THREAD🤼‍♂️: The Island Death Match (10/04/87): Antonio Inoki vs Masa Saito is one of the most remarkable wrestling matches ever. It was a stunt to boost flagging ratings and runs over 90 minutes as the sun sets. I'm going to give some sense of it in 25 clips, starting with Inoki walking from his tent. - ThreadSky

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mattd-sc.bsky.social • 3 days ago

THREAD🤼‍♂️: The Island Death Match (10/04/87): Antonio Inoki vs Masa Saito is one of the most remarkable wrestling matches ever. It was a stunt to boost flagging ratings and runs over 90 minutes as the sun sets. I'm going to give some sense of it in 25 clips, starting with Inoki walking from his tent.

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mattd-sc.bsky.social•3 days ago

It is a battle of attrition for both the wrestlers and the viewer where every inch is a fight and every effort monumental. You'll only get the broadest sense of that here but even through clips, the struggle is undeniable from their faces alone. Saito's was bloodied just from holds early on.

mattd-sc.bsky.social•3 days ago

When I say they fight over every inch, this is what I mean. There's nothing restful about any of this. Every bit of motion and leverage is earned and meaningful.

mattd-sc.bsky.social•3 days ago

Moreover, it's full of iconic images. So many of them are Saito's grimacing, struggling face, but here you can also see Inoki, even early on, windswept.

mattd-sc.bsky.social•3 days ago

They would use the island as their canvas for some of the most struggle-laden pro wrestling ever. That'd provide images such as this, as Saito, even in control, strains to tighten the hold and Inoki struggles simply to survive.

mattd-sc.bsky.social•3 days ago

They are one with nature here, covered in grass and dirt as they try to keep holds on one another. Again, look at Inoki's face on just a simple chinlock, the way he squints his eyes, the grimace. He's portraying so much with so little actual motion.

mattd-sc.bsky.social•3 days ago

Some of this is self-explanatory. There's so little I can add to Inoki and Saito's faces here.

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