I continue to work my way through the Best of Japan in the 2000s project. Today's one of those days where I try to knock out a few more matches and get back on track. Let's see how it goes.
Toshiaki Kawada vs. Shinya Hashimoto - All Japan Pro Wrestling - Feb 22, 2004
Two of my favorites from Japan square off in this one so I've got high hopes coming in. Hashimoto has a really impressive bad ass aura for someone who really does look like fat Japanese Elvis. I'll give credit to the gear. The two back each other up early and break cleanly. Cleanly but cautiously. The two work on the mat after that with Hashimoto trying to double wristlock Kawada. Kawada gets a kick up to Hashimoto's head to break the hold. Hashimoto elbows Kawada away which pisses Kawada off. Kawada throws a high kick right into Hashimoto's face and he stares death back at him. They start trading strikes for a moment, popping the crowd.
There's a long low kick exchange next. Kawada comes out the worse for wear, dropping to the ground and clutching his knee after Hashimoto sweeps the leg. Hashimoto targets the knee; Kawada sells like a champ. Hashimoto evolves from grinding and stomping on the knee to a leg hold. Kawada drags his way to the ropes to make a save.
Kawada comes back with bigger, harder kicks. He drops a knee on Hashimoto's arm then tries to pull on an armbar which leads to a protracted struggle. Kawada pulls Hashimoto into an arm triangle then counters it back into an arm bar when Hashimoto escapes. Hashimoto is right under the ropes but takes a while before he decides to grab them. Kawada enzuigiris Hashimoto, twice, but it takes a back drop to get the big man off his feet. Kawada keeps going after Hashimoto's arm and shoulder.
Hashimoto spikes Kawada with a brainbuster but rolls around in agony after, clutching his shoulder. The crowd chants for Kawada. Now its Hashimoto who chops away at his opponent with high kicks. He tries another brainbuster but his shoulder gives out. Both men look exhausted. Kawada knees Hashimoto in the gut repeatedly, throws a kick, more high kicks, elbows, and finally an enzuigiri/ Hashimoto actually gets up first, having used the ropes to catch his fall. He blasts Kawada with a kick to the chest. Kawad dropkicks Hashimoto twice, neither drops him. Hashimoto takes another enzuigiri, wobbles, and fainlly collapses back. Two count!
Kawada drops a knee to Hashimoto's shoulder two more times. He wrenches in a stretch plum, cranking Hashimoto's shoulder further and further. Hashimoto doesn't give in but he's stuck in the middle of the ring. He may not give in, but his corner does. A towel comes flying in, this one's over.
Good match, really liked how big of a deal each Hashimoto bump became. Top quality work on the arm and leg by each guy but the ending sucked. I mean, it makes sense for Zero 1 to protect their ace, but it feels soooo anticlimactic.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Masato Tanaka vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO 1 - Nov 7, 2003
Hashimoto beat the shit out of Tanaka last time I saw these two together. This one is more even right out that gates. Tanaka gets Hashimoto on his back and into a leghold. The veteran Hashimoto straight up out wrestles Tanaka, working him into a triangle choke. Tanaka tries a test of strength that he wins by headbutting Hashimoto's shoulder. Tanaka immediately works that over. He slaps Hashimoto's shoulder which leads to Hashimoto slapping him back. In the face. Harder and harder. Tanaka looks like a punk compared to Hashimoto.
Hashimoto tries to cave Tanaka's chest in with two hard, hard kicks. Tanaka has to roll outside onto the mats below to catch a breather. Hashimoto takes him down the second he reenters the ring. A standing senton flattens Tanaka. Hashimoto claps his hands, getting the audience going once he gets back up. Tanaka boots Hashimoto in the face until Hashimoto finally falls over. His nose bleeds as he clutches the ropes and Tanaka's assault continues. He takes Hashimoto down by the arm, refocusing his efforts there.
Hashimoto catches Tanaka's arm as he tries to club away at Hashimoto's shoulder. Hashimoto headbutts Tanaka then goes back to those super stiff kicks to the chest. Tanaka looks like he regrets ever getting near Hashimoto now. The ref chides Hashimoto for continuing to kick Tanaka while he's in the corner. In response, Hashimoto kicks the ref away. The ass kicking must go on. Tanaka surprises everyone with a tornado DDT. He forearms Hashimoto, then his a diving forearm, then two lariats but the big guy is still on his feet. Tanaka hits the ropes, ducks a Hashimoto strike, then finally knocks Hash down with another lariat. He goes up top for a frog splash that Hashimoto dodges. That was a short run.
Tanaka eats a big DDT. He kicks out at two on the cover. Hashimoto tries for a brainbuster but Tanaka fights like mad to get out of it. He scoops Hashimoto up for a slam that barely keeps Hashimoto down. A crazy stiff slap and then a discus elbow have about the same effect. Another body slam leads to a frog splash. This one lands. Tanaka tries to double wristlock Hashimoto's arm and almost gets it in. Hashimoto has to grab the ropes to avoid it. Hashimoto shoulders Tanaka after both come off the ropes. he blasts him with another kick. A huge DDT follows. None of it is enough to put Tanaka away.
Tanaka can't get to his feet after Hashimoto lays in some more offense. The ref starts the ten count, only for Hashimoto to interrupt it with a double stomp. Hashimoto puts Tanaka in a triangle choke; the ref stops the match moments later.
Match rating: *** This showdown is less of an extended squash than the first one. Tanaka actually gets a good amount of offense in, especially compared to their match earlier in the set. Hashimoto still beats the snot out of Tanaka whenever they go toe-to-toe. He's the ace of the promotion and the absolute killer in there.
Toshiaki Kawada vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Shibata jumps Kawada before the bell rings. He takes a hard, swinging kick at Kawada but Kawada lays back to evade it. Shibata follows him outside to keep the pressure on. A few more hard kicks lay Kawada out while Shibata waits back inside the ring.
Kawada throws a low kick that Shibata checks. They trade forearms that get harder and harder. Kawada winds back for one big hit but the last forearm he took sinks in, making him stagger. Shibata works on his neck for a moment then makes a cover. Kawada kicks out at one. The two go back to slapping each other now. Shibata boots Kawada's stomach. He gives two Kawada kicks which gets an "ohhh" from the crowd. More importantly, it puts Kawada into a rage. Kawada chops and kicks Shibata until he collapses in the corner. Shibata stands up only for Kawada to back drop him. Kawada puts Shibata in the stretch plum. Shibata refuses to tap but the life slowly fades. Kawada makes a cover that gets two.
Kawada sits Shibata up. He tries a kick to the chest but Shibata catches it and hangs on. Shibata throws a hard elbow at Kawada's face. Kawada fires back with chops. Another strike exchange makes Kawada teeter into the ropes. Shibata puts on a sleeper though Kawada is grabbing the ropes. Shibata back drops Kawada then goes back to the sleeper. Shibata leaves Kawada sitting there, bounds off the ropes, and his the PK. Shibata works on another sleeper. Kawada powers out of it and rises to his feet. The two start to slap and trade strikes again. Looks very awkward. Kawada grabs Shibata by the hair and decks him with a closed fist. Shibata drops. He tries to stand so Kawada kicks him in the side of the head. Kawada adds a knee drop for good measure. He makes the cover and gets three.
Match Rating: **1/4 Fun little sprint but nothing worth writing home about. Kawada showed a bit too much ass for my liking. I enjoyed Shibata's shtick of stealing Kawada's offense.
Showing posts with label puroresu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puroresu. Show all posts
Apr 23, 2014
Mar 14, 2014
Best of 2000s Japan SUPER FRIDAY
It's the last real day of spring break, so naturally I'm sitting on the couch watching wrestling. I'm trying to participate in the Best of the 2000s Japan wrestling project, but I've fallen behind my original schedule of one match a day. This is due in August, so it's time to start binge watching. Today I start 2002. Let's settle in for the long haul.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Genichiro Tenryu - AJPW - Feb 24, 2002
Tenryu has been a top three wrestler in this project for me. I love mean old bastards roughing up younger guys and Tenryu is the pinnacle of that. Kojima plays the unfortunate youngster this time. At about 31 years old, Kojima is hardly a kid, but next to Tenryu he might as well be. Kojima came back at Tenryu with tons of fire. The lariats Kojima hit on Tenryu looked killer, but Tenryu wasn't going to lose that easily. I loved Tenryu beating Kojima into the ground with chops but then falling back into the ropes, grimacing in pain once he saw Kojima wouldn't see it.
Match Rating: ****3/4
Jushin Liger & Wataru Inoue vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Liger and Inoue jump Kanemaru and Kikuchi as the bell rings. The four brawl for the next few minutes until things settle down. The crowd roars their disapproval whenever Liger or Inoue interfere. Liger is such a phenomenal dickhead. The NOAH fans want their guys to win so badly that they don't even care when Kanemaru puts his feet on the rope for a pin attempt. The wrestling match breaks down into a straight up fight for a few seconds here and there, really cementing the animosity. Liger flops around like crazy when Kikuchi gets him in an armbar and he makes his desperate attempts to get the ropes so dramatic. Kanemaru even uses one of Liger's finishers on Inoue to seal a victory.
Match Rating: ****1/4 and the best juniors match so far in the set. As if I didn't like this enough, there's a twenty man brawl at the end. I can't resist a big brawl while the timekeeper furiously wails away on the bell.
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Another huge tag match from the same night. This one is a "SPECIAL MATCH" if the signs are being honest with me. Misawa and Nagata start it off but it's Akiyama vs. Kobashi the fans are dying to see. Nagata works a more methodical pace than Akiyama, who's going full bore at Kobashi and Misawa. That is until Kobashi and Nagata start smacking and chopping the crap out of each other. Interesting how the ref didn't care at all the Akiyama was in the ring, standing watch over Misawa when Nagata had Kobashi in a leg lock. I guess it doesn't matter if he doesn't attack Kobashi? The closing stretch is good, but today is the odd chance that I can say there was a better tag match on the same card. Akiyama getting the pin on Kobashi seems huge, but the crowd went silent for it.
Match Rating: ****
Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO1 - Mar 2, 2002
Tanaka already dropped a lot of his ECW baby fat. He's not as ripped as he is today, but the transition is starting. Tanaka kicks the belt away at the start, which infuriates Hashimoto. Hashimoto is bent on punishing Tanaka with an ass whooping. Tanaka bumps and sells more and more as Hashimoto continues the beat down. Tanaka pounces on Hashimoto for a pin the moment he gets Hashimoto down. He obviously wants nothing to do with this fight. Tanaka gets this look of "I'm sorry, please stop kicking my ass." Hashimoto finally obliges with a sick brainbuster.
Match Rating: ***1/2 but one of the stand out matches for what it is. Plays like a very extended squash.
Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - NJPW - May 2, 2002
This must have been a TV broadcast, because there are a couple of Japanese commercials cut in before the match starts. Takayama is legitimately huge. At 198 cm, he towers over Nagata. Nagata starts wearing down Takayama early. Nagata makes every blow Takayama lands seem like it could be the end. I'm a fan of that. Nagata flinghing himself at the ropes when Takayama sets up for a German got a laugh out of me, but it emphasized how dangerous Takayama is. Nagata howls to show his fighting spirit but has to clutch the top rope to even stand at the same time. Nagata and Takayama start trading forearms. That evolves into trading rights. Nagata wins with two high kicks, the second smashing into the side of Takayama's head.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Satoshi Kojima - AJPW - Jul 17, 2002
I skipped a few matches that I'll have to go back and see just so I could get to the rematch right away. The crowd chants "Kojima" while Tenryu looks as stoic as ever. Tenryu cornered Kojima early on in the first match with strikes and chops. This time Kojima evens the score. Tenryu drives Kojima back into the corner during a test of strength not long after. The crowd knows what's going to happen. Kojima knows what's going to happen. Kojima pushes back with all his might to get out of that. What a tease. Kojima starts targeting Tenryu's knee. Tenryu throws a great jab, probably because he's punching Kojima square in the face.
Kojima keeps going back at Tenryu's knee whenever he gets in trouble. Tenryu actually has to roll out of the ring and take a moment to let the pain subside. Tenryu's favorite spot on the other hand is throwing Kojima into the corner then jabbing and chopping the hell out of him. I love it way more when he does it than when Kobashi does it his style. Holy hell Tenryu just did a suicide dive through the ropes. Kojima returns that with a plancha of his own. Tenryu's selling of his knee is phenomenal. He limps across the ring as he runs from an Irish whip. Kojima won't stop targeting it with stomps, a figure four, and then a sharpshooter.
Kojima mimmicks Tenryu's chops and punches in the corner. Unlike the first match, he has to sell this time around and he isn't hiding his pain. He fixes his knee pad every chance he gets. Tenryu's mannerisms never cease to amaze me. The little things he does get the crowd going, like the face and gesture he makes when Kojima falls over as he tries to stand after a German suplex.
The crowd wants Kojima to win this one so badly. Tenryu tries a brainbuster, which ended the first match, but Kojima slips out and counters with an Ace crusher. Tenryu hits the brainbuster on the second try, but he's too hurt to get the cover quickly. He stumbles over and flops onto Kojima, who kicks out at two. Tenryu sets Kojima up for the spider German like the first match. It lands, but Kojima rolls away from the back elbow drop that follows. Kojima lands an avalanche Ace crusher. Tenryu gets a foot on the rope before the three.
Tenryu chops Kojima before he can hit a lariat. It stuns him for a second, but Kojima comes right back with it a moment later. Both men are down and have to slowly scrape themselves up. They trade hard, hard shots. Especially Tenryu's chops. Another brainbuster. Tenryu immediately brings Kojima back up. A second brainbuster in a row. Kojima kicks out!
Tenryu clenches his fist, sizing Kojima up for a lariat. Kojima blocks it. He shoots Tenryu into the ropes and lariats him on the rebound. Two count. The crowd buys every nearfall and so do I. The camera keeps switching to an overhead angle when both men are down, which is a visual I love. Tenryu boots Kojima's arm when Kojima tries another lariat. More chops, then a fourth brainbuster. And a fifth! Kojima gets up, filled with fighting spirit. He stumbles into the ropes and springs back with a lariat. Tenryu kicks out at two. This is nuts.
Both men trade chops again until a SIXTH brainbuster puts Kojima down. Tenryu has to slowly roll onto him. Kojima kicks out at two. Tenryu's pissed. He chops the hell out of Kojima. No more brainbusters. It's powerbomb time. He plants Kojima back into the mat and folds him in half. Kojima can't kick out of this one.
Match Rating: ***** Superb. Not perfect, but the complaints I have feel more like nitpicks when weighed against the intensity and drama of the match. There's a fighting spirit spot, which I'm not a big fan of by nature, but I think Kojima does it about as good as it can be done. He gives up going after Tenryu's knee, but after a while he clearly wanted to put the old man away. The near falls were about to get excessive at the end but Tenryu picked the right moment to finish the job and he did it with something different to boot. Loved it. Best match of the set so far.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Genichiro Tenryu - AJPW - Feb 24, 2002
Tenryu has been a top three wrestler in this project for me. I love mean old bastards roughing up younger guys and Tenryu is the pinnacle of that. Kojima plays the unfortunate youngster this time. At about 31 years old, Kojima is hardly a kid, but next to Tenryu he might as well be. Kojima came back at Tenryu with tons of fire. The lariats Kojima hit on Tenryu looked killer, but Tenryu wasn't going to lose that easily. I loved Tenryu beating Kojima into the ground with chops but then falling back into the ropes, grimacing in pain once he saw Kojima wouldn't see it.
Match Rating: ****3/4
Jushin Liger & Wataru Inoue vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Liger and Inoue jump Kanemaru and Kikuchi as the bell rings. The four brawl for the next few minutes until things settle down. The crowd roars their disapproval whenever Liger or Inoue interfere. Liger is such a phenomenal dickhead. The NOAH fans want their guys to win so badly that they don't even care when Kanemaru puts his feet on the rope for a pin attempt. The wrestling match breaks down into a straight up fight for a few seconds here and there, really cementing the animosity. Liger flops around like crazy when Kikuchi gets him in an armbar and he makes his desperate attempts to get the ropes so dramatic. Kanemaru even uses one of Liger's finishers on Inoue to seal a victory.
Match Rating: ****1/4 and the best juniors match so far in the set. As if I didn't like this enough, there's a twenty man brawl at the end. I can't resist a big brawl while the timekeeper furiously wails away on the bell.
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Another huge tag match from the same night. This one is a "SPECIAL MATCH" if the signs are being honest with me. Misawa and Nagata start it off but it's Akiyama vs. Kobashi the fans are dying to see. Nagata works a more methodical pace than Akiyama, who's going full bore at Kobashi and Misawa. That is until Kobashi and Nagata start smacking and chopping the crap out of each other. Interesting how the ref didn't care at all the Akiyama was in the ring, standing watch over Misawa when Nagata had Kobashi in a leg lock. I guess it doesn't matter if he doesn't attack Kobashi? The closing stretch is good, but today is the odd chance that I can say there was a better tag match on the same card. Akiyama getting the pin on Kobashi seems huge, but the crowd went silent for it.
Match Rating: ****
Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO1 - Mar 2, 2002
Tanaka already dropped a lot of his ECW baby fat. He's not as ripped as he is today, but the transition is starting. Tanaka kicks the belt away at the start, which infuriates Hashimoto. Hashimoto is bent on punishing Tanaka with an ass whooping. Tanaka bumps and sells more and more as Hashimoto continues the beat down. Tanaka pounces on Hashimoto for a pin the moment he gets Hashimoto down. He obviously wants nothing to do with this fight. Tanaka gets this look of "I'm sorry, please stop kicking my ass." Hashimoto finally obliges with a sick brainbuster.
Match Rating: ***1/2 but one of the stand out matches for what it is. Plays like a very extended squash.
Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - NJPW - May 2, 2002
This must have been a TV broadcast, because there are a couple of Japanese commercials cut in before the match starts. Takayama is legitimately huge. At 198 cm, he towers over Nagata. Nagata starts wearing down Takayama early. Nagata makes every blow Takayama lands seem like it could be the end. I'm a fan of that. Nagata flinghing himself at the ropes when Takayama sets up for a German got a laugh out of me, but it emphasized how dangerous Takayama is. Nagata howls to show his fighting spirit but has to clutch the top rope to even stand at the same time. Nagata and Takayama start trading forearms. That evolves into trading rights. Nagata wins with two high kicks, the second smashing into the side of Takayama's head.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Satoshi Kojima - AJPW - Jul 17, 2002
I skipped a few matches that I'll have to go back and see just so I could get to the rematch right away. The crowd chants "Kojima" while Tenryu looks as stoic as ever. Tenryu cornered Kojima early on in the first match with strikes and chops. This time Kojima evens the score. Tenryu drives Kojima back into the corner during a test of strength not long after. The crowd knows what's going to happen. Kojima knows what's going to happen. Kojima pushes back with all his might to get out of that. What a tease. Kojima starts targeting Tenryu's knee. Tenryu throws a great jab, probably because he's punching Kojima square in the face.
Kojima keeps going back at Tenryu's knee whenever he gets in trouble. Tenryu actually has to roll out of the ring and take a moment to let the pain subside. Tenryu's favorite spot on the other hand is throwing Kojima into the corner then jabbing and chopping the hell out of him. I love it way more when he does it than when Kobashi does it his style. Holy hell Tenryu just did a suicide dive through the ropes. Kojima returns that with a plancha of his own. Tenryu's selling of his knee is phenomenal. He limps across the ring as he runs from an Irish whip. Kojima won't stop targeting it with stomps, a figure four, and then a sharpshooter.
Kojima mimmicks Tenryu's chops and punches in the corner. Unlike the first match, he has to sell this time around and he isn't hiding his pain. He fixes his knee pad every chance he gets. Tenryu's mannerisms never cease to amaze me. The little things he does get the crowd going, like the face and gesture he makes when Kojima falls over as he tries to stand after a German suplex.
The crowd wants Kojima to win this one so badly. Tenryu tries a brainbuster, which ended the first match, but Kojima slips out and counters with an Ace crusher. Tenryu hits the brainbuster on the second try, but he's too hurt to get the cover quickly. He stumbles over and flops onto Kojima, who kicks out at two. Tenryu sets Kojima up for the spider German like the first match. It lands, but Kojima rolls away from the back elbow drop that follows. Kojima lands an avalanche Ace crusher. Tenryu gets a foot on the rope before the three.
Tenryu chops Kojima before he can hit a lariat. It stuns him for a second, but Kojima comes right back with it a moment later. Both men are down and have to slowly scrape themselves up. They trade hard, hard shots. Especially Tenryu's chops. Another brainbuster. Tenryu immediately brings Kojima back up. A second brainbuster in a row. Kojima kicks out!
Tenryu clenches his fist, sizing Kojima up for a lariat. Kojima blocks it. He shoots Tenryu into the ropes and lariats him on the rebound. Two count. The crowd buys every nearfall and so do I. The camera keeps switching to an overhead angle when both men are down, which is a visual I love. Tenryu boots Kojima's arm when Kojima tries another lariat. More chops, then a fourth brainbuster. And a fifth! Kojima gets up, filled with fighting spirit. He stumbles into the ropes and springs back with a lariat. Tenryu kicks out at two. This is nuts.
Both men trade chops again until a SIXTH brainbuster puts Kojima down. Tenryu has to slowly roll onto him. Kojima kicks out at two. Tenryu's pissed. He chops the hell out of Kojima. No more brainbusters. It's powerbomb time. He plants Kojima back into the mat and folds him in half. Kojima can't kick out of this one.
Match Rating: ***** Superb. Not perfect, but the complaints I have feel more like nitpicks when weighed against the intensity and drama of the match. There's a fighting spirit spot, which I'm not a big fan of by nature, but I think Kojima does it about as good as it can be done. He gives up going after Tenryu's knee, but after a while he clearly wanted to put the old man away. The near falls were about to get excessive at the end but Tenryu picked the right moment to finish the job and he did it with something different to boot. Loved it. Best match of the set so far.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)