All Japan Pro Wrestling TV 1/23/1993

All Japan Pro Wrestling TV 1/23/1993

全日本プロレステレビ 1993年1月23日

Giant Baba, Takao Omori and Tamon Honda vs Kenta Kobashi, Jun Akiyama and Satoru Asako

You can see the fear on Baba's face

The finish

We join this in progress with Kobashi putting the crab on Honda. He then hits a stiff corner lariat and holds him so Asako can flip on him from the top. Asako bulldogs Honda then baseball slides him in the side of the head. Jun gets in and trades chops with Honda then slams him. Jun then sharpshooters him and Baba breaks it up. 

Honda suplexes Asako then Omori gets in. Asako dropkicks Omori out. He then cannonballs him off the apron. Kobashi hits chops on Omori then hits chops on Baba when he gets in. Baba chops him in the head then puts him in an octopus stretch. Kobashi rolls Honda around the ring and that is broken up too.

Jun back body drops Honda then elbow drops him. Asako crabs Honda when they get in and Omori breaks it up. Kobashi delay suplexes Honda for 2. Jun gets in and is backdropped by Honda then Baba hits chops on Jun. Jun backdrops Baba then Asako 2nd rope dropkicks Baba. Kobashi slams and legdrops Baba and Jun joins in.

This was a very fast paced tag match. The tags were happening so fast and frequently that it was easy to miss them. They kept it moving here and what we saw of this was fine.

Kobashi hits a stiff lariat on Baba for 2. Kobashi slams and the moonsaults on Baba for 2. Kobashi hits machine gun chops on Baba then Baba takes corner attacks from his opponents. Baba gets the boot up on Asako's corner attack and Honda top rope knee drops Asako. Omori top rope elbows Asako and wins it.

We have a Puroresu News segment. We see clips of Baba playing baseball and some shots of an exhibition on Baba's Giant's team with some of his baseball gear.

Richard Slinger vs. Ryukaku Izumida

We join this in progress with Izu missing a dropkick. Slinger sunset flips him then is powerslammed for 2. Slinger hits a nice backdrop then is thrown off the top. Izu hits a stiff lariat for 2. Izu slams him and misses a top rope moonsault. Slinger stomps on him, slams him and pump kicks him. Slinger then backdrops him for 2. Slinger slams him and top rope splashes him for the win.

What we saw wasn't bad at all, but that's what we saw. It's hard to know what we missed out on here but the crowd didn't seem real excited, so it might not have been much.

We go back to Puroresu News. They talk about Terry Gordy and show dropping Jun Akiyama on his neck. They then shill an All Japan theme song CD, which I actually have. It has the themes for Baba, Misawa, Hansen and all your AJPW favorites.

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Johnny Gunn

Gunn is Tom Brandi. Gunn headlock takeovers him and goes up and over in the corner and hits a japanese armdrag. Gunn crossbodies and armdrags him, then he keylocks him. Misawa hits some elbows then jumping front kicks him. Gunn comes back with chops and they trade forearms.

Misawa gutwrench suplexes him then front facelocks him. Gunn hammerlocks him then works a fujiwara armbar. Gunn hammerlock takedowns him. Misawa tries to make a comeback but takes a 2nd rope shoulderblock then a suplex. Misawa hits a forearm, a forearm out of the corner then a spinning high kick. Misawa running forearms him and puts in the facelock and wins via submission.

This was a pretty lame match and not exactly something you are going to see on a best of Misawa tape. Look, everyone knew Gunn wasn't winning and him putting basic holds on Misawa didn't do much to sell people on thinking differently. The finish was pretty lame and tame as well. This was just nothing but restholds. 

Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue vs Stan Hansen and John Nord

Kawada and Hansen trade shots to start. Hansen slams him then Kawada takes a running double shoulder block. Nord slams Kawada and chinlocks him. Kawada kicks him in the head while in the hold then Nord gives him the big boot. Hansen forearms Kawada and works his arm. Kawada reverses it into an AT lock then hits kicks.

Taue arm wringers Hansen. He rams the arm into the buckle, ties it around the ropes and fujiwara armbars it. Nord breaks it up then Taue armbars Hansen. Kawada kicks Hansen in the arm and drops knees on it. Taue hammerlocks Hansen's arm around the top rope and Hansen headbutts him. Hansen hits him with various strikesand rolls out. Kawada sends Hansen's arm into the post out there.

Taue takes Hansen into the seats and then puts his shoulder into the post. Taue works the arm and takes a backdrop. Taue kicks him while laying on the mat and fujiwara armbars him again. Hansen hits headbutts then Nord flying shoulders Taue. Taue is thrown out and takes a running facekick then Nord slams Taue on the floor.

Nord backdrops Taue in the ring then hits chops and clubs on him. Nod does a camel clutch variation on him. Taue takes a double shoulder. Hansen crabs Taue then Nord stomps Taue. Hansen elbow drops Taue then hits stiff forearms. Hansen misses a corner charge and goes over the top. Nord backdrops Taue.

Kawada gets in and hits kicks on both opponents. He uses the 2nd rope to kick Hansen then 2nd rope kneedrops him. Kawada takes a hard back elbow then a legdrop from Nord. Nord misses a 2nd rope splash and Taue is in. Nord slams Taue then Taue takes a double suplex. Nord takes a back drop + chokeslam combo for 2. Taue then ddt's Nord for 2. Taue hits a chokeslam on Taue and wins it.

The armwork on Hansen didn't really lead to anything. The crowd wasn't super into it and they just worked the match weird. Hansen should have been the face here and made the big comeback, but Taue and Kawada were in that role and it just messed up the whole dynamic of the match.

Overall thoughts: While one might think the reality of All Japan was constant classic matches, a show like this was more of the true reality. Not everything always hit and even some of the best workers ever had clunkers here. The main was disappointing and Gunn/Misawa was not good at all.