5-Star Match Reviews: Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Masanobu Fuchi & Yoshinari Ogawa – AJPW, July 5, 1992

This is one of those fabled Dave Meltzer 5-Star matches (back when that actually meant something) that, unfortunately, has been mostly lost to time. It’s also one of the lesser known big All Japan classics since it took place a few weeks after a much more famous and heralded Kenta Kobashi classic that made him one of the biggest Japanese names among outside wrestling fans.

And what’s also interesting is that most of the 1990s All Japan classics have stood the test of time; they haven’t aged poorly (unless you’re one of those viewers who winces at the sight of head spikes given what would end up happening to Misawa and whatnot), and still feel fresh if you were to revisit them more than once. And as we go through the golden decade of the 1990s we take another stop along the King’s Road to see how well those supposed great matches hold up.

The Story

There’s not much of a story here beyond champions versus challengers. Kobashi and Kikuchi were defending their All Asia Tag Titles (AJPW’s secondary belts), which they won on May 25^th in THAT legendary encounter in Sendai. Kobashi and Kikuchi need no introductions so instead we’re going to focus on their challengers who might be less known.

First there was Masanobu Fuchi, an All Japan mainstay who had been with the company since the mid-1970s. He was small enough to be an official junior heavyweight but he made up by being perhaps the most visceral and psychologically adept wrestler on the roster. He was a master at getting the most out of simple and basic things and knew how to make every little thing count. He was integral in putting and keeping together the fabled Tsuruta-gun versus Misawa-gun trios matches that ruled All Japan from 1990 to the summer of 1992 and was seen internally as one of the more brilliant minds when it came to booking and match layout.

Then there was Yoshinari Ogawa, who was a junior heavyweight division mainstay since 1985 but remained largely unspectacular beyond that. All Japan never put as much stock into their junior division as New Japan so Ogawa ended up something of a division centerpiece by default. He wasn’t particularly believable; with his scrawny frame and lack of a signature strike of any sort he ended up a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type in the ring. That said, the one thing he was very, very good at was quick technical wrestling, which made sense since he was also a trainer in AJPW’s dojo. He was the walking definition of someone who had to outsmart his opponents since out-striking or out-powering them wasn’t in his wheelhouse when he wrestled. And so, Ogawa’s matches were all built around deception, underhandedness, and exploiting weaknesses. But could those things work against such a fiery underdog like Kikuchi and a gullible but lovable babyface like Kobashi?

The Match

Ogawa shoves and pie-faces Kikuchi during pre-match introductions. We then skip far ahead and join the action in progress with Kikuchi elbowing out of a chinlock. The crowd is super-hot as Ogawa applies a sleeper only for Kobashi to make the save and knock Fuchi off the apron. Ogawa gets up first and tags Fuchi who wraps Kikuchi around the corner ropes and foot chokes him with Ogawa’s help until Kobashi runs in to save his partner again.

Ogawa stands on the back of Kikuchi’s neck as the ref makes Kobashi back off. Fuchi shows his callousness and his skill with psychology as he keeps Kikuchi in his corner, as far from Kobashi as possible. He lands some targeted attacks to Kikuchi’s head and then drops him crotch-first on the top rope. As he moves around the ring to keep the referee’s attention Ogawa attacks Kikuchi, getting more heat and boos from the crowd.

Fuchi covers for a two-count and then lands an enzuigiri followed by some methodical aimed punches to the head. Kikuchi holds onto one side of ropes for dear life so Fuchi boots him in the head. He repeats this again and when he finally gets Kikuchi off one set of ropes but then Kikuchi holds onto another side. This surprises Fuchi and allows Kikuchi to rock him with a few forearms and then tag Kobashi.

Kobashi lands a big dropkick followed by a volley of chops and a running shoulder tackle. Ogawa tries breaking up a sleeper but Kobashi tanks punches to the head long enough for Fuchi to go after Ogawa and lock in a sleeper of his own. Fuchi gets a ropebreak so Kobashi sends him into another corner and hits a running lariat plus a springboard bulldog for a two-count. Kobashi tries a vertical suplex but Fuchi resists, escapes, and dropkicks Kobashi’s left knee. Ogawa tags in and goes after that body part aggressively. Even though he looks so scrawny and unimposing he’s making up his lack of definition by exploiting a clear injury/weakness as smartly as he can. Fuchi ties Kobashi in the tree of woe and dropkicks his knee and then Ogawa smashes it into the post at the twenty-minute mark.

Fuchi tortures Kobashi with more work on his left knee and ankle, cranking them as much as he can. Ogawa tags in and cuts off Kobashi’s attempt at a tag/comeback with a drop toehold. Kobashi gets a ropebreak to end an STF and then hits an enzuigiri to stop another legwork segment. Kobashi follows with a clothesline and then tags Kikuchi who runs wild with elbow smashes until Fuchi intervenes. Kikuchi hits him with elbows and then Kobashi clotheslines Fuchi out of the ring.

Kikuchi dropkicks Ogawa as Kobashi deals with Fuchi ringside. A leg lariat and a northern lights suplex get Kikuchi a two-count each. Kobashi slams Ogawa and lands and assists Kikuchi in landing an aided top-rope body press for another two-count. Kobashi & Kikuchi follow with a double suplex and a double-team back suplex press combo followed by a diving moonsault by Kobashi. But Kobashi damages his knee in the process and can’t pin right away. Each second he spends writhing in pain gives Ogawa time to recover.

Kikuchi tags in and lands a diving head-butt for two. Ogawa reverses an Irish whip and lands a Perfect-plex for a two-count of his own and tags Fuchi. Fuchi lands a dropkick and a Backdrop suplex for a two as Kobashi saves his partner. Ogawa takes Kobashi to the floor as Fuchi lands two more Backdrops. Kobashi can’t break free to save his partner but Kikuchi still out anyway. The crowd’s going mad cheering and chanting Kikuchi’s name.

Fuchi attempts another Backdrop but Kikuchi counters with a midair press. Kikuchi does a similar counter out of a scoop slam. Wrenches his leg free of Fuchi’s arms, and tags Kobashi. Kobashi hobbles around and lands half-power tackles followed by a leg drop with his right leg. He goes to the ropes but Ogawa trips him which cuts his momentum off as his knee is still highly damaged.

Ogawa tags in and he and Fuchi land a scoop slam/diving foot stomp combo for a two-count. Kobashi reverses a corner whip, Ogawa boots him to stop a charge, and Kobashi catches Ogawa in midair with a powerslam counter for another two-count. Kobashi does the rolling cradle but Fuchi breaks up the pin. Then Fuchi tags in but Kobashi fights back and does the rolling cradle on him for another near-fall. He tags Kikichi and they go for an aided diving dropkick but Fuchi dodges so Kikuchi kicks his partner. Fuchi enzuigiris Kikuchi and lands a running Thesz press for a close near-fall.

Fuchi tries a suplex but Kikuchi lands behind him. Kobashi comes back and kicks both Fuchi and Ogawa which allows Kikuchi to land a bridging German suplex for another near-fall. Ogawa tries interfering but Kobashi goes right after him again. Fuchi tries an O’Connor roll but Kikuchi reverses it and gets a three-count out of nowhere to retain the titles!

Winners and STILL AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champions after 30:42 (official): Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi

Review

It’s a bit hard for me to come up with a fair match rating since between one third and one half of this match was clipped. What we did see, though, was your typical 1990s All Japan greatness: intense and competitive action, deep storytelling executed smoothly through simple but understandable wrestling moves and shifts in control. It was less about hitting big moves and more about the little things: placement, separation, isolation, heat, double-teaming, and creating this sense of evenness that kept the match going at an incredible pace until the very end. Though it was highly simplistic compared to what American wrestling has provided us in terms of angles, build, and stories to sink our teeth into, this match was still worth the watch because of how easily it could be enjoyed and understood in a vacuum.

The main selling point of these 1990s All Japan matches is how clear they make the matches. Though the face/heel divide isn’t as pronounced as it is in story-driven American wrestling, the wrestlers themselves clue you in based on their tactics and strategies in the match. Fuchi and Ogawa acted as classic heat-building heels by isolating Kikuchi from his “big brother” and then dismantling Kobashi so that he couldn’t make the most out of his size and strength advantages. When Kobashi was in he played the classic Face-in-Peril who ran wild until his opponents went low and targeted a known weakness. He went from dominant and in control to fighting for his life on the flip of a dime. He did well in both roles but exceled as the underdog. Point blank, no one sells anguish and then coming back in a staggered and believable way better than Kobashi. He made every move of his and every move he took from his opponents look and feel like a struggle. He wrestled in a compelling and understandable way that made him both sympathetic to the diehard AJPW audience that was used to the hard style and to outsiders knowing little but understanding a lot. That’s a mark of a successful and talented wrestler: people from all over the world can understand what’s going on and follow along just as well as the native audience.

Final Rating: ****1/2

This is another terrific match that suffers a bit because full footage hasn’t survived to the modern day. I remember finding a grainy clip of the full match years ago during COVID and thought the whole match was ***** but that clip has since disappeared and so this JIP version is all that remains. But with the first ten-plus minutes clipped then we don’t get to see how the heat gets established and how well Fuchi and Ogawa do at setting up the roadblocks for the babyfaces to overcome. And since AJPW main-event matches tended to be structured like three-course meals at Michelin star restaurants, skipping out on the appetizer or the amuse-bouche would ultimately change the quality of what is consumed.

Although the entire match hasn’t survived to the present, what did survive was and still is pretty wild and enjoyable. This isn’t the deepest or most outwardly flashy of matches, but given how nuts the 2,100 in Korakuen Hall were going from start to finish, it was obvious that the wrestlers here had found a winning formula all the same.

Thanks for reading.