Holy Demon Army (Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada) vs. Super Generation Army (Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa) for the All Japan World Tag Team Championship, from AJPW Super Power Series 1994 Night 6

This match went forty minutes for some indeterminate reason, and it didn’t have nearly enough narrative to justify that length. They had some good ideas with teasing the then-forthcoming encounter between Kawada and Misawa as well as injuries and exhaustion, but the former idea was blown in the first five minutes, and I was more exhausted (no, sleepy) than the competitors by bell’s end. The rematch the following year had purpose, ingenuity, boundless narrative, and a satisfying conclusion, compliments I can’t aim towards this functional encounter. The praise at the time remains understandable, but it falters under a modern lens.

5