(ALL JAPAN) Techniques: Proof of the boom! Lariats fly everywhere at the All Japan Pro Wrestling 22nd March Toda event

18th March 1986

Weekly Pro (Issue No 135)

The lariat craze is truly massive. 

At the opening event of All Japan Pro Wrestling’s "Exciting Wars" tour—held in Toda on February 22nd — the lariat was the undisputed star of the ring.

In the tag-team match, Tiger Mask unleashed a spinning leg lariat on Kabuki. It is a new weapon in which he leaps, rotates his body in the opposite direction of a *sobat* (spinning back kick), and slams his shin into his opponent's chest. It is a move with interesting potential if refined. The deciding blow was a strike Hara landed on Inoue.

One Man Gang, having undergone a dramatic image change that gave him a menacing new aura, delivered a lariat that slammed into Tenryu with the full force of his 190-kilogram frame; though the running start was minimal, the blow packed devastating power. Had the opponent been anyone other than Tenryu, a single hit might well have knocked him out cold.

In the main event tag-team match, the outcome hinged on the execution of the lariat. Tsuruta was the one delivering it.

He teamed effectively with Ishikawa to batter Yatsu, but the "Jumbo Lariat" failed to secure the win; instead of finishing the match, it actually gave Yatsu a chance to escape.

Choshu displayed great skill. When Yatsu climbed to the top turnbuckle, Ishikawa unleashed a barrage of open-hand slaps before executing an avalanche-style brainbuster; however, Choshu—who had been watching the situation unfold with perfect patience—struck the moment Ishikawa rose to his feet, landing a perfectly timed Riki Lariat that put Ishikawa down on the mat with a single blow. It is truly curious, though, that the otherwise all-round Tsuruta is so poor at executing the lariat. The reason likely lies in his tendency to let his arm drift forward of his shoulder, causing the move to resemble a punch rather than a proper lariat.