#1984WrestlingWars 2 AJPW matches from 2/23/84

AJPW United National Heavyweight Tournament Final. Ricky Steamboat vs Genichiro Tenryu vs Ricky Steamboat. 2/23/84(Author's Note: This was to determine a new champion as this was the belt held by David Von Erich when he died earlier that month.) .... The three matches in today's blog are simply a "Workrate"fans dream! This bout is a great way to start that! This obviously was a great match, with these two facing off, that is not exactly news! The twenty minutes we see here start off slow. With Tenryu in controll but he starts to crank op the pressure with a back suplay and a piledriver. After Steamboat does a nice spot/bump flying out over the top rope to the apron. His always stoic foe brings him back in and puts on a side headlock. Steamboat fights out of that and hits a nice backdrop/deep arm drag combanation. As soon as the arm bar is locked in however, Tenryu counters out with a head scissors! Steamboat spends a good chunk of effort trying to escape those power filled legs including a beauty of a handstand. Only to be twarted once again! He finally escapes by using his head to forch Tenryu's legs apart. When Steambout comes up out of the hold he immeadatley slaps on a figurefore leglock! Tenryu sells this wonderfully as he is in clear agony! Tenryu does reverse the hold but Steambout does the same and both men roll to the floor with the figuefore still hooked in! The ref untangles them and both men standing side by side limping greatly climb back into the ring! What a tremdous visual, two wounded warriors fighting on despite hardship and pain! When they get back in the pace really picks up. They trade hard chops. Tenryu counters a backdrop attempt by dropping to his knees on Ricky's shoulders for a pin. Steamboat counters by somehow sneaking out the back door and hooking in a Boston Crab! (I love doing this blog for things like that, I have pretty much watched wrestling every day for at least 35 years and I have never seen that counter!) Steamboat kicked out, causing Tenryu to land face first on the mat. Steamboat came up with the leg in a seamless breathtaking transition!... Tenryu powers out and we have more near falls. Then of a Steamboat sideheadlock both men crash into the other and both go down. This is just counter/recounter city now! Steamboat counters a backdrop with a small package for 2! Tenryu leap frogs when Ricky tries the same thing, and before Steamboat can turn around Tenryu hits a perfect "Ghetto Blaster" (I have no idea how to spell the Japanese name for the move), and Ricky gets his foot over the rope to break the count. Tenryu goes to the top and goes for his leaping backwards elbow drop. Steamboat tries to roll in to avoid it, but it hits him kind of anyway! Steamboat never one to be out done in the air goes for and nails his flying body press, Tenryu kicks out at two! The finish comes next lightning quick out of nowhere. Ricky whips Tenryu to the ropes and tries for a hip toss, Tenryu counters with a abdominal stretch, he drops down turning  it into a pinning predicament and gets three! The crowd is stunned for moment(so was I) then goes crazy!.... Steamboat slaps the mat upset with himself for being beaten in such a way. but he hugs Tenryu(who looks like he would rather be anywhere besides getting cheers, like say the dentist or on line at the DMV!, All jokes aside I bet everybody in that ring was thinking about David, how could you not! They had a huge black-and-white Photo of him hung on the balcony smiling in his cowboy hat doing the "Iron Claw" for the camera! ...This was just stellar work by both men here!  https://dai.ly/x4c09yx 

AWA World Title Match 2/23/84 Champion Nick Bockweinkel vs Jumbo Tsuruta(who is in fact NWA International Heavyweight Champion so this is a double title match!) With special guest Ref Terry Funk.....wait....what??? He appears to be dressed like a waiter at a fancy(?) seafood joint on the outskirts of Amarillo TX!...Match starts super hot as at the bell Bockweinkel flies across the ring and hits a flying bodypress for a nearfall "flash" pin.This gets the crowd juiced up from the start! Nick takes charge early by just focusing his attack on Tsuruta's left arm. This was all done with skill and precision and  looked devastating at the same time! He kept wrenching back on a hammer lock yelling every time "C'mon"  He used the old arm stretch hold he even at one point used a rolling short arm scissors! This was a "Arm work clinic" Jumbo after a endless one sided beating fires up and comes back big! He hits a "Ghetto Blaster" (see above) Ha. Then two good piledrivers and his high knee for near falls. The action spills to the floor where punches and ref threats are exchanged. Both climb back inside where Bockweinkel goes back to working on Tsuruta's already weak arm! Tsuruta takes over again when Nick misses a corner charge and hits the ringpost shoulder 1st! Jumbo hits a double arm and a side salto suplex for near falls! Nick fights back and hits 2 piledrivers but cannot keep Jumbo down! Nick goes to shove Tsuruta out of the ring, but Jumbo Slams into Funk and both take stiff looking bumps to the floor! Bockweinkel knocks Tsuruta from the apron once. The next time though he counters Nick's outside/inside suplex attempt. Jumbo floats over and hits a beauty of a back suplay and gets a shocking 3 count! ….Your new AWA WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JUMBO TSURUTA! This was old school classic stuff! The crowd was almost levitating off the crowd post match!..... PS I know the video says the 22nd but it was already the next day in Japan!   https://youtu.be/NhLw6Bb9aIU