Match Reviews: Former WWE Wrestlers in Japan (JBL, Tajiri, TJP, more)

So far in this match reviews series, the general consensus has been that most wrestlers wrestle better in Japan than in North America. Since the industry in Japan is geared more towards grappling skill and in-ring ability, wrestlers have been expected to work harder to get the same reactions.

A lot of wrestlers have had their career best matches in Japan, but that hasn’t always been the case.

Once again I’ve found five matches involving former WWE wrestlers competing in Japan or for Japanese promotions. But did they live up to the standard and perform better in places where being a gimmick and theatricality are less important? Read on to find out.

5. AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match: Mitsuharu Misawa [c] vs. Stan Hansen – October 23^rd, 1993

Background: Stan Hansen was in WWF/E in 1976 and then again in 1980-81 so technically that still makes him a former WWE guy. Years later, Misawa beat Hansen for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship over a year earlier and hadn’t lost up to this point. To prove that Misawa was above the old guard in every way, he defended his coveted title against the man he took it from. This match took place right after this awesome match between Toshiaki Kawada and Kenta Kobashi. It is also considered Misawa’s worst match by a country mile. Dave Meltzer even rated it *1/2. Also, the audio on this clip is exceptionally bad so make sure you watch with good headphones.

The match: This is for Misawa’s Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. Hansen gets an early ropebreak and then applies a hammerlock. Misawa fires back with elbows and takes Hansen to the mat. Hansen powers up and carries Misawa into a corner but Misawa elbows him so hard he falls to ringside. Hansen returns and hits some stiff strikes and applies a chinlock. Misawa escapes and hits more corner elbows but Hansen charges out and knocks him to the canvas. Misawa kicks out of a chinlock, hits back, and locks in a double-arm stretch. Hansen gets a ropebreak and takes Misawa down by his leg and starts working it over. Misawa counters into a cross armbreaker on Hansen’s left (lariat) arm until Hansen gets a ropebreak. Misawa goes right after that same arm with a shoulder armbreaker and a hammerlock of his own. Hansen gets another ropebreak so Misawa literally kicks him across the ring into another corner and applies another cross armbreaker. Hansen quickly gets another ropebreak and bails to the floor.

Hansen recovers and returns with a vengeance. He drops Misawa with some stiff forearms and hits an elbow drop. He gets a two-count off a kneedrop and kicks Misawa as hard as ehe can for another two-count. Hansen follows with an Ace Crusher II/leg drop bulldog but that only yields a two-count as well so Hansen dumps Misawa outside and hits a diving shoulder tackle from the apron. Hansen lands more elbow drops and chinlocks backi n the ring but all they result in are two-counts. Hansen locks in a camel clutch and then the two go back to hitting each other super hard. Hansen lands another sudden shoulder tackle for a two-count and hits more stiff corner shots. He follows with a hip toss and a dropkick but Misawa fires up suddenly. Misawa higts elbows and Hansen retaliates with head-butts. Misawa hits back with spinkicks and a running elbow but only manages two. Diving spinning lariat. another two-count for Misawa. hiptoss/dropkick combo by Misawa, followed by a scoop slam/frog splash combo, all for another two-count.

Misawa applies a facelock but Hansen get sa ropebreak. Misawa goes for a diving dropkick but Hansen sidesteps and locks in a single leg crab on the leg he worked over earlier but Misawa gets to the ropes. Hansen goes for a powerbomb but Misawa resists and hits back with elbows. He charges but Hansen goes for a powerslam. No, Misawa counters that with a roll-up but only gets a one-count. Misawa dropkicks Hansen to the floor and goes for a plancha. Hansen sidesteps and lands a powerbomb on the ringside mats. He drags Misawa into the ring and pins but once again only gets two. Hansen follows with a second-rope splash but only gets two again so he teases the Western lariat. Misawa still has fight in him and so the two trade more strikes. Misawa kicks Hansen back but Hansen charges into the corner. Misawa avoids him and gets a sunset flip. One, two, three…? Three? Hansen kicks out at what appears to be 3.05 and goes back to brawling. But the ref calls for the bell. Man, what a lousy ending.

Winner and STILL AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion after 22:10: Mitsuharu Misawa

Review: Wow, that was really bad by Misawa standards. He and Hansen just didn’t have any good chemistry whatsoever. They had fought before and the results were meh, but this one was particularly bad. The crowd wasn’t that hot (probably because Kobashi and Kawada stole the show right beforehand) and then they just went completely silent once Misawa took Hansen to the mat. Even though both Misawa and Hansen started off with some sound strategies – attacking each other’s arm and leg, respectively – there was no follow-through towards the end. Most of the wrestling came across as random and lacking in meaning. It was just ‘let me hit a move and see if the fans react’. Both Hansen and Misawa were rudderless here and didn’t do much to keep the crowd enthralled. It just dragged on and on without any real tension or any major crescendo to build towards. Plus the ending was botched badly, which led to groans from the crowd. But at least the matwork was sound in logic, even though it didn’t lead to anything later on. I’ve praised Misawa and Hansen before for their awesome matches, but even wrestlers as great as them can have bad nights once in a while. All in all, this match sucked.

Final Rating: *3/4

4. Toshiaki Kawada vs. TAJIRI – AJPW Champion Carnival 2007 – March 28^th, 2007

Background: I know, I know, this is technically a match between two Japanese guys. BUT, Tajiri became more famous for his work outside Japan through his stints in ECW and WWE. Most people remember him for his weird personality, Muta-inspired mist, and his Buzzsaw kick finisher. But after WWE, Tajiri found work all over his come country, including in All Japan, which was Kawada’s home company at the time. here, Kawada took on TAJIRI (who spelled his name in all-caps Roman letters, because, HEEL) in the early days of AJPW’s annual Champion Carnival singles tournament.

The match: TAJIRI starts with some exaggerated handshakes but Kawada’s having none of that and starts with stiff forearms. TAJIRI hits back with the same and applies a front chancery into a cravate hold but then Kawada rolls into a headlock. Kawada wrenches the hold as much as possible but TAJIRI switches into a headscissor, only for Kawada to get a ropebreak. Kawada chops TAJIRI hard and sends him into the topes but TAJIRI hits back with a handspring elbow. Kawada retaliates with a stiff kick combo that sends TAJIRI to the floor and TAJIRI taunts Kawada to join him at ringside. Kawada’s not falling for that so TAJIRI mocks him, leading to some laughs from the crowd and commentators. Kawada rushes TAJIRI as he re-enters the ring, kicks him brutally hard, and locks him in a single leg crab. TAJIRI gets a ropebreak so Kawada slaps him in the face. TAJIRI no-sells a few slaps and then spits on Kawada. he unloads a strike barrage of his own but that only angers Kawada more. Kawada mauls TAJIRI and hits his patented stepkicks, followed by a running corker yakuza kick and a suplex. Then he punts TAJIRI’s spine and goes for the Stretch Plum but TAJIRI escapes to ringside again. TAJIRI drapes Kawada over the top rope upon his re-entry and gets a one-count off a kneedrop. He follows with a neckbreaker and gets a two-cont this time and then applies another front chancery. TAJIRI takes his time releasing the hold on a ropebreak and then hits more elbows to the back of Kawada’s neck. He follows with a massive roundhouse kick and goes for a German suplex but Kawada blocks and hits a counter enzuigiri. Kawada fires back with a running boot and a running lariat but TAJIRI kicks out at two. Kawada locks in the Stretch Plum. TAJIRI crawls to the ropes for safety. Kawada goes for a powerbomb. TAJIRI counters into a jackknife counter for two. Kawada tries the powerbomb again. TAJIRI counters into a Frankensteiner. Kawada charges for an attack but stops midway due to the accumulated damage to his head and neck. Lie I’ve said before, this guy’s selling was world-class. The referee checks on Kawada as TAJIRI gets crucial recovery time. The ref shoves TAJIRI back as he tries to attack Kawada and then kicks the ref’s ass. Literally, a kick right in the ass. The ref turns around and TAJIRI sprays green mist in his face. The ref calls for the DQ! Kawada wins the match on a technicality.

Winner after 14:09: Toshiaki Kawada

Review: Disappointing match. It started off decently enough with both guys trading stiff strikes and working a limb. Kawada out-kicked TAJIRI (because, Kawada) but TAJIRI found a better game plan in the second half when he targeted Kawada’s neck. He hit several neck-targeting moves in quick succession and worked so well that they stopped Kawada’s comeback dead in its tracks. But at that point things got confusing. I’ve seen many awesome Kawada matches and that delayed selling out of nowhere is one of his trademarks. He sells pain like he’s fighting his own body shutting down and sometimes his will wins and sometimes his body wins. This looked like it was one of those cases as it gave TAJIRI a moment to recover and regain control of the match. But instead of waiting for a decision or possibly winning the match via hitting so hard it caused referee stoppage, he decided to attack the ref for no sensible season. TAJIRI literally had victory within reach but got impatient and messed with the referee. It was stupid on his part, despite the fact that he was largely a comedy wrestler wasn’t always that serious. But the Champion Carnival required more seriousness which, for whatever reason, TAJIRI failed to bring.

Final Rating: **1/4

3. El Phantasmo vs TJP – NJPW Super J-Cup 2019

Background: The Super J-Cup was a semi-regular cruiserweight tournament hosted by New Japan that was open to cruiserweights from around the world. In 2019 the first three rounds all took place in the United States and attracted several non-New Japan regulars, including TJP. Most might remember him as TJ Perkins from the WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic and as the first ‘new’ Cruiserweight Champion. This match took place six months after his WWE release as he took on El Phantasmo, a Canadian wrestler that was representing the already-bloated Bullet Club stable.

The match: An exchange of breaks on the ropes and a chain grappling sequence start things off. ELP goes for double eye pokes but TJP blocks and mocks ELP, which gets laughs from the crowd. ELP plays to and with the crowd by offering a handshake but then swings his hand and barely misses the ref’s head. TJP offers a ‘too sweet’ gesture and ELP responds by winding up into TJP’s ‘dab’ gesture. ELP cheap-shots TJP but eats a running headscissor for his efforts. TJP ends up on the apron, hits a shoulder check, and follows with a flying octopus hold. TJP switches into an STF but ELP gets a ropebreak. ELP counters a corner whip a with a backflip and TJP charges but then does a delayed headstand in the corner. It looks like a trap and ELP appears to fall for it, but then he does the ‘hey ref, look’ gag and pokes TJP’s eye. Hey, it’s slapstick, but it fits the match. ELP bullies TJP with chops and a corner foot choke and then mocks the crowd by praising Vancouver while mocking San Francisco. He ties TJP in the tree of woe and teases a running dropkick, but then changes his mind and stands on TJP’s groin instead. I still don’t know how that’s allowed. ELP goes for a pin but the ref doesn’t pin following that blatant dirty move. Oh, that’s why. ELP responds by stomping on TJP’s hand and starts bending his fingers. ELP channels Marty Scurll and goes for an Undertaker-style Old School. But then he goes further and channels Hakushi by walking halfway around the ring until TJP punches him and goes for a superplex. ELP fights uot and TJP ends up on the apron but TJP channels Ibushi and hits a springboard hurricanrana. Both wrestlers go down.

TJP begins his comeback with some uppercut forearms and a corner tornado DDT. He follows with a modified 619 and a top-rope splash for a two-count. ELP fights out of a fireman’s carry and starts trading strikes. This goes on for a while until ELP does what looks like a titty twister. ELP goes for a kick but TJP ducks under and hits a Backdrop suplex. TJP springboards onto the apron but walks into a superkick. ELP balances himself on the top rope and hits an Asai moonsault onto TJP on the floor. He throws TJP into the ring and ladns a springboard splash for another two-count. ELP prepares for a big move for TJP counters into a kneebar but ELP gets a ropebreak. ELP blocks a fireman’s carry kick and gets TJP in the torture rack. TJP escapes and lands a backslide for two. TJP hits a superkick followed by a Dudley Dog-type move. Fireman’s carry high kick connects. ELP kicks out. TJP goes to the top rope but ELP shoves the ref into the corner and TJP gets crotched. ELP follows with a super Frankensteiner. Then he hits a swanton bomb and goes up again. He tries a Christopher Daniels-style BME but misses. TJP takes advantage with a double-arm kneelift into ELP’s face. One, two, ELP kicks out. TJP transitions into the kneebar again. ELP gets very close to the ropes but TJP pulls him back. ELP raises his hand to tap but then uses it to throw the ref onto TJP. ELP takes advantage with a punch right to the d**k and pins for the three-count.

Winner after 14:49: El Phantasmo

Review: The match was alright. It was mostly a comedy match with ELP talking to the crowd and mocking TJP. It had its moments of decent comedy, but as a match it wasn’t that enthralling. It felt more like a typical indy match you’d find on a small promotion that’s trying to generate buzz in any way that it can. ELP did some pretty decent high-flying moves while TJP did his best to try and stay ahead of the pace ELP set. I get the feeling this wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, even though it was part of what was presented as an important tournament. This reminds me of the cruiserweight matches that took place during WWE’s ill-fated attempt at revitalizing that division. There were some cool dives here and there but it was largely a nothing match that didn’t have much of a story. ELP did a good job controlling the crowd, but he did so by ‘having fun’ instead of really striking an emotional chord.

Final Rating: **1/2

2. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams vs. Mike Barton – AJPW, January 18^th, 2001

Background: Mike Barton is Bart Gunn/Bodacious Bart from his stint in WWE from 1993 to 1999. This is a rematch from the infamous Brawl for All tournament three years earlier that f**ked Doc over royally. It was Barton that knocked him out in that legit fighting contest and ruined his reputation in WWE. Doc returned to Japan afterwards and stayed with AJPW after the NOAH split. Barton joined AJPW after his loss to Butterbean at WrestleMania XV and then joined them fulltime later in 1999.

The match: They trade amateur control early and then exchange chops. Doc gets the upper hand but Bart fires back with a running crossbody. Some amateur grappling ensues until Bart gets Doc in a corner and lands some shoulders to the gut. He sends Doc into the opposite corner but Doc blocks a charge and drops him face-first into the top turnbuckle. Doc starts mauling Bart both inside and outside the ring. Then Doc grabs his arm. Dangerous Backdrop Driver into the steel ring barricade! Christ what a sick landing!

The match skips ahead a bit to Doc stiffing Bart in a corner. Doc follows with a corner stinger splash and an overhead suplex for a two-count. Bart rolls out of a full nelson and somehow manages a slingshot walking vertical suplex on the near-300-pound Doc. Bart pins but only gets two so he lands a leg drop for another two-count. Bart slams Doc and hits a second-rope elbow drop for yet another two-count and throws him to the floor. Then Bart goes to the top rope. Diving press to the floor. Bart pins in the ring but Doc kicks out again. Bart lands a big boot and charges but Doc answers with a spinebuster for a two-count of his own. Doc starts hitting football tackles but Bart kicks out. Doc starts the Oklahoma Stampede but hits the ref in the process. Bart escapes in the confusion and lands an RKO. He covers Doc but the ref is still down. Ref bumps in All Japan. I’d never thought I’d ever see it. Bart knocks Doc’s partner IRS from the apron and clotheslines Doc for a two-count. He hits one corner clothesline and goes for a second but Doc counters the whip yet runs into a boot. Bart kicks doc down and goes to the top rope but Doc hits the ropes to cut Bart off. Doc follows with a top-rope underhook suplex and a gutwrench powerbomb. One, two, Bart kicks out. Doc goes for the Dangerous Backdrop. Bart blocks with elbows. Doc tries again but Bart counters into a pinning press in midair. Doc charges for a lariat. Doc counters with a successful Dangerous Backdrop. Bart’s too close to the ropes so Doc drills him with a third Dangerous Backdrop. One, two, three! Doc wins and gets his revenge!

Winner after 14:47: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7HHkaU2tL8

Review: Obviously this was nowhere near as great as Doc’s epics from the 1990s, but at least it was better than Brawl For All. It wasn’t as intense as I was expecting with the early action being relatively simple and subdued until Doc hit that sick DBD into the barricade. Bart fought back with some very simple moves afterwards but the match lacked depth. They had to rely on only a handful key moves and a lame ref bump to get major heat for the closing near-falls. The last two minutes were solid even with a relatively quiet crowd. At least the ref did a great job hyping up the final near-falls to wake people up. I could say I had higher expectations for this but that wouldn’t be true, considering Doc was even more past his prime here than his Brawl For All days and Bart was at a severe disadvantage from the beginning. All in all a passable match but nothing more.

Final Rating: **1/2

1. GET (Global, Energetic and Tough) [Johnny Ace & Kenta Kobashi] vs. The New Blackjacks (Barry Windham & Bradshaw) – AJPW World’s Strongest Tag Determination League 1997 – November 15^th, 1997

Background: John Layfield, first known in WWE as ‘John Hawk’ or ‘Justin Hawk Bradshaw’, was repackaged in 1997 as part of The New Blackjacks alongside Barry Windham. They weren’t used much on WWE TV at first so they were sent elsewhere for seasoning. Part of this seasoning included a tour of All Japan Pro Wrestling and participation in their annual tag team tournament.

The match: Windham and Ace start off with Ace getting a clean break. Ace hits some arm drags until Bradshaw tags in and the two trade stiff chops. Bradshaw hits harder and then starts stiffing the crap out of Ace in his best Stan Hansen impersonation. Bradshaw hits a short-range clothesline for a two-count and tags Windham. The Blackjacks beat up Ace for a while until Ace counters a corner whip and hits a clothesline. Kobashi tags in and chops the crap out of Bradshaw. There’s something oddly satisfying about typing that sentence out. Bradshaw tries no-selling and hits Kobashi as hard as possible. Kobashi tries absorbing it but Bradshaw lands a back suplex for a two-count. The Blackjacks hit a double shoulder tackle for a two-count and Windham – now legal – locks in a sleeper hold. Windham uses the ropes to apply extra pressure behind the ref’s back and keeps the hold on even as Kobashi slips outside. Back in the ring, Windham and Kobashi trade chops until Windham pokes Kobashi’s eye. Bradshaw tags in and lands a delayed vertical suplex for another two-count, then gets two again following a chinlock. Windham tags in and lands some body blows but Kobashi follows with a counter sleeper hold. Windham counters that with his own back suplex, pins, gets two, and puts on another sleeper of his own. Kobashi gets a ropebreak and then ducks a corner charge and lands a back suplex.

Ace tags in and begins his comeback. he lands a top-rope clothesline, a corner clothesline, and a DDT on Windham while locking Bradshaw off the apron, all for a two-count. Windham blocks an Ace Crusher and answers a charge with a powerslam for another two-count. Bradshaw tags in and hits a corner clothesline/bulldog combination for a close two-count. Bradshaw goes for the Clothesline from Hell/Texas. Ace ducks and lands an Ace Crusher/RKO. Kobashi holds Windham on the ropes as Ace covers but only gets two. Kobashi tags in and sends Bradshaw into a corner. He whips Ace into Bradshaw but Bradshaw boots Ace and lariats Kobashi. Bradshaw follows with a pumphandle drop for a two-count. He goes for a vertical suplex but Kobashi counters into one of his own. Ace comes in and hits a back suplex/neckbreaker combo alongside Kobashi but it only yields a two-count. Ace brawls with Windham outside and sends him into the barricade as Kobashi and Bradshaw trade stiff strikes. A side kick sends Bradshaw into the ropes and Ace hits him with a draping Ace Crusher. LARIATO by Kobashi. One, two, three! Kobashi and Ace win.

Winners after 10:39: GET (Global, Energetic and Tough) [Johnny Ace & Kenta Kobashi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHkZz7oMlcw

Review: Completely passable undercard tag match. It was straightforward with the Blackjacks isolating Kobashi until Ace could make his comeback, which allowed Kobashi to recover in time to hit his big moves. The Blackjacks showed more tag team cohesion throughout the match to be better heels while Ace and Kobashi kept their tandem cooperation until the end when it mattered most. It wasn’t a particularly deep or exciting match, but it wasn’t bad in any way.

Final Rating: **3/4

Thanks for reading. You can email me with any questions or comments, and be sure to check out my 5-Star and Almost 5-Star Match Reviews series here.