NJPW G1 Climax 08/02/96: Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto
The goddamn amazing lock up that starts the match sets the tone for the rest of it; it was gonna be a hard hitting, badass, dramatic bout where EVERYTHING feels BIG. Terrific psychology & atmosphere, fantastic selling, superb facial expressions, an all-time great finish w/ CHOSHUUUUUUU. One of my favorite matches ever. *****
AJPW 01/20/97: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa
42 minutes of perfect pro wrestling. It's so compelling right from the start w/ Misawa's shine, to Kobashi's work over the mid-section, to Misawa injuring his arm & Kobashi working it like a man possessed, to Misawa's absolutely fantastic selling - I can see the arguments about him being a little too elbow heavy by the end, but as many have pointed out throughout the years, I thought he sold the pain he was in amazingly after every elbow he threw & Kobashi hadn't been focusing on the arm that much towards the start of Misawa's big comeback run - he abandoned the gameplan & Misawa made him pay for it w/ one of the greatest single match comebacks of all-time. That FRANKENSTEINER. Those desperation lariat attempts by Kobashi in the end w/ him trying to get on his feet were so good too, fit the scene perfectly & looked perfectly imperfect for what he/they were going for w/ 'em. Their best match against one another, one of the greatest matches of all-time & a real contender for the best AJPW match ever. *****
WWF WrestleMania 13: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin
One of those matches, much like 06/03/94 & 06/09/95, where it's reputation is so big that it almost feels dumb trying to explain why it's so legendary. But yeah, this truly is one of the greatest matches of all-time. A clinic in in-ring psychology w/ Bret's work over Austin setting up the double turn perfectly & Austin sells his ass off, earning every bit of offense he gets. Bret's performance is just one of the best there has ever been - he tells the double-turn story perfectly without going overboard with it. Just something missing from it for it to be a 5* match, but it's close. ****3/4
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