Pros: One of the biggest draws of the '90s in Japan, outstanding worker, the top dog among the AJPW four, made mark in promoting with Pro Wrestling NOAH
Cons: Arguably behind Rikidozan, Baba and Tsuruta in terms of all-time rankings in Japan, while great in the ring, not regarded as the best in terms of workrate, impact across Pacific lesser than Mutoh, Sasuke, Tenryu and even Tajiri
Mitsuharu Misawa's run at the top of All-Japan Pro Wrestling is the stuff of legends. Given the ball after Genichiro Tenryu bolted and Jumbo Tsuruta retired, Misawa proved to be an epic draw and a phenomenal worker. Many people think that he's one of few wrestlers who can stake a claim for being in the best singles and tag matches of the all-time, let alone in the decade of the '90s. Misawa is a slam-dunk Hall-of-Famer.
So why then would someone hesitate at proclaiming him the best professional wrestler in Japan's history? There a few reasons. One is that he never really eclipsed those who came before him. Granted, the Japanese are culturally inclined to respect their elders more than Americans are. In fact, one of their major religions, Shinto, is basically the practice of ancestor worship. While Misawa will definitely live on as one of the all-time greats, it's arguable that he never outshone those who came before him. Rikidozan, Shohei "Giant" Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta are arguably ahead of him, and his the original Tiger Mask, Tenryu, Keiji Mutoh, Antonio Inoki and even his contemporary, Toshiaki Kawada could very well be argued to be on the same plane if we're knocking him down a peg.
Secondly, Japan is a country that likes a good workrate. Misawa was good, one of the best, but the fact that many people rank Kawada ahead of him kinda stings a little bit. You can't argue against gates, sure, but us wrestling dorks do it anyway, and of all the criteria, workrate is king, and why shouldn't it be? There wouldn't be an industry if it weren't for what happens in the ring.
Finally, the biggest knock against him is that barely anyone in the States knows who he is outside of the hardcore wrestling fans. If you ask someone who the best Japanese wrestler was, you'd get a few answers before Misawa most likely. TAKA Michinoku, Tenryu, The Great Sasuke, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Mutoh and even bit players like Sho Funaki and Masato Tanaka would rate before him. Puroresu is often called "smark porn" and many people will show a bias to it before they even get a chance to check it out. Therefore, the people who did come over here and star in high profile feds like the WWF/E and WCW would be the ones getting play.
Okay, okay, enough knocking the man for now. This post, and this week, has been set up to honor him and now, and I think the positives are enough that he has a legit case to be considered as the best ever. I certainly think that he will get his due sooner or later. I mean, ROH's rising popularity will certainly help his cause, since that is essentially American puroresu (or at least a watered down version of it). Misawa even wrestled over here a couple of times, so the smarter ROHbots will most definitely be taking his death to heart (Although it didn't show on Friday... every time someone threw an elbow like Misawa and when Necro Butcher hit the Tiger Driver, I chanted "Misawa! Misawa!" No one joined me).
For better or for worse, the indies are adopting a much stiffer, more King's Road-like style than they were back in the '90s. These wrestlers grew up fans, and I don't doubt that many of them bought tapes and viewed such classic affairs as the 6/3/94 match between Misawa and Kawada. Misawa was the vanguard of that generation, and rightfully, his influence is growing. For the better? Well, maybe with Misawa's death, there'll be a push towards more safety. Can these moves be done safely? I think they can.
Still, Misawa gave us years and years of great wrestling, first as Tiger Mask II in a high-flying style, then innovating the strong-style with his peers. He is one of the all-time greats, and he should be saluted and honored.
0 comments:
Post a Comment