Terry & Dory Funk Jr. vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (AJPW, 8/31/83)

What can you say about this match? An all-time memorable performance from the “retiring” Terry Funk, with a molten hot Japanese crowd firmly behind the Amarillo brothers. The teams start brawling before the young boys can even clear the ring of streamers and there’s a great lariat tease from Hansen with Terry hanging onto the ropes like a squirrel or something. Dory goes a good job playing the FIP early on, trying in vain to punch his way to freedom only to get beaten down by Hansen and Gordy. Quick tags in and out as they wear down the elder Funk brother and at one point, Terry chooses to attack Gordy in the ring, costing him the opportunity to tag in.

When Terry’s in there, the magic happens, with his drunken staggering about and shuffling jabs. Hansen chomps down on his forehead, busting Terry open, and then he starts destroying Terry’s knee with assistance from Gordy. Terry’s despondent selling is incredible, whether it’s hopping around on one leg, jabbing at Gordy or grabbing Gordy’s hair to avoid the spinning toehold, crawling away toward his corner. Loved the finish, with Terry trying to stand up to get away from Gordy’s top rope splash, managing to just barely roll out of the way before connecting with the sunset flip from the top for the victory. Post-match, a pissed off Hansen continues attacking Terry and lariating young boys before they’re able to finally subdue him. “Japan #1, forever!”

Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Riki Choshu (NJPW, 8/4/83)

This, in my opinion, is the most complete match of their series.  While the line of tension threading these matches has been strained throughout, it finally snaps in what was perhaps the most heated and evenly-contested encounter.  Fujinami’s sense of purpose was a constant source of strength as he tries to overwhelm the slower, more prone to frustration champion. The sooner Choshu can end this, the better, but when he tries to open with a lariat, Fujinami hangs on the ropes in avoidance. He’s finally got Choshu’s number. Fujinami’s able to counter and reverse a lot of the champ’s early offense, once again trying to find a way to beat Choshu with the same sasori-gatame that cost him the previous match. When that doesn’t work, Fujinami tries to end it with the figure-four leglock but Choshu is able to once again fight through the submission attempt, the action spilling it to the outside and chaos ensuing. One of the recurring themes of this series has been the chaotic nature of their exchanges, and that’s once again prevalent here as they rebound off one another like pinballs. 

Fujinami emerges crimson-masked only for Choshu to suplex him back into the ring. Here, overcome with exhaustion, Fujinami gives his strongest selling performance of the entire series. After Choshu inadvertently takes out the ref, Fujinami hooks him with a nasty-looking lariat but doesn’t have the gas in the tank to follow up. The finishing stretch is red-hot and full of great dramatic moments -- stuff like Choshu pointing at his foot on the rope after a suplex and the aggravation that follows as Fujinami peppers him with slaps. Or Fujinami dumping Choshu to the outside on a lariat attempt only to get himself tangled in the ropes, unable to capitalize. But from the start, Fujinami has wanted it more and in the end, he’s able to thwart Choshu’s finishing blow, sending him into the ring post and hitting that crowd-popping enziguri. I loved the countout victory for the frustrated Fujinami, backdropping Choshu on the floor after having been unable to pin him or submit him in the ring.

Stan Hansen vs. Terry Funk (AJPW, 4/14/83)

Holy shit, this match…if you can even call it that. Pure carnage. It's the Texas Chainsaw Massacre without the chainsaws. Stan Hansen is a relentless killer, beating the pulp out of Terry with his nasty knees, hard chops, and those clobbering punches. The way he repeatedly bashes Terry’s face into the corner turnbuckle or those knee drops where he just sits on Funk’s head. Terry put on the performance of a lifetime putting Hansen over as a monster. Even when he gets in little bits of offense, like that bodyslam, he sells the immensity of Hansen. He works in this almost despairing way, chopping at Hansen’s knee, trying to get him on the ground so he can work the leg and set up the spinning toehold. But with each attempt, Hansen boots his way out of it, at one point busting Terry open with clubbing shot. 

Once Terry’s bleeding like a stuck pig, the match transitions into a gritty horror film, with Hansen looming blood-spattered over Terry. There’s a final glimmer of hope as Funk tries once more for the spinning toehold but Hansen proves to be too much to contain and atomic drops Funk onto the ropes. The finish…or lack thereof is scary. Hansen follows Terry out of the ring with the turnbuckle cord in hand and drags Terry back to the ring with the cord round his throat, only to continue beating the shit out of him. The Japanese fans are freaking out as their beloved Amarillo son sells like death the way he’s strung up by the turnbuckle cord. Hansen doesn’t let up, despite the referee throwing out the match, until Dory Funk Jr. makes the save looking like an Enterprise Rental Car manager. A fantastically brutal beat down and one of Terry's career-high performances.