Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

[8.0] "the fight was a great watch they were mean mugging each other throughout the match they had spots which seemed personal like the slap spot misawas counters were good tsuruta looked good bullying misawa with lariats and axe handles to the back top moment for me was the first high knee from tsuruta"

[7.0] "Really good match with a kickout-heavy finishing sequence. Misawa falls into the ropes a few times to secure Tsuruta's advantage but is able to unsettle the champion with his high-flying offense. Not quite as good as their previous matches but still enjoyable."

[8.0] "A solid 4-star match with a fantastic closing stretch that really delivered. The drama and execution at the end were top-tier, but the slow burn and deliberate pace in the middle dragged a bit for me. I'm not a huge Misawa guy, so I have a little bias here. Misawa and Jumbo told a great story, but parts felt like a slog before it picked up. Still, a strong showing from two legends and a worthwhile watch for fans of classic AJPW."

[9.0] "This may not be exactly on the level of their last two matches, but it isn't far behind, what a great bout. Jumbo and Misawa are just too good, their sequences were great, a lot of punishing strikes, a lot of stiff moves. The match was entirely enjoyable, but the ending stretch was special as always, first it was Misawa doing anything he could to put Jumbo down, and then Tsuruta managed to overcome the momentum of the young ace and remain the champion. This is very special because the crowd was on fire, and even if they are not putting their best work, they manage to compensate that with emotion - {****1/4}"

[9.0] "April 18th, 1991 - Tied at 1-1 after their epic battles in 1990, it was inevitable that 1991 would bring us Jumbo/Misawa III. Last year saw Misawa toss the Tiger Mask II persona aside and step up to Tsuruta, the man he idolised as a young fan. In no mood to relinquish his spot, he and Misawa began a bitter rivalry that now defines All Japan. Misawa's famous June 1990 victory over Jumbo appeared to herald the 'changing of the guard', and perhaps with a lesser man it would. But Tsuruta came back strong, and roared into their September 1990 rematch to deliver a defiant, powerful, emphatic and quite brilliant victory. It triggered an upturn in fortunes which saw him defeat Hansen to win back the Triple Crown in January, then beat 'The Lariat' again to win the first Champion Carnival Tournament in almost a decade too. Now Tsuruta looks to silence all the doubts and cement his place as the indomitable ace of AJPW with a second singles win over Misawa as well. Absolutely stunning. This match is an under-appreciated gem compared to their beloved classics in 1990. I can understand why, it lacks the wow factor of the June match, whilst also missing the relentless aggression and brilliance of their September rematch. But what it lacks in regards to excitement it more than makes up for with brilliant story-telling. Fans already know Misawa can beat Jumbo and, after a year of seasoning in the AJPW main event scene, there was genuine intrigue as to whether he now had what it takes to defeat him with the Triple Crown up for grabs. They played with that premise wonderfully, letting Misawa carry the first half of the match suggesting that his speed, athleticism and strike power would be too much for the ageing Jumbo. But, as we've seen time and time again, Tsuruta isn't one to relinquish his spot without a fight. No matter if it pissed off the Budokan fans, he would stop at nothing to keep Misawa at bay once again. He inflicted a leg injury on the floor, and when the younger man refused to play ball with his finishing move he tried to cripple him with a Back Drop into the turnbuckles. The final act here was so good. They referenced key moments from earlier matches (Misawa trying the float-over pin again, Jumbo stealing Misawa's trick of using momentum against him), and then started using successful techniques from other competitors too. Jumbo used Stan Hansen's moves against Misawa, so the challenger used Tenryu strikes or Terry Gordy DDT's back at him. Ultimately on this night, Jumbo still had enough power to survive Misawa's youthful fire and relentless elbows to the head. He was given a tough fight, but he leaves the Champion Carnival Tour having proven beyond doubt that the 'Ace' very much still sits atop his throne. ****1/2"

[8.0] "A step up to the defences for the last while. Misawa brings a great energy to this match, his high flying is a great new aspect to one of these defences. The dynamic of the young up-comer, trying to stay ahead, while Jumbo uses his veteran prowace to keep his titles, and gets a great reaction for it. (****1/4)."

[9.0] "Fantastic slow burn battle in which every slight advantage is loaded with significance. Budokan are on the edge of their seats sensing the changing of the guard & the final five are gripping ****1/2"

[9.0] "Yes this isn't as good as their previous two matches but the difference is so little that it's negligible & this still feels like one of the greatest matches ever. The finishing stretch is pure perfection."

[8.0] "I was expecting this one to be a disappointment considering how great their preceding matches were, but this match wasn't too far behind. And this one had the most on the line with the Triple Crown now at stake. After a hot start it slows down and takes it a little bit to get going again, which holds this match back from being better. However, once it does get going, it's great drama. Misawa gets closer and closer to the title with each move he hits, and the crowd can taste a Misawa title win. But just like their match from September the previous year, it was the backdrop that did in Misawa. This time Jumbo hits several of them, the final one, arguably the most vicious of the lot, which finally puts Misawa away. Probably the least of their trilogy, but I thought it still delivered. ****1/4"

[8.0] "Misawa has grown a lot since their last encounter. He's able to hold his own and barrages Jumbo with elbows. They build on the finish of their last match by having Misawa trying to get the win by countering Jumbo's finish with a crossbody. It doesn't work this time, and when he goes to counter it again, Jumbo is prepared and he launches Misawa faces first into the turnbuckle mid-counter. It's a nasty spot and it's the kind of ongoing storytelling I want in my wrestling. This isn't as good as their '90 match, as there's a bit too much downtime and they lose some steam midway through the match, but Jumbo facing Misawa is still well worth a watch in any capacity."

[8.0] "This was a great way to follow up on their prior matches. There is much more assurance in their opening match routine, more oomph to it. More violence with a great strike fest that felt more bitter than anything prior to this match. The finishing stretch was excellent. Jumbo surviving the barrage of Misawa bombs he'd throw only for the tide to begin the turn when he hung him on the ropes. From then on, Misawa, who still was on offence, began to slowly fade and start losing control after Jumbo began hitting his biggest shots. A great match for the feud. ****"

[9.0] "This was absolutely Brilliant, wow found myself falling for near falls from a match 27 years ago, Jumbo was amazing, Misawa amazing, amazing amazing, amazing, just amazing **** 1/2"

[5.0] "The other 2 matches between Jumbo and Misawa were very highly praised, and while I did think they were good I never thought they were much more than that. This was definitely the worst of their matches. It wasn't bad but it was pretty dawdling. Things start off well with Misawa showing off his flashy offence at a high pace, but sadly things quickly die down as both men go through the motions of rest holds and a few weak looking strikes and power moves. Jumbo is always great when ever he goes crazy and just unloads all his stiffest acts, yet he doesn't look so good when working from under, since his selling is rather goofy and it makes him look weak. The crowd was super hot for everything here, but I just didn't get the same vibe. The final 5 minutes was pretty fun at least, especially with Jumbo delivering that series of brutal looking backdrop suplexes from which he picks up the win. The slow burn story of Jumbo passing the torch to Misawa looks pretty odd at this point. Misawa is still failing to claim the company's top title (the Triple Crown) and is now 1-2 against Jumbo ? the existing ace. It's probably good that Misawa didn't get a megapush right away, but it's still odd to have him failing to reach the top of the mountain so many times since he only very recently began to be a serious contender for the position of AJPW ace. Crowds still love him at this time, of course , but if he was going to be in the main event scene so soon after his initial break-out match with Jumbo then why put him there only to constantly lose instead of to capitalise on his momentum by pushing him? I figured he should only be in the Triple Crown scene if he's going all the way with minimal setbacks. Not that this story side of the match factored too heavily into my enjoyment, though. It's just something I was also considering. **1/2"

[10.0] "What an awesome match. The weakest match between these two is still a fantastic contest. They go hard at each other at the very beginning of the match, unleashing strikes and slaps to show the disrespect they have for each other, and the atmosphere is already great. Then they both try to take control, with Tsuruta finally getting the advantage and briefly (but viciously) going after Misawa's leg. The last 10 minutes are full of great near-falls and it's really impossible to tell who will win the match, until Tsuruta unleashes three vicious backdrops for the win. The crowd was hot for the whole match, and this was again very, very good. ****1/2"

[7.0] "Yeah this wasn't quite as good as their other two matches but still had its moments. Crowd was as hot as ever and the final few minutes had some great nearfalls. The final few backdrops were brutal and convincingly sealed the deal for Jumbo, it seems Misawa still had some work to do after his initial victory over Tsuruta in 1990. (***3/4)"