AJPW 1993 Champion Carnival Day 3
March 23rd 1993
Attendance: 10,000 - Iwaki, Tohoku, JP
TV Rating: 1.76 [tv Asahi – JP] + 0.15 [ITV – UK] + 0.06 [Fox Sports Networks – US]
Championships and holders» AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship: Mitsuharu Misawa
» AJPW National Openweight Championship: Cactus Jack
» AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship: Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas [Can-Am Express]
» AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Ultimo Dragon
0. Dark Match: Haruka Eigen & Satoshi Kojima def. Mitsuo Momota & Masayoshi Motegi
- Eigen > Motegi (Cradle Pin - Pin) --- 6:46
- Rating: 40
Full-Show Recap
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1. Al Perez & Giant Warrior vs. Mighty Inoue & Rusher KimuraThe show kicked off with a regular lowercard tag team match. Warrior is getting over thanks to his dominating performances over AJPW’s veterans. His team won after Perez tapped Kimura out with a Sleeper Hold.
- Perez > Kimura --- (Sleeper Hold - Submission) --- 9:08
- Rating: 45
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2. Billy Black & Joel Deaton (Wild Bunch) & Gran Hamada & Kazuo Yamazaki vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Masanobu Fuchi & Naoki Sano & Yoshinari OgawaThen we had a different match, an amazing one that almost outshone some of the League matches that followed. Yamazaki and Sano were back in the same ring and their grudge was palpable when they were both legal, in the stiffest moments of the match.
Tsuruta, on the other hand, incapable of being in the tournament, fought for his own pride and against his own aging, and was the best man in the ring, tormenting his opponents with a mix of technical skill and strength. He pinned Hamada for the win after a Backdrop Driver.
- Tsuruta > Hamada --- (Backdrop Driver - Pin) --- 14:45
- Rating: 76»» The bell marked the end of the bout, not the end of Yamazaki and Sano’s feud. Sano got on Yamazaki’s face and ‘The Shooter’ fought him. Both had to be separated by AJPW’s Projects and some of their teammates to ensure no bigger harm was done to any of the two.
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1993 Champion Carnival – A Block Match
3. Jackie Fulton vs. Toshiaki KawadaPoor Fulton! In his first Carnival match he was dominated by Takada. In his second… he got Kawada. But not just scary normal Kawada, frightening pissed-off Kawada, after losing the National Openweight Championship in the robbery of the year so far.
Kawada built a house over his favorite status and dominated the gaijin for most of the match, culminating a flawless performance with a Folding Powerbomb to pin Fulton. After the bell, he stayed for a bit to see Fulton get to a seated position, at least.
- Kawada (2 pts.) > Fulton --- (Folding Powerbomb - Pin) --- 9:22
- Rating: 65
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1993 Champion Carnival – A Block Match
4. Johnny Smith vs. Nobuhiko Takada [UWF-i] (2 pts.)As for the invitee to the tournament, Takada faced Smith on Day 2. The brit, a very capable technician himself, gave the UWF-i boss his everything in a good match for almost 13 minutes.
Takada may had not expect it, but in the end he got to overcome it, submitting a visibly frustrated Smith with a Crossface Chickenwing. However, the match will probably be mostly remember for a very stiff Soccer Kick (can we please call it ‘Football Kick’?) visibly pissing the British off for its final minutes.
- Takada (4 pts.) > Smith --- (Crossface Chickenwing - Submission) --- 12:50
- Rating: 70
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1993 Champion Carnival – A Block Match
5. Cactus Jack (w/K.Y. Wakamatsu) (2 pts.) vs. Terry Funk (w/Wild Bunch)Fresh after winning the National Openweight Championship, Cactus looked forward for another win. But Funk was on the opposite corner… and he had Wild Bunch at ringside to ensure Wakamatsu would not be as decisive as he was at Day 1.
The bout soon escalated into a big brawl, Texas style. At ringside, Wild Bunch were the shield that allowed Jack and Funk to fight each other without Wakamatsu’s interference, but that exchange favored Cactus who hit a Back Body Drop on the older opponent, who beat the count at 19.
In the later stages of the match, both men were battered, but both fought equally and ignored their bruises. That’s when K.Y. Wakamatsu tried to play his card, trying to distract Funk. Sadly for them, once again, Black and Deaton were on watch, confronting the dastardly manager. The confrontation distracted Cactus in the ring, who, with the distraction, lost the control of the match.
Terry made the best of it, stunning Cactus with some raw punches before hitting a Hangman Neckbreaker to set up for a high-risk Funkin’ Moonsault! 1…2…3! K.Y. could only watch as Cactus got what both deserved after last week’s shenanigans.
- Funk (2 pts.) > Cactus (2 pts.) --- (Funkin’ Moonsault - Pin) --- 13:47
- Rating: 77»» After the match, K.Y. Wakamatsu was pissed, and so was Cactus Jack. And while Terry Funk celebrated, Wild Bunch lowered their guard, meaning that the despicable bastards entered the ring and, from behind, Wakamatsu hit Black with his trademark kendo stick, while Cactus hit a Double Arm DDT on Deaton.
Funk immediately got on Cactus’ face and it didn’t take much until another man joined in: Toshiaki Kawada! The former National Openweight Champion restored the order, running the heels off and saving his former rival.
Funk and Kawada will go one-on-one at Day 5, but they shook hands: an amazing sight, taking in consideration that some months ago Funk was clobbering Kawada in the head with a damn cowbell.
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1993 Champion Carnival – A Block Match
6. Kenta Kobashi (2 pts.) vs. Stan Hansen (2 pts.)Kobashi vs. Hansen is already a pairing full of history: the A Block of 1992 was decided on the last day with this pairing. Hansen beat Kobashi to advance to the final (he would go on to win the League). In August, 1992, however, Kobashi avenged the loss by becoming the first-ever National Openweight Champion, beating Hansen in the Inter-Nations Tournament Finale.
Both were in Iwaki to settle the score. And the match started with caution, as the majority of all classics do. The two studied each other further, Kobashi tried to beat Hansen’s chest to a pulp and the leader of The Outlaw Stable focused on the ‘Orange Crush’s right arm to neutralize the effect of his chops.
After some ten minutes, the match took off. And it rocketed. The two opponents got stiffer, wrestling a more impactful style. Hansen had the power and size advantage, but Kobashi was snapping Suplexes that would break a normal man’s neck. He eventually got a very near fall following an impressive Pumphandle Sitout Powerbomb. The crowd was in awe and got fully behind Kobashi at that point, as he’s genuinely easy to like. After brief minutes, Kobashi kept riding his wave and a Diving Leg Drop scared Hansen even further.
Then, the top gaijin realized: he had to wake up. And when he did, he brutalized Kobashi’s limbs and torso with a Brazos Valley Backbreaker that took a lot of the Japanese’s mobility and he was also close to putting the match to end with a Powerbomb + Running Knee Drop to Kobashi’s chest. Kobashi kicked out at 2 and a half.
From then on, Hansen had an upper hand for the most part, hitting big moves on a resilient Kobashi that resorted mostly to his guts and fed on the crowd’s support. Out of nowhere, Kobashi stunned Hansen, hitting a flash Piledriver! 1…2… but no! Was it his last trump? When the gaijin recovered, he went to sixth gear, knocking the opp down with a violent Running Shoulder Block. And then, a Texas Piledriver! Way more effective than Kobashi’s one, the crowd thought. 1…2… Kobashi kicked out!
But Hansen is a different beast at the Champion Carnival, and his opponents knew that! He lifter Kobashi, hitting a big Western Lariat afterwards! And another one right after that! 1…2… at 2.9 Kobashi’s shoulder was up! Hansen couldn’t believe it. He grinned his teeth and lift Kobashi up, ran to the ropes twice and crashed his arm against Kobashi’s chest one more time with another Western Lariat! That’s it! 1…2…3!!! Hansen scores two points versus Kobashi again!
- Hansen (4 pts.) > Kobashi (2 pts.) --- (Western Lariat x3 - Pin) --- 24:27
- Rating: 94»» The Iwaki crowd just witnessed one of the best matches of the year, surely. They knew that and the winner Stan Hansen knew that as well. Kenta Kobashi wasn’t full aware, as when he finally got up, all we could see in his face was a look of disappointment due to not being able to defeat Hansen who he so much regretted to lose to last year.
But it wouldn’t be fitting if the show didn’t end the way it did. The ‘Cowboy’ approached the valiant underdog with his hand extended. With a heavy head, Kobashi ended up shaking it, but as he prepared to leave the ring, he felt Hansen pulling his arm to raise it in appreciation for a hell of a wrestling match. The crowd applauded both men as Hansen wished good luck Kobashi in the rest of his League matches. Kobashi returned the wishes.
Show Rating: 86
Last Days Recap:»»
UWF-i – March 22nd: despite its interesting concept, the UWF-i seems destined to fail in all its different iterations. Financially, the federation is in some difficult conditions and the partnership with us isn’t all that beneficial to them in that field. Nobuhiko Takada is in the Champion Carnival, some UWF-i talent have appeared in AJPW. Will they fold soon? If that happens, who will pick their wrestlers out?
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AJPW – March 23rd: after Johnny Smith’s loss to Nobuhiko Takada in the Champion Carnival, the British wrestler was furious over that Soccer Kick to his face, which he felt was stiffer than usual. He had to be calmed down by, notoriously, Masanobu Fuchi, who was the agent for the match. He then apologized for his reaction and Takada shook his hand, apologizing too.
