10 Great Wrestling Moments That Not Enough People Have Seen

10. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi Vs. Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon - AJPW May 25, 1992

Since the dreaded "Japanese crowds are too quiet" take still does the rounds - or at least the Richard Madeley "They were pretty hot for a Japanese crowd!" version - this match is mandatory viewing.

This is the most stunning and accurate snapshot of Japanese professional wrestling free to watch on YouTube, and thus the perfect entry point into it. It neatly and thrillingly bisects its history becoming, in the process, the best match of two eras. It pits the massive hoss sh*thouse western unit of Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon against the native tandem of Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi. The prideful dynamic with which Rikidōzan's puroresu became a phenomenon is in full effect, as is a scintillating mastery of the pro wrestling craft.

Kikuchi, at a time in which weight divisions were distinctly less blurred, takes an absolute pasting. And Furnas and Lafon aren't mere powerhouses; they are stunningly athletic. Furnas has a dropkick equal to if not better than Kazuchika Okada's. With no physical attribute with which to overcome, Kikuchi, in an all-time great babyface performance, summons through the molten support of the crowd pure, unadulterated fire. Furnas and LaFon cycle through the artillery of every awesome '80s tag team to subdue him, with a flexing, heat-seeking relish, before Kobashi steps in. In full, vengeful badass mode, he delivers a catharsis of total euphoria.

Every story beat is delivered in an intoxicating, manipulative rhythm, and the atmosphere is that of a local derby played under the most crucial of stakes.

This, simply, is the pro wrestling time capsule.