Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

[8.0] "Pretty great match, Jumbo steals the show here for me, his brutality and intensity is amazing and I prefer the bits of the match with him on the offence, which is the majority. Misawa doesn't do a huge amount here but does some nice stuff like a brilliant top rope elbow drop, a great German suplex and some good strikes, but its the Jumbo show, he is simply the best at doing what he does in a match. I will say the section in the middle with Misawa on top is quite slow, not boring or bad just slow, whilst the sections with Tsuruta on top feel a bit more intense and have more jeopardy. Not their best match (1990 classic is untouchable) but still a good match. Draw ending was both disappointing and totally earned as neither could keep the other down."

[10.0] "I might be tripping here, but I thought this was the best of the main Misawa/Jumbo trilogy. The final 10 or so minutes with the molten hot crowd had me at the edge of my seat, and the finish was absolutely brilliant. Perfectly timed draw right after a backdrop suplex from Jumbo, with Misawa's leg juuust making it to the rope. It started pretty slow, but Jumbo dominating in the early stages was perfect build up to Misawa turning it around and putting on a super gutsy performance, refusing to stay down, no matter what. The final few minutes felt like a mad dash with both guys throwing everything they have to put the other down before the time expires. A more than worthy final match for them to go out on. *****"

[7.0] "Not a match for everyone I guess, this was slow at several parts, but I think the crowd and the natural tension a match between these two guys have massively helped the match. For me it's disappointing that this was their final singles match, Misawa really deserved a huge win over Jumbo for the title, to definitely solidify him as the new ace in a "passing the torch" moment. They had to stall a little because of the time-limit draw, and I believe they would have that big singles, but Jumbo's illness wouldn't let them. Final moments were thrilling as expected - {***1/4}"

[8.0] "Misawa fights till the very end, bringing the match to a time-limit draw. Very great installment in their series of matches, I've really enjoyed watching Misawa slowly overcome Tsuruta throughout their encounters. The end of the match firmly establishes that they are equal now, continuing their rivalry and raising the stakes on any future interactions between them. Low ****.25 / 5."

[9.0] "Jumbo goes for the jugular, literally, with an opening minute sleeper hold that the Yokohama faithful 100% buys as a potential finisher. Tsuruta then dominates the first 10-15, ably cutting off and countering all would-be comebacks. So of course when Misawa finally ekes an opening, the fans go wild for his every move and they're still at fever pitch for the facelock vs. sleeper battle as the clock winds down. A high [8.5] ****1/4"

[6.0] "This didn't do particularly much for me. Both are obviously incredible wrestlers, but this kinda felt like the two of them playing the hits. It has the callback spots you would expect, but nothing from either of them to make it particularly great or anything. Would have loved to see some wild and furious desperation from them as the time limit approached, but it felt like pretty standard from them the whole way through. There is a cool subtle thing that Tsuruta isn't really capable of beating Misawa anymore as he even survives the final Backdrop Suplex. He's not saved by the bell, as he clearly gets a foot on the ropes."

[9.0] "Fantastic, stiff action from both legends. The backdrop at the end was taken beautifully, as was the timing of the bell ringing at the end. Constant suspense and brutal moves kept this bout unpredictable from start to finish, as Tsuruta's fight to stay alive against Misawa was exhilarating. Great flow and a great story. 4.75"

[10.0] "I haven't been this invested in the finishing sequence of a match in a very long time. Misawa and Tsuruta with endless chemistry as always."

[9.0] "People saying this lacks the level of their previous bouts is a npc because if people weren't aware of the critical perception, they'd hold this way up. The intensity is there, the heat is there, the ugliness & griminess is there, the progression in both their places within the company makes this special."

[8.0] "Jumbo lil bro'd Misawa the whole match. Further setting the difference between the two wrestlers. Despite Misawa's attempts, he's working with the shorter side of the stick. Some hope spots here, but Jumbo, the veteran that he does, focuses on the arm. Misawa survives."

[10.0] "Crowd reactions told the story - they simply wanted to see Misawa beat Tsuruta again more than anything, but Tsuruta was determined to make sure that it's not gonna happen. In it's structure, the match is a very simple 30-minute draw, but when the story is that simple, everything that happens count. ****œ"

[6.0] "For the final match in the feud, it was a little underwhelming. Boring first half but it picked up for the end stretch - ***1/4"

[9.0] "This match was just fantastic. 30 minutes of what I just love, this AJPW 90's matches are incredible. Misawa and Tsuruta have an incredible chemistry and they always put awesome matches together. The exchanges of fore arms were very stiff, and the final Backdrop of Tsuruta was incredible. The finish was very intelligent, with Misawa putting his foot on the ropes during the pin, during the time limit draw. ****3/4"

[7.0] "The last Misawa vs Tsuruta singles match. It may have been a strong time limit draw, but it doesn't feel like the payoff to years of building up Misawa. And while it wasn't an intentional creative decision, it still leaves this feud feeling hollow."

[7.0] "The final Misawa vs Jumbo singles before Jumbo? s illness caused him to heavily fall down the pecking order. A typically hot Misawa vs Jumbo start with tons of stalemate spots, Jumbo having to use a sleeper to wear down Misawa and control him. Jumbo worked on the back of Misawa mostly, willing to sit in holds and pad out the match but Misawa sold the back really well. And Jumbo? s cutoffs to Misawa? s comeback attempts was great. The middle was a bit dull however. It was just basic and not very compelling to watch. When they kicked it up a gear for the finish with Misawa wrenching on the facelocks and the crowd bit for it, the match got good again. ***1/2"

[8.0] "FINALLY I get a properly great singles match from Jumbo. I was never super big on the series of matches these two had, but I can definitely say this was my favourite meeting of theirs. It was totally unlike any of their previous matches since they picked up the pace right away as Jumbo gained the quick advantage and locked in various rear-naked chokes. The crowd was going crazy, expecting a super quick finish, which is funny because this would actually end up being a 30-minute draw. Jumbo was in great form with his massive, lashing strikes and his constricting holds, and Misawa did a fantastic job selling. When Misawa was knocked by a strike he would add in these little head jolts, and when trying to recover from a big move he would slightly gesture towards his face with his hands, or just squint his eyes or stretch his jaw in such a way that made clear he was in pain but doing his best to hide that fact from his opponent. Misawa would get a few hope spots but Jumbo would dominate him pretty much all match long, and I loved how this then built Misawa up as the underdog. Misawa eventually gained the upper hand and was able to wow the crowd with his usual flashy offence and suplexes, but Jumbo would soon gain advantage once again. The final 10 minutes was incredibly hype, but it had a disappointing structure, since it was just Jumbo dominating Misawa and Misawa kicking out of everything Jumbo threw at him, which got old after a while. The crowd loved it all though, so I couldn't not enjoy it myself. It was evident though that both men were playing for the draw, or at least a tease of it. I really did find myself believing we'd see a finish before the clock ran out, since it's always exciting and compelling when Misawa's gets those facelocks in, but alas the timer ran out just as Jumbo went for a cover after hitting a backdrop suplex (though Misawa still got a ropebreak anyways). Great work from both men, but the structure held this back quite a bit. ***3/4"