New Japan 80s Top 30 Countdown! Match #20

Tatsumi Fujinami & Antonio Inoki vs. Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch (12/7/84)

I have been a big fan of the Adonis-Murdoch team since I saw them on WWF TV in the early 1980s, fighting the Briscoes and Rocky Johnson & Tony Atlas. I think the North-South nickname is especially inspirational these days. Just think, if two people from different parts of the country with such constrasting backgrounds and worldviews can cooperate to beat up tag teams so well, can't our divided country come together as well to, um, beat people up also?

I had this match as #6 in my NJ 80s rankings, and I was happy the match made the top 20 (just barely) in light of the antipathy expressed toward the team in comments on the DVDVR board. The lengthy heel control segment beginning in the opening seconds is epic and so smooth. Highlights include:

• Clubberin' of Fujinami outside the ring,
• Rapid tags in and out every time Fujinami tries to gain the upper hand,
• Murdoch's abuse of Fujinami's arm, and
• Fujinami's futile attempts to slam Murdoch.

When Inoki finally gets the hot tag, Murdoch sells Inoki's legwork like death. Things really heat up as Murdoch assaults Fujinami with a chair from outside the ring and North-South unload their arsenal on Fujinami, including a bulldog, cattle-brander, and top-rope elbow. Inoki gets another hot tag and wraps up Adonis, forcing Murdoch to go crazy with a chair again. North-South again goes on the offense with a brainbuster to Inoki and doomsday device to Fujinami. You gotta love the bite exchange toward the end between exhausted Murdoch and Fujinami. Things fall apart following a botched doomsday device to Inoki, and Inoki gets the submission on Adonis as Fujinami ties up Murdoch outside the ring.

The little touches by North-South are just super in this match, like Adonis sucking in his gut to pose for a ringside photographer when he had Fujinami in an armbar early in the match, Murdoch lying down on the apron after tagging out to sell the legwork from Inoki, and the priceless expressions of frustration as Fujinami keeps kicking out at the end. And Adonis's flying bump into the corner post at the end looked sick.

My final thoughts on this match are mostly awe regarding the abuse taken by Fujinami and Inoki, especially Fujinami, throughout this match, and the exhaustion in the faces and bodies of these four men at the end of the match. I'm surprised and disappointed this match didn't end up higher than #20, because it was most excellent.