TSC Evaluation #121: Mitsuharu Misawa

mrken12 · Dec 19, 2018

In the last evaluation, The Rock got a score of 9.66.

TSC Evaluation #120: The Rock

If people have any requests for future wrestlers you want to see evaluated, let me know. I'll have one wrestler evaluated for each week every Wednesday. The leaderboard is updated every 5 threads so it's never too late to vote for previous threads.

For #122 it will be Billy Kidman.

Pending requests: New Jack, Akira Hokuto, Bret Hart, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Jerry Lynn, Sgt Slaughter, Kenta Kobashi, Steve Corino, Bad News Brown, The Great Muta, Ultimo Dragon, Hacksaw Jim Duggan
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Major Accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Asia Tag Team Championship (2x) – with Kenta Kobashi (1) and Yoshinari Ogawa (1)
Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (5x)
World Tag Team Championship (6x) – with Toshiaki Kawada (2), Kenta Kobashi (2), Jun Akiyama (1) and Yoshinari Ogawa (1)
NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1x)
PWF World Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Jumbo Tsuruta
Champion Carnival (1995, 1998)
World's Strongest Tag Determination League (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) – with Toshiaki Kawada (1992), Kenta Kobashi (1993–1995)
January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (1987)
World's Strongest Tag Determination League Technique Award (1988) – with Jimmy Snuka
World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fighting Spirit Award (1990) – with Toshiaki Kawada
World's Strongest Tag Determination League Skill Award (1991) – with Toshiaki Kawada

Nikkan Sports
Match of the Year (1997) vs. Kenta Kobashi on October 21
Match of the Year (1998) vs. Kenta Kobashi on October 31
Match of the Year (2003) vs. Kenta Kobashi on March 1
Match of the Year (2007) with Jun Akiyama vs. Kenta Kobashi and Yoshihiro Takayama on December 2
Wrestler of the Year (2007, 2009)
Technique Award (1996)

Pro Wrestling Noah
GHC Heavyweight Championship (3x)
GHC Tag Team Championship (2x) – with Yoshinari Ogawa
Global Tag League (2009) – with Go Shiozaki
One Day Six Man Heavyweight Tag Team Tournament (2008) – with Takeshi Morishima and Muhammad Yone

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Ranked #2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1997
Ranked #6 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
Ranked as Tiger Mask #37 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the "PWI Years" in 2003
Ranked #6 and #11 of the 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Kenta Kobashi and Toshiaki Kawada, respectively, in 2003

Tokyo Sports
Fighting Spirit Award (1985, 1990)
Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
Match of the Year Award (1995) with Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue on June 9, 1995
Match of the Year Award (1997) vs. Kenta Kobashi on October 21, 1997
Match of the Year Award (1998) vs. Kenta Kobashi on October 31, 1998
Match of the Year Award (2003) vs. Kenta Kobashi on March 1, 2003
Match of the Year Award (2007) with Jun Akiyama vs. Kenta Kobashi and Yoshihiro Takayama on December 2, 2007
Outstanding Performance Award (1997)
Rookie of the Year (1982)
Special Grand Prize (1992)
Tag Team of the Year (1991) with Toshiaki Kawada
Tag Team of the Year (1993, 1994) with Kenta Kobashi
Wrestler of the Year (2007)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Flying Wrestler (1985, 1986)
Best Wrestling Maneuver (1985) Topé con Giro
Feud of the Year (1990, 1991) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
Match of the Year (1985) vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi on June 21, Tokyo, Japan
Match of the Year (1996) with Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams and Johnny Ace on June 7, Tokyo, Japan
Match of the Year (1998) vs. Kenta Kobashi on October 31, Tokyo, Japan
Match of the Year (1999) vs. Kenta Kobashi on June 11, Tokyo, Japan
Match of the Year (2003) vs. Kenta Kobashi on March 1, Tokyo, Japan
Most Outstanding Wrestler (1997, 1999)
Most Underrated Wrestler (1988)
Tag Team of the Year (1991) with Toshiaki Kawada
Tag Team of the Year (1995) with Kenta Kobashi
Tag Team of the Year (1996, 1997) with Jun Akiyama
Wrestler of the Year (1995, 1997, 1999)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

With a scale of 1-10 how would you rate Mitsuharu Misawa in these categories:

-Mic work/promos

-Personality/gimmicks

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds)

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores)

mrken12 · Dec 19, 2018

BrehWyatt · Dec 19, 2018

Strong Style 10 on principle.

TheGodling · Dec 19, 2018

I don't really vote in these but I have been working through Kobashi's catalog lately and his matches against Misawa alone are reason enough for any man to give both wrestlers a 10.

Jmare007 · Dec 19, 2018

Greatest in ring performer I've ever seen. Misawa wasn't amazing his whole career, he was average as a junior and once he broke down he couldn't transition to a style that suited his physical limitations more (even though he could still bring it once or twice a year in a big match setting) but the dude has a 7 year peak that is un fukking touchable imo. 1990 to 1997 is beyond anything I've seen in terms of consistency, elite quality in everything in the ring and complexity in terms of stories being told. From 97' to 04' or 05' he fell into the excess of the style he helped create, which still produced a large number of incredible matches that probably nobody else has, but those excesses and his body starting to fall off made it harder to be as consistent as before.

Misawa's stoic personality isn't for everybody, and it might take a while to get use to it. But dude was PERFECT as the Ace of a company like All Japan. He was invincible when it was needed, and he always made his opponent look like a death threat. Booking was very kind to him and he made sure to make it worth it, to the point of having a W over dude felt like you were made forever.

He made a fukking elbow smash work not only as a poweful strike, but also as a perfect transition move and even a finisher, no one has that. He also perfected the art of a comeback, to the point no one has ever come close to do his patented "slow burn comeback" as well and as consistently as him.

Involved in arguably the best singles match of all time (6/3/94), best tag match of all time (6/9/95) and best 6 man tag match of all time (4/20/91) :wow:

BrehWyatt said:
Strong Style 10 on principle.

Get that Inoki made BULLshyt out of the greatest of all time thread.

We King's Road Style in this bytch :blessed:

Riley Escobar · Dec 19, 2018

10

6/3/94 is possibly the greatest match ever

mrken12 · Dec 19, 2018

Beautiful Bobby Eatin · Dec 19, 2018

The man is a puroresu GOD and has had some of the greatest matches OF ALL TIME. Dude could tell one HELL of a story without ever changing his facial expression. Thank God being Tiger Mask didnt work out for him because we got fukking platinum from him in the 90's.

For my score?

Kunty McPhuck · Dec 19, 2018

Jmare007 · Dec 20, 2018

The match he needed to change his career, and it was a damn classic :wow:

And them Jumbo got his revenge :birdman:

The New Generation Army vs Jumbo & friends war officially starts :blessed:

Hey_zeus · Dec 20, 2018

The GOAT in ring talent(he edges out Jumbo imo). Maestro of some of the most engrossing stories told through matches. He's in both the greatest single and tag match of all time. 6-3-94... real ones know. Kings Road AJPW 1989'-1998 is the greatest collection of ring work of all time that has still yet to be bested. Mitsuharu Misawa is the reason essentially. They all had to work up to his level. I first saw him wrestle Kawada on some tape my brother rented from the local game rental spot in 2000. We had been going in there and rental this japanese Wrestlemania 64(Virtual Pro Wrestling) that my older brother friend had told him about. Saying it was better and had legends like Andre and Vader in it. He was right... the clerk noticed we kept renting the same game so he asked had we ever seen the guys in the game? I had only read about AJPW on 411 back in the day. Shout out to Larry Zsonka. Took the tape home which I think was an old comp or best of random matches. Been a stan every since :wow:

10

SubZeroDegrees · Dec 20, 2018

BrehWyatt said:
Strong Style 10 on principle.

Negged, this was the Baba-san wave.

SubZeroDegrees · Dec 20, 2018

Riley Escobar said:
10

6/3/94 is possibly the greatest match ever

This and 6/9/95 are :wow:

BrehWyatt · Dec 20, 2018

SubZeroDegrees said:
Negged, this was the Baba-san wave.

Do what you must, breh. I know what I meant. :manny:

Ain't out here trying to intentionally offend Puro purists though :whoa:

Mack de la Rocha · Dec 20, 2018

Misawa represents the purest form of the business.

ATG, 10/10, GOAT, whatever... he's one of the best.

Playing old N64 versions of virtual pro wrestling and WCW vs. the World (Wu Fang!!) really introduced me to the Puro scene and Misawa is at the top of that experience for me. Big shout and RIP to the gawd.

TSC Evaluation #121: Mitsuharu Misawa

Overall Rating

1 (Awful)

2

3

4

5 (Average)

6

7

8

9

10 (Legendary)

Veteran

Veteran

Let me work.

Los Ingobernables de Sala de Cine

pico pal q lee

GOAT

Veteran

SWEEEEEEEEEETNESS!

Scust Szn has Returned

pico pal q lee

Veteran

50 shots in the blender.

50 shots in the blender.

Let me work.

Pro