Ikeda Ain't Got No Gold to Show

Daisuke Ikeda/Giant Baba/Rusher Kimura vs. Masa Fuchi/Masao Inoue/Haruka Eigen AJPW 5/18/97 - GREAT

ER: What a treat. This is not only Ikeda's TV debut with All Japan, but this is the only taped footage of Ikeda going opposite Fuchi, and it's as good or better than you want it to be. The fans are really excited for Ikeda all match, and I'm unsure if his BattlArts rep somehow preceded him, or it was just the excitement of seeing a new, younger guy teaming up with Baba. It's cool to see Ikeda so chummy with Baba, they look like real pals. And you know you want to see how Ikeda matches up against everybody, but all members of the match bring something to this. Inoue (looking like Manabu Nakanishito) vs. Ikeda gives us our first taste of Ikeda in AJ, and soon he's delivering huge front kicks to Inoue's chest, boots him straight in the stomach to stagger him, and then hits a savage full arm flat foot lariat that puts Inoue down immediately. Honestly, that's a kill shot right there. Ikeda had a special talent for making tough-to-hit lariats look good; I'm not sure there's anyone close to his standing lariat or diving lariat off the top rope. Fuchi tags in and commences to not fuck around, and seeing Fuchi yank Ikeda to the mat by his arm, kick him in the face, and muscle him over with a headlock takeover makes you cry actual adult tears that we never got to see Fuchi in Batt. Fuchi brings it hard all match, not about to let some kickpads punk come in and outpunk him. Fuchi is potently badass opposite Ikeda, later in the match he throws an awesome Saito suplex on Ikeda, really upending him, and it even inspires Fuchi's team to take their shots against Ikeda. It's highly amusing to see Eigen throwing actual hard stomps on Ikeda, I loved it. Baba was awesome as Fuchi held him in high reverence, like you do, so Fuchi would be kicking Ikeda's ass and then get sent wobbly kneed by a Baba chop. Baba had great presence throughout. He was a little thicker at this stage of the game, and it added to his aura, and I flipped when he came in and wrenched Fuchi over with a cool headlock takeover, or when he was holding Eigen in a full nelson so Ikeda could dish some kicks to his stomach. Ikeda even gets included in a fun spot on his first night, getting a spit take from Eigen after a big kick on the apron. Finish was fun with Ikeda getting to throw Eigen into a Baba boot and a Rusher lariat, just a total blast.

PAS: Eric is one of the few people in the world who could happily watch dozens of All Japan old man comedy matches, but I will admit their is something comforting about well done formula wrestling. That is especially true when a little wrench is thrown in the formula. All of a sudden here comes Ikeda hurling crowbar lariats and straight kicks to the chest, and while we still get an Eigen spit take, we also get Eigen trying to grit out getting kicked square in the chest really hard. Fuchi was masterful, and he had a really cocky strut as he took Ikeda down and stretched him or dumped him on the top of his head. Ikeda was clearly pretty amped to be teaming with Baba and really came hard, it is too bad that a long stint in NOAH sapped some of that spunk.

ER: Sounds like Phil's first sentence just spilled the beans on my next Complete & Accurate...


COMPLETE AND ACCURATE DAISUKE IKEDA