Andre The Giant vs. Antonio Inoki, 07.10.1976
Match #2 of the Thank you Antonio Inoki project.
NJPW Toukon Series 1976 - Tag 30
Real World Martial Arts Title Match
Kuramae Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan.
I’ll be shocked if there’s a better match to come from this project.
Here we see Inoki, arguably at the peak of his abilities, pitted against one of the most physical imposing figures in wrestling history, Andre the Giant. The native hero standing in opposition of a gaijin towering over him. Size vs Speed. Brains vs Braun. Unrivaled power pushing back at an indomitable fighting spirit. This isn't a first-time ever matchup between these two, yet the surface-level dynamics here alone are enough to get me excited over the possibilities of what might happen once the bell rings. It's a spectacle I'd like to think defines pro wrestling to a lot of people, only that it rarely ever comes to fruition. Andre even plays up these ideas when getting his boots checked by the official, bringing them down to the mat both times.
Inoki starts the match off flying out of his corner with a dropkick, only for Andre to shrug off the attack and back Inoki into a corner, where he's barely able to escape from the Giant's clutches. You might have the impression of Andre as this plodding, old husk of a big man, ironically fitting the "immovable object" moniker from his time in WWF, though in the 70s he was still deftly athletic and capable at the wrestling side of things. Here, he's very much this moving mountain that in the moment, appears overwhelming. It's a stark contrast to the majority of opponents that Inoki has throughout this project; putting him on the back foot almost instantly, as opposed to being the one on offense. As a result, it makes practically everything Inoki is able to get away with offensively feel earned.
A tight armbar that at one point has Andre lifting him away from the ropes and to the middle of the ring is eventually countered by maneuvering his body around into a submission to free himself. A deep sleeper gets reversed with a short-arm scissors that elicits the first major pop from the crowd in this match. There're also some fun tidbits with the official getting some payback from before when kicking Andre's arm off the ropes. It's as if the first act of the match is granting Inoki a series of mini victories the longer they grapple, that gradually help him gain a sense of momentum over The Giant. It's not enough to win yet, but the damage has already made its mark, all centered around the left arm, and now it's Inoki chance at taking the fight to Andre: wildly throwing all kinds of strikes at the wounded limb with a level of desperation rarely seen from him.
When I first watched this match, the analogy that came to mind was if David and Goliath were forced into a game of chess: a predicament where the underdog still moves with caution, is able to capitalize on mistakes when made, and eventually wind up in a position that leaves Goliath vulnerable, having been stripped of his defining natural advantages. I still believe that to be a pretty accurate way of describing the story here, but what really puts it above and beyond in my eyes is in how prompts the one in Goliath's role to not only take the game seriously, but to quickly adapt his gameplan seemingly on the fly.
I mentioned before that these two have had matches together prior to this. While there is probably some context I lack from not having seen them at the time of writing, I didn't get the feeling of either one having a well thought out and strategic approach to their wrestling initially. That changes quickly once Andre grabs at Inoki's leg, before landing his entire body weight on top of it. That early comeback grinds to a halt and the match shifts to something more cerebral. Actions start to hold more intrigue and depth behind them. The Giant start working over multiple body parts, with cameras zooming in closer on the struggle and facial expressions by both men. We even start to see moves from him that you never would've expected, like a Bow & Arrow hold, along with such choices playing into the mindset that Andre has to think outside the box to regain the upper hand. In fact, it's only when going back to something conventional and less focused than before (Irish whips) that gives Inoki enough space to counter.
Things get scrappier the longer it goes on. Exhaustion starts setting in for both men, who at this point are desperately grasping for any sort of leverage. Clinging hold of their respective target limbs, motions becoming more pronounced and displaying a greater sense of violence than before. Inoki is fantastic at maximizing the dramatic moments of his matches, but Andre is perhaps the best big man you could have to compliment him here. Someone who always had a certain presence in the ways he'd carry himself, whether it be standing tall or going to the mat. He can maintain that sinister look on his face, almost daring Inoki to fight back while his leg is being torqued in increasingly grotesque angles. He even forces the bottom rope onto Inoki's neck as a means of choking him - something that I don't believe any smaller wrestler would be capable of.
Once again, all this harkens back to the feeling that if Inoki gets even the slightest leg up on Andre, it'll be one hundred percent earned.
Little by little, Inoki is able to survive the onslaught and find ways to counter all his offense. Almost like a retread of the first act, in that similar holds are applied and reversed, only that there's even more time devoted to the struggle. Inoki can't escape quite the same ways as before. Andre's cobra clutch is too snug to roll through and the ropes can't break the submission, so he has to fully commit to jumping outside of the ring, dragging Andre over the ropes, who is still holding onto him. Likewise, a backbreaker submission is only reversed once Inoki finds an ingenious way to push off from the top turnbuckle, flipping onto his feet and managing to lift up The Giant for a backdrop. The finish comes after Andre crashes into the ring post and busts himself upon, constantly swiping at everyone around him and forcing the official to award Inoki the victory.
Verdict: Classic. With a better finish, this is an easy contender for one of the greatest matches ever. Even as it stands, you could make a good argument for it being worth consideration. Quite possibly the best Andre match & performance we have on footage. Nearly every point of contact between these two had me hooked. A tremendous piece of work from a largely untapped time period.