All Japan Pro Wrestling on NTV

ALL JAPAN ON NTV

July 16, 1983 TV (Taped on 7/12, Sapporo)

The show begins with an opening montage of different wrestlers holding up titles including Inoue and Hara winning the All Japan tag titles, Jumbo winning the NWA International Heavyweight Title, Baba And Jumbo holding up the NWA International belts, Baba winning the NWA title from Harley Race and finally a picture of Baba holding up the PWF Title.

The announcers discuss two new phenomenal wrestlers who are on the rise, Misawa and Kawada. They show a clip of one of their matches…

Toshiaki Kawada vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (Finish Only)

After a couple of minutes of back and forth action, Kawada nails Misawa with a spinning heel kick to score the pin

WINNER: Toshiaki Kawada via spinning heel kick

After the match, we are shown a video package with Gerry Morrow highlights from Portland hitting football tackles and press slams. The montage cuts to Jerry Oates in Georgia using the Spinning Toe Hold and pinning opponents with his flip pin. This leads to …

Ashura Hara & Mighty Inoue © vs. Jerry Oates & Gerry Morrow – All Asia Tag Title Match (Finish Only)

Hara and Inoue are defending the All Asia tag titles. Morrow hits a football tackle that knocks Inoue into the corner. Morrow tags in Oates but neither man saw Inoue knocked into Hara for the tag. Oates tries to to use the spinning toe hold –pin on Inoue but he is not the legal man. After talking to the referee, Oates turns around and is nailed with a brainbuster for the pin

WINNERS: Inoue & Hara by pinfall

After Inoue and Hara raise their hands, we go back to the announcer. With excitement in his voice, he introduces the next match…

Umanoseke Ueda, Tiger Jeet Singh & Alexis Smirnoff vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Giant Baba & Akio Sato

The match is joined in progress with Ueda, Singh and Tenryu covered in blood. Akio Sato is on the floor knocked out. Baba ends up in the ring with Ueda and hits the Big Boot, knocking Ueda out. Smirnoff comes into the ring and Baba hits the Big Boot on him. Singh, recognizing that the situation is critical for his team grabs his sword and attacks Baba but Tenryu runs in and intercepts the ambush. Baba and Tenryu clear the ring as the villains retreat to the back. Tenryu picks Sato up and the three heroes raise their hands in victory

WINNERS: Baba, Tenryu and Sato by disqualification

+++ Commercial Break +++

Nick Bockwinkel vs. Terry Funk*

Early on, both men are tentative but lock up and counter each other’s early attempts at an advantage. Eventually, both men would trade holds with Terry focusing on the neck and Bockwinkel focused on Funk’s knee. Bockwinkel would take potshots at Funk’s knee and Terry desperately tried to escape the torture. Terry breaks free and both men begin brawling on the mat. Terry;s leg is raw meat by this time and Bock hooks in a figure four to inflict more damage. Terry escapes but can’t capitalize for long. He nails Bock with a Russian leg sweep and then attempts a suplex but collapses from the pain. Bock sees blood and attacks the knee even more. Eventually, Funk is able to get on the apron and injure Bock,sending him outside. Outside the ring, Bock continues to attack the knee but as they hit the apron, Funk is able to knock Bock off the apron and win via countout. Funk took a beating here and is barely able to stand. Bockwinkel, in pure frustration starts destroying the ringside area, realizing he lost a match that was in his grasp.

WINNER: Terry Funk via count out

+++ Commercial Break +++

Billy Robinson vs. Jumbo Tsuruta © – NWA International Heavyweight Title Match

Jumbo and Billy start off slowly having wrestled each other many times in the past. They both approach it like a chess match. Early on, Robinson stuns Jumbo with some European uppercuts, allowing him to hit a backdrop backbreaker. Robinson focuses on the back as he hooks on an abdominal stretch. Jumbo fights out of the ab stretch but Robinson hits multiple forearms into the ribs and reapplies it. Jumbo eventually hip tosses Robinson and escapes the hold but his ribs are damaged. Billy kicks Jumbo but Jumbo doesn’t go down and hits an enziguiri out of nowhere to knock Billy silly. Billy tries to shake off the impact but isn’t able to see Jumbo running and nailing a patented Jumping Knee. Billy stumbles on the ropes and Jumbo runs and nails another Jumping Knee sending Billy to the outside. Outside, Jumbo slams Billy into the guard rail and into the ring post. Billy is bleeding and Jumbo attacks his cut with vicious punches. He tosses Billy inside the ring. Billy is reeling and Jumbo smells the blood pouring from Billy’s face and plans to end the match with another Jumping Knee. However, by instinct, Billy senses Jumbo running and holds on to the knee, holds Jumbo in the air and hot shots him throat first over the top rope. Jumbo is gasping for air, remembering how this very move cost him a chance at the NWA world title in 1976 against Terry Funk. Billy staggers and sees Jumbo gasping for air. He quickly grabs Jumbo’s head and nails him repeatedly with European uppercuts to the throat. Billy attempts a running uppercut but Jumbo ducks, hooks Billy from behind and nails his Backdrop suplex. He covers Billy but he kicks out at two. Jumbo grabs Billy’s bloody head of hair and punches him three or four times for good measure. Jumbo attempts a Northern Lights suplex but Billy counters and nails his patented swinging neckbreaker. Billy covers Jumbo weakly as the announcer counts down from ten. The referee counts one and two but Jumbo puts his leg over the bottom rope. Billy pulls Jumbo to the middle of the ring but as the referee strikes the mat, the bell rings and he comes up short in his quest for the NWA International heavyweight Title

WINNER: The match ends in a draw at 30 minutes