Michael Sidgwick's 10 Favourite Wrestling Matches

7. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW Budokan Hall Show (Jun '94)

I'd wager that many wrestling fans have seen either the GIF of Mitsuharu Misawa's Tiger Driver '91 finisher, or the twenty second YouTube clip, or have made it their CAW finisher of choice when THQ allowed you to use moves WWE would balk at.

A brutal neck-first underhook powerbomb variation, Misawa created it by accident - or more accurately, via botch - in 1991. The impact of the move was sickening - a potential career-ender - so much so that he refused to add it to his ever-shifting repertoire. Until, to incredibly memorable effect, June 3rd, 1994.

Paced sumptuously to achieve maximum emotional resonance, the narrative through line was informed by years' worth of history. Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada were schoolmates and members of the amateur wrestling team. Both men broke into the professional ranks at near enough the same time. Misawa, once more, excelled at Kawada's expense. On this night, however, Kawada, in a performance wherein he dominated Misawa through the gradual reveal of his notorious temperament, had his proverbial number. The great Misawa, confronted by a career-best performance, could only best him by unleashing the transgressive power of the Tiger Driver '91 in the greatest finish to any wrestling match ever promoted.

Paul Heyman once stated that, in the perfect wrestling match, one guy gets over whereas the other goes over. Misawa retained his prestigious Triple Crown Championship - but Kawada, even in losing, had emerged from the shadow of his superior to become his peer.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!