5 Best Wrestling Matches of 1990

2. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta

We’ve touched on this match before, but it bears repeating all the same. All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) experienced an explosion in quality and popularity beginning in 1990 and lasting all the way until mid-2000.

At the head of that surge was Mitsuharu Misawa, the former second iteration of Tiger Mask, who became the company’s ace after winning this match. In this match, you can not only hear the crowd firmly behind young Misawa as he took on then-ace Jumbo Tsuruta, but you can also see how crisp his movements were.

The match was a 20-minute, highly-competitive bout that ended with the normally-quiet Japanese fans jumping to their feet as their hero won.

This match served as the launching pad for Misawa’s career that would help him become the centrepiece of All Japan’s wrestling product for the next decade.