On Brand Segunda Caida: Bossman in Japan!

Big Bubba/Tom Magee vs. Jumbo Tsuruta/Tiger Mask II AJPW 4/4/88

ER: It's kind of amazing how much one guy can drag down a match with three legends, but there really isn't much you can do with 1988 Jumbo. Hey folks, we have a lot of fun here. Magee was truly one of the most clueless wrestlers in history, a clearly athletic guy who couldn't get up for a move to save his life. He's like if David Flair had enough athleticism to get himself into trouble. But this match is entirely worthwhile for every single second of Bubba and Jumbo in the ring together. It's fantastic. We get some fun work around shoulderblocks, with Bubba absorbing a couple before taking down a suspender strap, and while he preps to absorb a third that's when Jumbo surprises him with a leaping knee right to the face. Hell yeah. Watch the awesome moment late in the match where Bubba whips Jumbo hard into the ropes, hitches his pants up like a big fat guy does, and is right back in position just in time to yoink Jumbo up into a bearhug. Bubba was so good with barely a full year under his belt, and '88 Jumbo was really great, my favorite Jumbo time period. Bubba's positioning throughout the match is impressive as hell, and he had this great way of bumping expertly right to the spot he needed to be. This whole thing is worth it just to see Bubba whip off his XL belt and start choking the life out of Jumbo. What an absolute monster!! Bubba also has a bunch of impressive tricks for a guy still under 25; my favorite is his missed clothesline. He whips his huge arm so low and fast but it's 100% safe. He holds his arm out for a big lariat and the split second someone passes it he swings it hard, guaranteeing a miss but making the miss look great. So, Tom Magee. Well, Magee throws a nice dropkick and a couple surprisingly nice body shots...and the rest of the time it's almost impressive how completely baffled he looks. He had no idea how to stand, no idea how or where to fall, there's a beyond embarrassing mat section with Misawa tries grounding him and works a figure 4, but Magee is arguably more clueless on his back than on his feet. Jumbo tries his best with him and the guy can't even get up for a bodyslam. At one point Bubba seems like he accidentally tags Magee in and instantly regrets it, like he just stumbled into a carefully arranged stack of plates. The frustration from everyone is palpable, though Jumbo and Misawa keep it pro and don't rough him up, in a way that seems like they just felt bad for the guy. Before this match Magee was a relatively protected gaijin, winning more often than losing. After this match he lost every one of his last 14 matches on the tour, and never returned to Japan.

Big Bubba/Jimmy Snuka vs. Genichiro Tenryu/Yoshiaki Yatsu AJPW 4/15/88

ER: This was not exceptional, but it was filled with near constant moments of near joy. Bubba was so massive at this point, like a giant mean teddy bear, like a guy who seems like a cool fat young dad, but also a guy who would work perfectly as one of Ben Gazzara's goons in Road House. I love his swinging double axe handle attacks, and the finish with him being assaulted on all sides by Jumbo and Yatsu before being dumped by a man sized back suplex was really cool. There were small moments throughout that made this worthwhile even without a man who looks like a gigantic short order cook on a job interview, such as Snuka lying on his side with a "man, REALLY?" look on his face after Jumbo yanks him off a Yatsu pin, or Snuka hitting a great diving headbutt that kind of just looked like he splashed Yatsu's face. Inessential, but needed.