Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,
Pro Wrestling Love vol. 9:
The Greatest Matches of Non-NOAH Puroresu in 2005-2009
Objective: Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project
(hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me
build my Top 100 List for the project.
Motivation:
Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own
understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and
even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by
the sands of time.
Contact Info: You
can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com.
You can check out the full version of these match reviews in
ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated
with the date of the match. You can reach me on Twitter and
Instagram @superstarsleeze or at ProWrestlingOnly.com as Superstar Sleeze to
continue the discussion.
Subject: This ninth
volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the Top 6 countdown of the best matches to take
place in Puroresu from 2005-2009. We left off at 2004 and so we are resuming at
2005. It makes sense to end at the end of the first decade of the 21st
century. The last half of the decade sees Antonio Inoki be ousted from New
Japan in a shocker, but he was clearly losing his mind. In his departure, New
Japan began its ascent back to its place in the sun as the top promotion in
puroresu. It begins with building around traditional pro wrestling and placing
new stars, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura at the forefront. In
addition, shoot-style made a comeback in the form of FUTEN, Big Mouth Loud and
the reopening of BattlArts. Finally, junior style wrestling was revitalized
with the growing popularity of Dragon Gate and the success of Katsuhiko
Nakajima and Fujita Jr. Hayato.
Ratings: As of
right now, I would say the top match is a lock for the list along with one of
the two BattlArts matches from 2008.
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| The K.I.D. |
Honorable Mentions
Tohoku Junior
Heavyweight Champion Yoshitune vs Fujita Jr Hayato - Michinoku Pro 12/12/08
Tohoku Junior
Heavyweight Champion Fujita Jr Hayato vs Ou Kobushi - Michinoku Pro 9/5/09
As Fujita Jr. Hayato’s biggest fan, I have got to make sure
he is properly represented in Pro Wrestling Love. Michinoku Pro has a
mini-resurgence in the late 2000s thanks to his excellent hard-hitting work.
IWGP Heavyweight
Champion HiroshI Tanahashi vs Hirooki Goto - NJPW 11/11/07
IWGP Heavyweight
Champion Manabu Nakanishi vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW 6/20/09
Speaking of resurgences none was bigger than New Japan’s in
the late 2000s and was all behind the Ace of the Universe, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
With Antonio Inoki ousted from power, New Japan was rebuilt as a true pro
wrestling company around Hiroshi Tanahashi. Tanahashi is interesting as he no
strong older supporting cast to help him rebuild. Hashimoto had passed away.
Mutoh was running All Japan. Chono was retired. Sasaki was in NOAH. Tanahashi
along with Nakamura literally built this company back up from scratch. That is
a real feather in his cap.
IWGP Heavyweight
Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW 12/10/06
Non-NOAH Puroresu
Match of the Year, 2006
I wanted to single this match out, one because it was the
non-NOAH match of the year for 2006 and because it was the first great match
between the two biggest rivals that would dominated New Japan for the next
decade.
Open The Triangle
Champions Do Fixer (Genki Horiguchi, Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito) vs. Blood
Generation (CIMA, Don Fuji, Naruki Doi) - Pro Wrestling Festival 2005
Dragon Gate is not my favorite
style in the world, but I really did enjoy this one. I have a very fun spotfest
that everyone will like and those that really like the style will love!
All Japan Jr. Heavyweight Champion Shuji Kondo vs Katsuhiko
Nakajima - AJPW 2/17/07
Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion Fujita Jr Hayato vs Great
Sasuke - Michinoku Pro 6/19/09
The last two out are both
junior heavyweight matches and really show that junior heavyweight wrestling
was having a mild renaissance in the late 2000s. As I mentioned in the previous
volume, I really enjoy the work of Nakajima and this was his best singles match
of the decade with ex-Dragon Gate powerhouse Shuji Kondo, a truly terrific
match. The next match was a part of the great Fujita Jr Hayato campaign of 2009
where he is easily my pick for Wrestler of the Year. Here he is having a great
match with the Great Sasuke who had not had a great match in a decade. As we
will see later in this countdown, Hayato was firing on all cylinders.
The Top Six Non-NOAH Puroresu Matches of 2005-2009
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| GREAT BASH HEEL! |
#6. IWGP Heavyweight Champion
Yuji Nagata vs Togi Makabe – NJPW 7/6/07
Bloody, hellacious, heated brawl! Yuji Nagata needed to be
in more of these in his career. Makabe was all in as a heel brawler. Totally
invested in being the biggest scumbag on the planet. What is interesting is
that it was not Makabe being an asshole that triggers Nagata into a fury.
Nagata came out of the gate guns blazing! Makabe used every dirty trick he
could. Nagata was the valiant defender of New Japan, a role he can surprisingly
be good at. Nagata fights through eyerakes to beat the hell out of Makabe at
the beginning, which is great at establishing the lengths which Nagata would go
to. The ref keeps getting in his way and eventually he wears a steel chair as a
collar around his neck, always a great visual. Then Makabe busts out scissors
and I fell in love with this match. Nagata rips roars back into contention with
huge Misawa-like elbows and bloodies Nagata. Double juice! The ref has some big
cajones as he stands up to Nagata trying to rip off Makabe’s arm and to
refusing to count pinfalls for Makabe because of him wrapping his arm in a
chain and piledriving Nagata on a chair. Makabe misses his finish, the King
Kong Kneedrop and it is off to the races. Nagata kicks his head off and the
Back Drop Driver completes a successful defense. Chaos, violence and brutality.
Re-reading my review, I may have actually underrated it. I need to rewatch
this. This sounds amazing all over again when I was reading my review. Check
this out!
#5. Fujita Jr. Hayato vs Koji Kanemoto – NJPW Super J Cup 12/22/09
Puroresu Match of the Year, 2009
Hard Rock Halleujah! Big Hair! Middle Finger to the sky! It
is Fujita Muthafuckin Jr Hayato! Hayato always has a bad attitude and the
veteran Kanemoto meets him right at that level of hate & intensity. It was
an absolutely electric beginning. Full mounts, hair pulling, choking, closed
fists, eye gouging and gritty matwork. They make their way outside wiping out
railings and chairs. Great atmosphere for this match, they are rocking. Hayato
is not just a hard kicking badass. He is an amazing seller. Kanemoto worked an
amazing double wristlock out of a German suplex and then switched to a heel
hook that had Hayato scratching and clawing for the ropes. Great desperation
selling. Steiner Screwdriver by Kanemoto! Wow! Kanemoto chooses to humiliate rather
than win and that costs him as Hayato applies a tight Guillotine Choke, but
Kanemoto makes it to the ropes. Kanemoto catches a kick and turns it into a
heel hook for the win. What a fight! Energy and hate! Just a total asskicker!
#4. Yuki Ishikawa vs Daisuke Ikeda – FUTEN 4/24/05
Non-NOAH, Puroresu Match of the Year, 2005
FUTEN is a BattlArts-style promotion run by Daisuke Ikeda.
BattlArts was started in 1996 after shoot-style Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gym
(PWFG) closed. BattlArts was started by Yuki Ishikawa, but it was not quite a
shoot-style promotion. It is more of an ultra-violent promotion. Not like a
CZW, but like a New Japan Strong Style on steroids. In BattlArts, it is just
two sometimes four dudes hitting the ever-loving crap out of each other and
unlike shoot-style they allow closed fists. Shoot-style went out of style at
the turn of millennium as real MMA in the form of PRIDE took off. In the
mid-2000s there were some attempts at revitalization in the form of U-Style
(run by Kiyoshi Tamura) and FUTEN by Daisuke Ikeda and then Yuki Ishikawa reopening
BattlArts in 2008.
It should be noted that somewhere in Japan I believe that
Ishikawa and Ikeda are fighting right now. They are the Wile E. Coyote and
Roadrunner of Puroresu they have been fighting each other than 1996 and had
some tremendous battles in 1997. The over simplified story is Ishikawa is a
ground & pound wrestler whereas Ikeda is the stand up striker with lethal
kicks. It is the MMA story as old as time: Stand up vs ground.
Did I mention they allow CLOSED FISTS! Incredible how they
are lying them in. Ikeda kicks ass at the beginning of the match earning 4
knockdowns and forcing 2 ropes breaks to Ishikawa’s one knockdown and 2 rope
break forces. Shoot style selling is always interesting. The register is sudden
and intense. The long term selling is cool and calm. It makes sense in a real
fight you wouldn’t busy yourself selling, but you better that register is powerful.
Ishikawa makes his comeback with back drop drivers. He closes the gap to 5 knockdowns
and 3 rope breaks compared to Ikeda’s six knockdowns and 3 rope break forces.
Ikeda pulverizes Ishikawa’s face and causes Ishikawa to bleed profusely from
the mouth. Those Ishikawa suplexes were great. Ishikawa earns the victory with a snug
crossface chickenwing. More often than not theres no great overarching
narrative it is just two dudes kicking each other’s teeth in and wanting to win
badly.
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| You can Thank Phil & The Boys at Segunda Caida for this one! |
#3. Yuki Ishikawa, Alexander Otsuka, Muneori Sawa vs Daisuke Ikeda,
Super Tiger II, Katsumi Usuda – BattlArts 7/26/08 Elimination Match
Anytime you see Ishikawa across the ring from Ikeda you know
that shit is gonna get real. It is a great organic, thoughtful the match was.
Moves like Northern Lights Suplex, Figure-4 and Sharpshooter would never happen
in a MMA contest, but here they come up with credible ways to apply the hold
without excessive cooperation. Of course there are plenty of brutal strikes.
The elimination nature helps add a narrative element that is missing from many
of the BattlArts match that I crave. I loved
the beginning of the match building to the first elimination. Sawa has a chip
on his shoulder and he really wants to take out the big dog, Ikeda. He is
obsessed with him to the point of costing himself the match. However, they
maintain the pecking order as Ikeda is able to assert his superiority over
Sawa. It is Usuda that takes advantage of Sawa’s tunnel vision applying a deep,
deep toehold. Sawa sells like a million bucks and conveys great desperation
knowing that he is easy pickins’. Usuda taps Sawa out and Team Ikeda 203.
They do a great job showcasing how much a hole being down a
man is. The opposing team has an extra man to break up submissions and thus the
onus is now on the disadvantaged to score an elimination by knockout. A perfect
example of this is Otsuka has an arm triangle on Usuda, Ishikawa detains Super
Tiger, but Ikeda casually strolls over to break up the submission. The
disadvantaged team has the suplex machine, Otsuka and the hard-hitting Ishikawa
so they have a puncher’s chance. Otsuka does even the score by hitting a
German/Dragon Suplex combo to KO Usuda and tying it up at 2-2. Ikeda &
Tiger eliminate Otsuka in short order with a wicked Tiger kick to the head and
then Ikeda polishes him off with a brainbuster and punt to the head. Team Ikeda
is up 2-1. I love how quick that elimination was. Team Ishikawa worked so damn
hard to tie it up only for Ishikawa to be left all by himself. Heartbreaker.
There is no one to save Ishikawa in submissions and all his submissions will be
broken up. In the spot of the match Ishikawa has a Standing Deathlock on Super
Tiger so everytime Ikeda kicks Ishikawa down it wrenches the hold in more. Wow!
That is a contender for greatest spot in history. Eventually Super Tiger’s knee
gives out and he succumbs. It was all building up to this: Ishikawa vs Ikeda
Round 8,624. Ishikawa is exhausted and may have punched himself out. Ishikawa
wants a submission and Ikeda wants to kick Ishikawa’s head off when we get a
draw! I didn’t like this finish. It is enough to probably keep it off my final
ballot. It was not 30 minutes of Ishikawa vs Ikeda earning a draw rather it was
an elimination tag where Ikeda was not in the match that long. It just did not
feel like an earned draw, but booking crutch not to give a finish to Ishikawa
vs Ikeda. Still for 30 minutes of action, you would be hard pressed to find something
better.
#2. Yuki Ishikawa & Muneori Sawa vs Super Tiger II & Manabu
Hara – BattlArts 11/16/08
Puroresu Match of the Year, 2008
My favorite genre of Puroresu: Prick heels vs Ace Babyface
& A Hungry Young Lion. We saw Sawa in the previous match how he has a lot
of energy and a real chip on his shoulder. Tiger holds Ishikawa as Hara attacks
him with wicked kicks to the midsection. Great selling from Ishikawa. Ishikawa
crumples to the mat with every kick to the midsection. All the submission holds
are so well worked and so well-hold wrestlers lunging desperately for the
ropes. The match kicks into overdrive when Sawa becomes a face in peril. Tiger
hooks in a choke on Sawa. Sawa reaches the sanctuary of the ropes only to find
Super Tiger come in blazing with kicks. Ishikawa tries to save but Hara hits a
kneelift to his sore midsection. Tiger and Hara take turns mercilessly kicking
Sawa. What makes this so good is the gradualism of Sawa’s selling. There is no
dying, no deadfish selling and no miraculous kicks outs. Sawa is fighting back,
but just being overwhelmed. Sawa pays tribute to the Keiji Mutoh with a Dragon
Leg Screw and Shining Wizard! Pro Wrestling Love! The rest of the match is
effectively a handicap match as Sawa is completely decimated. Super Tiger II
looks to finish the job he started in August of 2008 in his singles match with
Ishikawa. Ishikawa is able to play counterwrestler and convert those lethal
kicks into heel hook submissions. I love how they really earn their saves. Hara
has to really wrestle Sawa down and lunge for the desperation save. Likewise
when Tiger has Ishikawa in a double wristlock, Sawa breaks through. Just like my
original review, I am not going to spoil the finish because it is something that
should be enjoyed without an foreknowledge. I like it better than the
elimination because of the great face in peril segment on Sawa and the red hot
finish run.
#1. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Yuji Nagata –
NJPW 4/13/07
Puroresu Match of The Year, 2007
The first of many Hiroshi Tanahashi masterpieces! It all
begins here as the new, young champion of New Japan defends against the old
guard, Yuji Nagata. What makes this so different from many other matches in
2000s from Japan is that it is a traditional championship style bout. Nagata is
one remaing holdover from the Inoki Era. He is the bridge between the Three Musketeers
and Tanahashi & Co. He is built in the image of Inoki. He is a pro wrestler
that excels at striking and counterwrestling. In the year 2007, Tanahashi is
coming in the champion, but he is by no means The Man, yet. Nagata is mighty
over and he is ready to prove why he is Mr. IWGP.
Tanahashi employs a very similar strategy in his matches as
2001 Keiji Mutoh. In a lot of ways he is the heir to Mutoh, but a much hard
worker and a much smarter wrestler. The thing that connects Tanahashi and Mutoh
is that needed have the firepower to compete at the tippy-top level of a
Hashimoto, Nagata or a Nakamura. They are not going to out-strike or
out-wrestle these combatants. They are crafty wrestlers and agile. They take away
a body part and put their opponent in a hole. Tanahashi builds on where Mutoh
laid the groundwork to use his offense to set up his big bombs. One of my
favorite aspects of Tanahashi matches is when he eats knees on a High Fly Flow,
but has been working the knees so his opponent is forced to sell his knees.
With this knowledge of who Tanahashi is, we can begin analyzing the match.
Tanahashi cannot let Nagata dictate the pace. Tanahashi is a bit of a cocky
bastard. I mean he is very pretty. He takes time to pose and Nagata takes that
as a slight. He tears into him with kicks, knees and elbows. Nagata looks to
tear Tanahashi’s arm off. Nagata tries to kick Tanahashi off the apron, but
Tanahashi catches his kick and Dragon Leg Screw! Thus it begins, the classic
Tanahashi heat segment! Along with Bret Hart, there are few others I rather
watch work a control segment than Tanahashi. Tanahashi is laser focused on the
knee like his life depends on it. Nagata is selling like a million bucks, Flair
Flop and Kawada-like collapse. At the same time, Nagata has great hope spots
like flash submission in this case a crossface. He starts to build momentum,
but his knee gives out on a brainbuster. Tanahashi’s strategy is paying
dividends. Here comes the big Tanahashi finish stretch with all his signature
moves. The High Flow Fly eats knees, but as I said Nagata cant capitalize because
his knees are all messed up. Sling Blade, nope, Nagata holds on for a BACK DROP
DRIVER! It is all knotted up in the 4th Quarter. I am really
impressed at how well Tanahashi conveys how important this match is late in the
game: headbutting Nagata’s knee and the way he really puts all his weight into
a German Suplex bridge. Try as Tanahashi might, he falls short as Nagata always
had a puncher’s chance and a big kick to the rocks the future Ace of the
Universe and two backdrop drivers take it for Blue Justice. Great veteran vs young
champion match and just a beautifully escalated traditional championship match!
Tanahashi’s strategy shows he is a thinking man’s wrestler, but cant handle all
the firepower of Nagata yet.
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