7 Wrestling Matches Saved By Ridiculously Last Minute Changes

6. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (AJPW Super Power Series)

On 8 June 1990, All Japan Pro Wrestling's Ace Jumbo Tsuruta walked into Budokan Hall confident he'd leave the building with his status as king of the company intact.

Cue Dinah Washington...

Tsuruta's opponent that night was a young Mitsuharu Misawa, stripped of his Tiger Mask stripes and on a clear course to superstardom. When he arrived at Budokan Hall that day, he must have known he was on to something special; fans had flocked to the building in the hours before the bell just to chant his name.

It wasn't lost on booker Giant Baba either. Overwhelmed by the adulation, the pencil found his eraser, telling Tsuruta to pack away his parasol: his time in the sun was over. He wanted him to pass the torch to the upstart. Clean.

A desperate Tsuruta begged the boss for a count out loss. The response was a firm "no."

Misawa responded to the opportunity in kind, putting on a sensational match, with a sensational finish. Tsuruta did the honours, and a new star was born.