Billy Robinson vs Jumbo Tsuruta (AJPW) 03/05/1977
This match is 2 out of 3 falls for the NWA National Title. The first fall is your basic first fall format that All Japan had been doing at this time. Robinson and Tsuruta had great back-and-forths battle sprinkled throughout the fall. The technical execution in this fall is what really stood out above all else. Not much happened in terms of story. All that was established was that both men were on equal footing. There were some slow spots when Robinson was in control that did not add anything to the overall match. Tsuruta won after a pretty exciting exchange with a bulldog. The crowd was hot for some of this especially when things started happening.
The second fall starts off real slow with Robinson demonstrating his technical abilities. This is what I hate about this style overall. A lot of it feels very showy and it doesn't look like they’re trying to win the match. Not surprisingly the match got hotter when they left the mat and started throwing suplexes and some good looking strikes. This fall was very boring but it was sound in terms of structure. Robinson wore Tsuruta down and was able to counter the bulldog that put him away in the first fall and win the second fall with a nasty looking backbreaker.
The third fall was great. There was no time wasted and the pace was pretty good. The work that Robinson did on Tsuruta’s back ended up paying off. Robinson pinned Tsuruta with a pin that put all his weight on his back. It was a simple but brilliant finish. The closing stretch was very hot with some great suplexes from Tsuruta. Tsuruta lost his composure in this match which exemplified Robinson’s collected mind which was in turn reflected in the way he wrestled the match.
While boring at times the match had a great layout in the last two falls. One of the things that hurt this match for me is that the first fall felt inconsequential. It was only there to establish what we already know: that Tsuruta is a top level wrestler. This is one of those matches that didn’t need the 2 out of 3 falls formula. Had this been a regular one-fall match the flow would have been better. Technically this match was very good. Robinson is great at this style and it clashed nicely with Tsuruta’s style. Great match but at times it felt contrived.
Final Rating - ****
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