Giant Baba vs. Gene Kiniski (JWA, 8/14/67)

The atmosphere of this match is incredible, with the outdoor seating, fans puffing cigarettes and fanning themselves off as two dudes sweat for an hour inside a small wrestling ring. It’s the kind of match you put on in a dingy hip bar somewhere and let play without any context or explanation. The no good cheatin’ Gene Kiniski against the surprisingly more aggressive Giant Baba. On a whole, this match isn’t going to burn any barns down but there are a lot of neat nuances dashed throughout, like the way Baba uses his long legs to hammer the back of Kiniski’s neck while he’s got him in the leg scissors, repeatedly pushing his own knee into Kiniski’s face. The little extra mustard behind Baba’s kicks and stomps, or how Kiniski immediately puts his knees up after a scoop slam to counter the pin attempt -- cool shit bits like that. Baba wins the first fall with a dropkick, Kiniski the second with a diving knee drop, and during the third, the two unload on each other in desperation, with plenty of brain chops and big boots from Baba, sold really well by Kiniski. After time expires, they’re given five more minutes and the lanky Baba comes out dropkicking. Kiniski delivers a backbreaker hold and a diving knee but when he tries for the coup de grâce kneedrop, Baba rolls out of the way. Smelling blood, Baba attacks Gene’s leg, trying to submit him with the single leg crab before the match ends in a double time limit draw.