Top 30 Thursday - NJPW #19. Riki Choshu vs. Big Van Vader, 6/27/89

I can't think of too many things in all of pro wrestling that get me more excited than a couple of big ol' bulls butting heads and beating the crud out of each other. There's a common advertising method of pointing out how cheap a product is and then asking, "What else can you get that's *this* good for a dollar!?" Well this match is 9 minutes front to back, and really what else can you accomplish in 9 minutes that would be as good as watching two bulls have a violent territory dispute?

The match starts with Vader muscling Riki into the corner and landing three distinct and brutal strikes: a big right to the throat, a huge shot to the body, and then a headbutt that drops Riki to his butt. It's like Vader couldn't decide which area of Riki's to hurt first, so he just decided to splurge and just hurt everything. A couple of short arm lariats and Vader decides to DROPKICK Riki out of the ring. Vader. Throwing a dropkick. Does he get much height? No, but you have to be a sad man to point out that Vader throws a dropkick that only goes to Choshu's waist. It's a giant fat man throwing a dropkick! And Vader soaks in the joy as Choshu rolls to the floor.

What makes it even greater is when Choshu rolls right back in, slaps Vader HARD a few times, and then dropkicks him right under the chin in a pretty great "That's a knife? No, THIS is a knife!" spot. Following up with a big Riki lariat right to the throat and Vader bails to the floor. But Riki follows him and slaps him around some more, RIPS HIS MASK OPEN (!!!) and then starts beating Vader's head with a chair! Just walloping away at the back of Vader's head! Blood flowing down a man's face and through his torn mask is one of the greater things in wrestling. When a man is lying crumpled on the ground, mask torn, blood visible through said torn mask, it is practically impossible to not be enjoying the match in which it's taking place. Also, I know we're supposed to feel guilty for liking chairshots like these in 2011, but we're also supposed to feel guilty for eating fast food so lord help me if I want to watch this match while eating In N Out.

Vader brings it back in the ring and starts beating Choshu's head and face with the full length of his arm, just swinging for the fences and connecting. Riki lifting himself up off the mat only to have Vader sprint over and kick his face back down to the mat is a thing of beauty. Vader transitions to full on Giant American Monster as he drops to his knees to uppercut Riki's balls, then shoves the ref right afterwards. Vader's exposed face is now COVERED in blood, and he leaps onto Choshu and starts choking him out from behind.

Vader catches knees on a splash and Riki capitalizes by hitting a big Saito suplex and following up with a Riki lariat. Remember earlier when Riki punished Vader for trying a flashy dropkick? Well it all comes rushing back home as Choshu goes for a plancha. That's pretty show-offy right there, for a 260+ lb. man to do a plancha, so Vader catches him and just SLAMS him on the concrete, then whips him in the guardrail about as hard and fast as a man can whip another man into a guardrail. As Riki pulls himself back up, Vader leaps off the apron onto him, with just a giant body press.

Riki is counted out, Vader is victorious in the ring, his face, arms and chest covered in blood. The straps come down and he starts bellowing like a bear, then grabs a chair and makes his way back to the back, swinging at bodies as whole sections of tiny humans scatter.

80's Project Results