, as Tsuruta was embracing the cheering he received. Slowly, the match took off, with the two wrestlers being very aware of danger and following their strategies carefully. The challenger insisted on going for submissions, which made him comfortable for, at one point, doing the same thing Gladiator did to Kobashi in the previous match, repeatedly Suplexing Misawa for fun. The crowd loved it.
But Misawa didn’t and he got more aggressive when he had the chance, hitting harder with some kicks, but also resorting often to more agile moves, even crushing the veteran with a Diving Crossbody to the outside.
In the ring, he had the control and nearly got Tsuruta in two straight occasions: first with a Double Underhook Suplex, then with a Dragon Suplex. The challenger avoided defeat. After that, the crowd’s reaction really started to get to Misawa’s nerves and he became more errant, allowing Tsuruta to being close to an upset with a Piledriver. 1…2… the crowd gasped but to their desperation, Misawa kicked out.
Reaching the final stage, the match became a different one, with both wrestlers getting more aggressive and heelish. The champion managed to get control back and managed to put an end to a hope spot with a Spin Kick that triggered the Tiger Driver. 1…2… but no! Misawa got Tsuruta up and hit another Tiger Driver! That’s it! Right? He stopped for a brief moment to look to the crowd, embracing their negative reaction. Then he went for the pin: 1…2… but Tsuruta kicked out again! The crowd erupted!
Slowly, Tsuruta got up to his feet. Misawa was waiting for him and, then, Tsuruta began striking the champion desperately, slapping him and giving him forearm shots. In the middle of the ring, he then asked Misawa for a shot too… and he delivered… Rolling Elbow! Tsuruta fell, looking done. A chorus of boos provided soundtrack for the pin. 1…2…3! Jumbo Tsuruta will never challenge for the Triple Crown again.
Result: Mitsuharu Misawa over Jumbo Tsuruta --- Pinfall --- Still champion! – 24:02

»» It took a while for both men to get to their feet. Mitsuharu Misawa was the first and, after a while, the crowd let him speak. Misawa told Jumbo Tsuruta, straight ahead, that he was one of his biggest influences and inspirations, breaking the ice with the crowd. Then, he announced he will give Tsuruta another chance whenever Tsuruta wants to. He bowed, gave the mic to the former ace, and left.
In the ring alone, Jumbo Tsuruta thanked the Nagoya fans for the support but confirms his decision is definitive and he won’t challenge for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship ever again, nor will he participate in the Champion Carnival or the Royal Road Tournament ever again. Briefly, he previewed the year of 1993, claiming that his sole focus will be Tsuruta-gun and his plan is to make Tsuruta-gun the biggest collective force of All Japan Pro Wrestling.

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Recap from the Road:
»» Also in the Chubu region, but one week before (December 14th), NJPW held Battle Final, their last big event of 1992. The show didn't feature any Match of the Year candidate, but it was solid and was headlined by a NWA World's Heavyweight Championship title change: Big Van Vader defeated Arn Anderson for the '10 Pounds of Gold'. Tatsumi Fujinami over Animal Hamaguchi and Tiger Mask over Black Cat stood out in the undercard.

»» NJPW made, however, a very bold move, deciding to end the no-stealing agreement with AJPW. That effectively means we can take some of their workers and they can take some of ours but, honestly, they have more to lose, as they share some of their top wrestlers, instead of keeping them under exclusive written contracts. Will we go on stealing spree? No. We won't. But we will protects what's ours and we will take measures. From now on, it's not a war yet, but it's definitely a ferocious competition.

»» Pay-per-view of the year? A contender, at least. WCW promoted Starrcade on December 21st and the main event was a banger: Rick Rude retained the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Big Van Vader. In the undercard, a few other matches stood out, such as Ron Simmons beating Ricky Steamboat to retain the WCW United States Championship, Barry Windham going over Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger & Sting taking the NWA World Tag Team Championships from The Fabulous Freebirds... in a Ladder Match!

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Prediction Contest - Results:
Asaemon - 7/10
henriquesser - 5/10
johnnyboombatz - 6/10
kyegds - 5/10
marc91 - 6/10
Purotastic - 9/10

The winner is: Purotastic ! Impressive to see someone getting all the matches right. No one got the bonus question, tho!

Thanks for reading!