Jack Brisco vs Jumbo Tsuruta (AJPW) 1/30/1974
The match starts with some great defensive wrestling from each man. Jumbo had some great comeback spots. Brisco’s control periods were pretty good and did not feel slow at all. The finish to the first fall was a little anticlimactic but it was supposed to be since Brisco dominated that first fall. In the second fall Jumbo took more control of the match. His offense looked very good here and Brisco did a great job of selling. Here we see what made Jumbo so great. His energy on offense was so captivating. Every move he hit on Brisco looked like it could finish the match. Jumbo wins the second fall. The third fall picks up where they left off in the second fall. This match happened 22 years before I was born so I did not live through Jumbo’s career but this felt like his big coming out performance. The crowd was right there with Jumbo’s every move. Their exchanges on the mat were pretty good. The third fall had Brisco defeating Jumbo with a counter to a roll-up validating the work from the first fall and Brisco’s world champion class skill.
I always felt that 2 out of 3 falls matches were generally formulaic and uninspiring, until I started to watch these classic puro matches. Each fall plays into the other. The first fall was to set up all of Jumbo’s comeback spots in the second fall. The second fall gave people a reason to stay invested in the match because it made Jumbo into a credible threat to the world champion and showed his potential. The third fall validated all the work done by Brisco in the first fall. The third fall also reminded us that Brisco is still a world champion and his skill and experience defeated the hungry challenger. It also showed us the struggles Jumbo would have to overcome to reach that top level. All of that mixed with some really good comebacks by both wrestlers, a hot crowd and finishes that were perfect for the story of the overall match. One thing that I will criticize this match for that was persistent throughout the entire bout was the moves. Some of the moves, mostly Jumbo’s, looked a little off. With the exception of the second fall, Jumbo did not look like a top wrestler. I feel like that is counterproductive to what they were trying to do with the match. Its nitpicky but it stopped it from being a 5 star classic. Still a classic though.
Final Rating - ****3/4
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