Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,
I love BIG! Big production values, big riffs big solos, big
hair, big smiles and even bigger EYES! ;) ;) Wooo-hooo! Does anyone do bigger
in pro wrestling history better than Pro Wrestling NOAH?
Pro Wrestling Love vol. 4:
The Greatest Matches of Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2000-2004
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
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 fourth
volume of Pro Wrestling Love begins the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to
take place in Pro Wrestling NOAH from 2000-2004. Pro Wrestling NOAH was a
splinter promotion started by Mitsuharu Misawa in 2000 from the All Japan Pro
Wrestling Promotion after the death of Giant Baba led to a year and half of
tumult backstage. Misawa started the NOAH promotion with all the natives of All
Japan (sans Toshiaki Kawada and Masa Fuchi, who said behind out of loyalty to
Mrs. Baba). Personally, I think the Tokyo Dome show in the summer of 2005 is
the proper place to stop this. I think that is end of peak NOAH, the Kenta
Kobashi reign had just ended and the Dome 2005 show was the last major show
before the downward spiral of NOAH in the late 2000s. However, I feel that a
list of the best Puroresu matches from 2005-2009 makes a lot of sense and if I
do a NOAH list from 2000-2005 it would cause some strange overlap. So out of
deference from that list, we will do NOAH from 2000-2004 even though that is
kinda messy because we would still be in the midst of Kenta Kobashi’s epic
title reign.
 |
| GOAT |
Honorable Mentions:
Kenta Kobashi &
Jun Akiyama vs Mitsuharu Misawa & Akira Taue – 8/5/00
Kenta Kobashi vs Jun
Akiyama – 8/6/00
The main events of the first two shows of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s
existence. Please see the Misawa vs Akiyama match review for why these matches
are important.
New Japan (Jushin
Liger & Wataru Inoue) VS NOAH (Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) –
2/17/2002
New Japan (Jushin
Liger & Takehiro Murahama) vs KENTAFuji – 7/16/03
Two matches in the Jushin “Thunder” Liger invades NOAH
storyline that make the NOAH junior division.
GHC Heavyweight
Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama – Tokyo Dome 7/10/04
The main event of the first NOAH Tokyo Dome show and it
features the biggest possible matchup of NOAH. With Kobashi vs Misawa over,
this should have been the feud of the future. I am not super high on the
Kobashi vs Akiyama match up. I do think they tend to bring out their worst
tendencies of over doing the bombs and false finishes, but still this match
cant be denied as an entertaining fireworks show.
GHC Heavyweight
Champion Yoshihiro Takayama vs Mistuharu Misawa – Budokan 9/23/02
In order to kick off the epic Kenta Kobashi reign, Misawa
needs to win the title to drop the title to Kobashi and so they go back to
Bleach Blond Giant of Japan as the transitional champion. Misawa and Takayama
have a great dynamic. Takayama is the perfect Misawa opponent because he is
such an asskicker so Misawa can really show his resiliency and ability to make
a comeback in dire circumstances.
The Seventh to Twelfth Best Matches of Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2000-2004
#12. GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Tamon Honda - 4/13/03
Kenta Kobashi’s first title defense of his epic GHC title
reign comes against former Olympic wrestler (1992), Tamon Honda. Honda is an
example of NOAH’s diversity and versatility compared to All Japan. Honda was a
long time All Japan pro wrestler (debuted in 1993), but never rose above the
midcard. In NOAH, he was able to get a crack at the biggest prize in the
promotion at Ariake Colosseum. In
addition to showing NOAH’s range as a promotion, it demonstrates Kenta Kobashi’s
range as a pro wrestler. NOAH is well-known for its big bomb, firework
spectacle, false finish galore, emotional, high drama matches. Honda wrestles a
more minimalist style that focuses on Olympic style takedowns and suplexes.
Sometimes, I feel Kobashi’s critics forget how good Kobashi can be at wrestling
fundamentals. Another example of this can be seen in his match in 1997 against
Hiroshi Hase. In this match, Kobashi adapts to Honda style to have a great
championship match that plays to Honda’s strengths and makes him look good
while still feeling like The Man.
Kobashi has been a challenger to the throne for so long that
old habits die hard and he still brings the offense to Honda early on. Normally
in a championship match, a challenger is one that is aggressive because he has
something to prove, wants to get into the champion’s head, and the champion’s
advantage where a draw goes to the champion. Kobashi is an offensive juggernaut
and in his mind the best defense is a good offense. I love his headlock so much
and how he uses holds to set up his big offense. However, when you are on this
aggressive it leaves yourself open to counterwrestling. Olympic wrestler Honda
is an excellent conunterwrestler is able to use his wrestling acumen to
takedown Kobashi with a massive German suplex from over the ropes onto a ramp.
Honda settles into a groove to work over the arm, which would take away Kobashi’s
greatest assets: the chop & lariat. Kobashi is such an excellent seller
especially during the cross-armbreaker and it really makes people believe Honda
has a chance. Honda manages some big nearfalls placed around German suplexes
and submissions. However, he is just outgunned by Kobashi The Destroyer, who
fights through the pain to hit Lariat after Lariat until Honda succumbed to the
GHC Heavyweight Champion. Really strong title defense by Kobashi working
underneath making Honda look like a million bucks and really a display at how
effective Kobashi can be working holds and selling.
#11. GHC Heavyweight Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue –
5/18/01
Misawa won the inaugural GHC Championship in April of 2001
defeating the Bleach Blond Giant of Japan, Yoshihiro Takayama in an instant
classic. His first title defense is against old foe, Akira Taue. Nobody will
confuse this match for their classics in 1995, but this match is fabulous in
regards to economy and efficiency. It briskly advances an elegant narrative in
less than 15 minutes (for NOAH that’s a downright sprint!) to a great climax.
As this is the first Misawa match I am reviewing for Pro
Wrestling Love, I will give some quick tips about Misawa. He takes a lickin’
and keeps on tickin’. His favorite way to get out of a jam is elbow his opponent
really hard in the face. Taue has been wrestling Misawa for about decade at
this point and he is not going to fall for Misawa’s elbow tricks. He has Misawa
well-scouted and is just suffocating him. It is just boot after boot to the
head. Taue is hitting big bombs like the Nodowa from the ramp to the timekeeper’s
table and the Dynamic Bomb. Taue is just on fire in this match. This is total
Misawa in a groove match where he is hitting his hope spots with vigor, but Taue
has an answer for everything. The Taue Backdrop Nodowa gets two and it is at
this point the end is nigh. Misawa roars back with elbow after elbow to
obliterate Taue and set up the Emerald Flowsion. It is tidy and efficient wrestling.
#10. GHC Heavyweight Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jun Akiyama – 7/27/01
Jun Akiyama’s mega push began in February 2000 when he defeated Misawa in the Budokan in a massive upset that was reminiscent of Misawa’s upset of Jumbo in June of 1990. The mega push of Akiyama continued at the first ever NOAH show where Akiyama defeated Misawa and Taue in two straight falls and then turned on his partner, Kobashi and put him out. The very next night on the second NOAH show, Akiyama choked Kobashi out with his new guillotine choke submission. Just like that Akiyama was the hottest star in Puroresu. Misawa was not completely different than Baba he still wanted to give Akiyama that big moment so first Misawa had to win the GHC Championship so Akiyama could beat him for it.
Thus this was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Akiyama’s career defeating Misawa in the Budokan for the biggest prize in NOAH. I am not going to complain about the follow-up booking, but instead focus on this stellar match. I love the beginning of this match because even though Misawa is the champion and he is a notorious slow starter, Misawa comes out elbows blazing fighting through all of Akiyama’s offense. In my mind, this is a direct consequence of Akiyama beating him the last time they were in the Budokan in February 2000. There were so many times where Akiyama would get a big move like a dropkicking Misawa off top rope or Misawa totally crashes and burns into the floor on a missed elbow (similar to the February 2000 match) into railing that would usually lead to a heat segment, but in this match Misawa would not be deterred and he just kept rocking Akiyama with the elbows. Don’t get me wrong, Akiyama got his fair share of Exploders, but Misawa just kept coming forward. I love how they were making each other earn their offense Even after the missed elbow to the floor, he hit a crazy Super Tiger Driver from the Top Rope! That spot really stuck with me and Misawa is too damaged to cover. I love the finish. It is these two badasses in two corners opposite each other both exhausted and in pain. As they charge at each other, you know who can pull the trigger first will win the match and it is Akiyama with the high knee. It takes his choke and the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to win this championship. I love the story of this match compared to the February 2000 match. Misawa is so offense-minded here and it is Akiyama forced to be in Misawa role, absorb the punishment and keep plugging away. It demonstrates Akiyama’s resiliency. In a lot of ways, it was rope-a-dope. Misawa runs out of gas and the younger Akiyama is able to pull the trigger and hit the knee and follow through to win the match.
 |
| The White Hot Puroresu Superstar of Early 2000s |
#9. Jushin Liger & Minoru Tanaka vs Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru 4/7/02
Another two crucial differences between Baba’s All Japan and Misawa’s NOAH were NOAH’s Open Door Policy and the promotion of junior heavyweight wrestling. NOAH working with New Japan would have been impossible while Baba was alive because of the Baba/Inoki rivalry stemming from their JWA split in 1973 that resulted in All Japan and New Japan. Here, we see not only NOAH working with New Japan by bringing in the legendary Jushin “Thunder” Liger, but also the junior heavyweights are placed in a prominent role. Under Baba, the All Japan did have a junior heavyweight division centered around Fuchi, Kikuchi and Ogawa, but it was a midcard division that was never placed prominently on TV or the card. Misawa strove to change this to add variety to his shows and looking to capitalize on the success of New Japan’s junior heavyweight division under Jushin Liger. This Liger/New Japan invasion of NOAH was herald to the wrestling world that NOAH would be taking junior wrestling seriously. This became a heated blood feud throughout 2002.
A lot of critics would tell you I am underrating this match and the entire series really and I think some would go as far to say this is a contender for the best NOAH match of the front half of the decade. I would tell them being the ninth best match of NOAH during their hot streak means it is a damn great match! I like this match the best of the trilogy because to me it has the most intensity and the best payoffs. The beginning of matches are important to me and what better way to begin a match than a Jushin Liger PALM STRIKE! The New Japan boys are such great traditional heels in this match as it does feel closer to an American match than a Japanese match for that reason. Jushin “Nature Boy” Liger and NOAH Official Tommy Young-San have a heat argument, there is great ref distraction, there is cocky one foot pinfall attempts, there is flipping off Kanemaru as they work their laser-focused heat segment on Kikuchi’s arm. I really enjoyed Minoru Tanaka in the early 2000s with his cocky charisma and great explosive submissions and I don’t have a clue why he fell off the face of the planet after 2002. To me what really takes this match to the next level and makes it truly special is the testicular psychology they employ. Kanemaru has a propensity to kick up his leg and kick his opponent in the balls. However, you got to get up pretty early in the morning to get one over on Liger who avoids the ballshot and hits his own ballshot! Kanemaru sells it like death. The NOAH young boys climb on the apron to protest! So Liger taunts them and palm strikes one to hell. Liger is the best. Minoru casually walks over and kicks Kanemaru in the balls in the Shattered Dreams position. Kikuchi is a great hot tag. He personifies house afire here! Tackling everything in sight. Then this is the payoff to end all payoffs: Kanemaru drop toeholds Liger in such a way that he headbutts Minoru in the nuts. That could be the single best spot in the history of wrestling. Kanemaru definitely has a set as he goes after Liger’s mask ripping it open and going after Liger’s eyes. The intensity was off the charts great. I thought the finish run did not match the intensity and creativity of the beginning. Instead they trade suplexes and submissions. The first 3/4s of this match are on the level of the Midnight/RNRs in the way they are able to weave drama and comedy so effectively in this match. The testicular psychology is something that cant help but put a massive smile on your face, but at the same time be so gripping and dramatic. It is a shame the finish did not match the uniqueness of the beginning of the match.
#8. Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama – 12/23/00
NOAH Match of the Year, 2000
Focus, focus, focus. In the year 2000, Akiyama has victories
over the two biggest stars in Puroresu, Misawa and Kobashi. Can he finish the
job and beat Kobashi again? The key to those victories is focus. You take what
is given to you and don’t let up. From there, Akiyama has to weather this
inevitable comeback and then unleash a barrage of Exploders to win. There are two things working against Akiyama
in this match: Kobashi is pissed he got choked out in the last match so he
starts red hot and Akiyama’s pride at the end of match. In the previous
matches, Misawa’s elbow and Kobashi’s lariats were rendered powerless by
Akiyama’s tenacious work. Here, Kobashi has tremendous fighting spirit working
through the arm injury and that is Akiyama’s demise is that Kobashi won’t be
denied.
I love how Kobashi is raging mad at the beginning and
Akiyama tries retreating and standing tall to no avail. Kobashi is a man
possessed. There is so much great
selling from Akiyama as Kobashi is working on the neck. They actually make a
headlock credible finish based on the tenacity of Kobashi and the selling of
Akiyama. It is the dropkicks to the knee that afford Akiyama the opportunity to
go after Kobashi’s arm to take away Kobashi’s lethal lariat and bruising chops.
The arm work by Akiyama is textbook execution and Kobashi’s selling is amazing.
Kobashi needs a knock out blow to turn this match around. He fights through the
pain and musters up a half-nelson suplex. This is not something Akiyama had to
come back from the previous matches. Yes Misawa & Kobashi hit hard, but
this is the first time he was really rocked and knocked out. However, Kobashi’s
arm is still messed up and not allowing him to fully capitalize. Kobashi goes
for a move that does not use the arm, but Akiyama turns that into a powerbomb
and now the playing field is levelled. Akiyama nails an Exploder on the
concrete and Kobashi is out. This is where Akiyama’s pride gets the best of
him. He should have collected his countout win, but he stops the ref’s count
and wants the pinfall. This would efface all doubts and Akiyama would take his
rightful place in the sun. It is too late now, Akiyama can hit all the
Exploders he wants, but Kobashi has recovered and he won’t go down. Kobashi is
exhausted collapsing on the mat but you can feel that Kobashi comeback. Lariats
and then you know where this must end: Burning Hammer! I do think there were gratuitous
suplexes and I thought the finish was a little overdone. Kobashi coming back
from the Exploder on the concrete was a little much even for me who loves the
crazy big style of NOAH and Kobashi. This
is a very NOAH match, a 35+ minute epic with a ton of major momentum shifts and
big false finishes. It takes a you on a wild ride and it is fitting blowoff
match for this heated feud.
#7. GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue – 9/10/04
Taue! Taue! Taue! It is amazing how emotional Japanese
wrestling can be. Akira Taue had become so beloved at this point that the crowd
was cheering him on even as he was dominating Kobashi. It is customary in Japan
to cheer for who ever is getting beaten up to raise their spirits. Of course,
Kobashi is a very popular wrestler and an all-time great babyface, but that is
how much this crowd wanted ‘ol Taue to win his one last shot at glory so they
thought (Taue would win the championship in late 2005 to raucous pop). In my
opinion, the Kobashi title reign had climaxed with Akiyama in the Tokyo Dome in
regards to booking, but not in regards to great matches because this match is a
blast. I would describe Kobashi’s title reign as having a long falling action
before its final resolution in a loss to rookie bust, Takeshi Rikio.
Remember how Kobashi kicked Honda’s ass at the beginning of
that title defense, well Taue don’t play that. Taue just boots off the apron
and Taue dives on top of him through the ropes. It is off to the races and Taue
came to kick ass. I love Taue because he is awkward and ungraceful. So when he
dives to the outside it is just a total raw mess. Kobashi goes for the old chop his opponent’s
chest so that it looks like purple ground beef, quite nasty. For his part, Taue
targets the injured knees of Kobashi. The beginning of Taue’s finish run is a
wicked Nodowa on the ramp. This leads to a huge Taue bombfest that whips the
crowd into a frenzy. It is not actually the Nodowas and the Dynamic Bomb that
make me buy into all this. It is the missed moonsault by Kobashi that has me
hook, line and sinker. Can Taue do it? Can he pull it off? The Taue-rana out of
a powerbomb got a massive pop and I popped too. I felt bad for Taue and his
fans after that nearfall. Kobashi lariat signals the death knell and the crowd
is silenced. It all leads to the mutha of all finishes the Wrist-Clutch Burning
Hammer! To me this is the great emotional story of the old gunslinger that has
always been the fourth man on the totem pole trying to defeat The Man with full
crowd support behind me. Taue leaves it all in the ring, flying through the
ropes, attacking the knees and then chokeslamming Kobashi from eight million
different angles. Kobashi is the man at making you believe the Impossible Dream
can come true. Kobashi and the crowds were fatigued as the sun was setting on
this historic title reign.
We continue the NOAH countdown and the question on everyone's mind is will it be Kobashi vs Misawa or Kobashi vs Takayam that finishes number one?
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