Pro Wrestling Love vol. 64 - Best of Puroresu 2010-2014 (Hiroshi Tanhashi, Kazuchika Okada, Kenta Kobashi, Jun Akiyama)

 Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 64:

The Best of Puroresu 2010-2014

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at http://gweproject.freeforums.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.

Subject: This sixty-third volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the beginning of the Top 12 countdown of the best pro wrestling matches to take place in Japan between 2010-2014. I covered 2005-2009 in an earlier edition of Pro Wrestling Love. I decided to do the next five year chunk. Originally, I was thinking of covering New Japan from 2012-2016 separately as that covers the rise of Kazuchika Okada, BUT the Puroresu scene from 2010-2011 does not really have much meat on the bone to warrant its own coverage so we will look at Puroresu as a whole from 2010-2014. The last two years are very New Japan heavy as their resurgence was completed with the New Three Musketeers: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura leading the charge and also the gaijin-faction The Bullet Club renewing Western interest in the product. 2010-2011 saw FUTEN (Daisuke Ikeda's Shoot-Style Promotion) and Dick Togo's run in DDT holding down the fort while New Japan was recharging. After reigning supreme in terms of match quality in the first decade of the 21st Century, NOAH spiraled out of control due to the tragic death of Mitsuharu Misawa and the retirement of top star, Kenta Kobashi. By 2011, Jun Akiyama was the All Japan Triple Crown champion and in 2012 he officially defected with many of NOAH's top stars to All Japan. NOAH was left with KENTA as the only viable main event star. All Japan with the signings of Akiyama & Co, Masakatsu Funaki and the rise of SUWAMA & Kento Miyahara had a mini-resurgence of their own in the front half of the 2010s garnering some buzz for their matches for the first time in a decade. All Japan was still dwarfed in regards to ticket sales and critical acclaim compared to New Japan Pro Wrestling, but they offered refreshing alternative.  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.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Honorable Mentions

Takahiro Oba & Takeshi Ono vs Kengo Mashimo & Manabu Suraga - FUTEN 5/30/10

Daisuke Ikeda vs Takeshi Ono - FUTEN 9/26/10

Daisuke Ikeda & Takahiro Oba vs Makoto Hashi & Kengo Mashimo - FUTEN 10/24/10

Even though, I felt that the 2010 FUTEN matches fell more in the very good camp than the classic camp, I wanted to include them because they are considered the best of 2010 by many and they are so unique as this the last gasp of shoot-style to the best of my knowledge. For me 2008 BattlArts was a better shoot-style revival promotion. The best of these is the sub-5 minute spring between Ikeda & Ono.

Osaka Pro Wrestling Champion Dick Togo vs Billy Ken Kid - Osaka Pro 2/11/10

Dick Togo vs Hikaru Sato - DDT 11/28/10

Similar to FUTEN, Dick Togo was a star of the Puroresu scene in 2010-2011 in part because the more mainstream outlets were starting to fail (NOAH) or had not fully recovered (NJPW). Again, I found these matches to be very good than classic, but THE Dick Togo match of this era does make my countdown.

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Jun Akiyama vs Keiji Mutoh - AJPW 3/20/12

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Jun Akiyama vs Masakatsu Funaki - AJPW 8/26/12

All Japan Triple Crown Champion Masakatsu Funaki vs SUWAMA - AJPW 9/23/12

Go Shiozaki vs Suwama - AJPW 9/15/14 Royal Road Tournament

Jun Akiyama vs Kento Miyahara - AJPW 9/15/14

Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori vs. Go Shiozaki & Kento Miyahara - AJPW 12/6/14

For some reason, I cannot explain I have a soft spot for 21st Century All Japan. Once Jun Akiyama, the Prodigal Son returned home, they experienced a resurgence. By 2014, they were again making noise in hardcore fan circles and garnering votes in Match of the Year polls. The best of these was the tag team match between the 90s veterans of Akiyama & Omori vs Shiozaki & Miyahara. In addition, I highly recommend the 5 minute championship sprint between Akiyama and Funaki. 

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW Feb 2012

IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW Dominion 2012

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada - Wrestle Kingdom VII

Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW G-1 Climax 2013

It is the Tanahashi vs Okada series, need I say more. My only tip is watch the Tombstone Piledriver. Every wrestling fan needs to see this series. 

Kensuke Sasaki vs Jun Akiyama - NOAH 4/10/10

GHC Heavyweight Champion Takahashi Sugiura vs Yoshihiro Takayama - NOAH 7/10/2010

Kensuke Sasaki vs Go Shiozaki NOAH 7/10/10

GHC Heavyweight Champion Takashi Sugiura vs Kensuke Sasaki - NOAH 11/14/11

Kenta Kobashi, Jun Akiyama, Keiji Mutoh & Kensuke Sasaki vs KENTA, Go Shiozaki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Maybach Taniguchi - NOAH 5/11/13

GHC Heavyweight Champion KENTA vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - NOAH 10/5/13

NOAH may have been dying a death, but it still had some great matches. The veterans, Kensuke Sasaki, Akiyama & Takayama were still heavily involved in the early part of the decade to draw. Sasaki vs Akiyama is a major pairing that no one every talks about as a dream match but it did happen once in 2010 and is worth a watch. KENTA's second best title defense was against one of my favorites, Nakajima and I thought this was better than their 2009 series. Finally, a match that every Puroresu fan should watch, Kenta Kobashi's retirement, if you dont tear up then you dont have a soul, brutha. 

Koji Kanemoto vs Fujita Jr Hayato - NJPW 5/26/11

Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenou vs Fujita Jr Hayato - Michinoku Pro 6/3/12

Great Sasuke & Jinsei Shinzaki vs Fujita Jr Hayato & Kenou - Michinoku Pro 11/4/13

Gotta put my boy, Fujita Jr Hayato. It pains me I couldnt find room for any of these in my Top 12, but Hayato had a strong start to the beginning of the 2010s. What ended up happening to him?

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Satoshi Kojima - NJPW 8/15/10

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Toru Yano - NJPW G-1 Climax 8/3/2011

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Minoru Suzuki - NJPW G-1 Climax 8/14/11

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito - NJPW 3/4/12

Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 2013

NEVER Champion Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma - NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 5/3/14

AJ Styles vs Tetsuya Naito - G-1 Climax 2014

Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomoaki Honma - G-1 Climax 2014 Day 8

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura - NJPW G-1 Climax Finals 8/10/14

In the pre-Okada era, Tanahashi managed to have a great classic match with Kojima and a very fun face/heel match with Yano (which is unique in Puroresu). My last cuts were Shibata vs Ishii and Shibata vs Honma. I really liked Ishii and Honma a lot in this era and bums me out that I couldnt find them a spot, but hey it was a loaded field. Definitely check out some Ishii and Honma from this era. 

Top 12 Best Puroresu Matches 2010-2014

#12. Kenta Kobashi/Jun Akiyama vs Kensuke Sasaki & Mitsuhiro Kitamiya 

Diamond Ring 2/11/12

Perhaps the ultimate veteran/young lion vs two grumpy dicks tag match, which is among my favorite genres of pro wrestling matches. The only thing that drags it down just a bit is that Kobashi is just not a very good jerk in this match. He is just too much of a good guy. He never transitioned into that Tenryu role. On top of not being that grumpy, he clearly quite debilitated by the years of injuries and illness. Kobashi is among my favorite wrestlers so it is always nice to watch him wrestle especially in a match I have never seen before. Good thing, Akiyama wrestles for two and gives one of the most inspired grump old timer performances of all time. Kitamiya who I have never heard of meets him in one of the best fiery young lion performances of all time as he dies for our pleasure. Sasaki is a solid hot tag veteran presence for Kitamiya, but the story of the match is the Akiyama vs Kitamiya. 

Akiyama SCHOOLS Kitamiya early on. Blocking every takedown attempt with ease and transitioning into any hold he wants. It is total command and a beautiful wrestling lesson. Playful slaps from Akiyama have me smiling. Kitamiya gets more and more frustrated as he is being humiliated in the middle of the ring. He gets a bloody nose and is charging Akiyama with all he has got for a double leg takedown and Akiyama stands there like a stonewall. Kitamiya gives up on wrestling and fires off some elbows. Akiyama is like "Oh no, you didn't, bitch." and just blasts him. He throws Kitamiya's carcass to Sasaki. One of the all time great opening segments to a wrestling match ever.

Kobashi/Sasaki have their obligatory chopfest.

Sasaki forces Kobashi into his corner and Kitamiya tags himself in. Sasaki looks confused, but shrugs and says go ahead, young buck. Kitamiya unloads on Kobashi with big elbows and Kobashi just throws one high chop to the throat to stymie him, which is a Tenryu dick thing to do I will admit. Tags in Akiyama. Oh boy! He throws Kitamiya to the outside. Kitamiya runs back in and dropkicks Akiyama off the apron. Hey, maybe he can do some damage! We get some Sasaki & Akiyama and Sasaki actually hits a delayed vertical, but Kitamiya wants in and Sasaki reluctantly lets him tag in. Kitamiya reigns down the elbows and Akiyama just slaps the taste out of his mouth. He drops knees into the young lion's face watching him writhe in pain. Kobashi comes in and chop and facelock. Kobashi throws him to the outside and Akiyama just no sells everything and then overhand slaps him in the bloody nose!!! I LOVE PRO WRESTLING! He throws him into the barricade. Kitamiya tries firing up, but Akiyama just slaps him down. You gotta give the kid credit; he doesn't give up. Kobashi chop and now ab stretch. Akiyama gets a deep Boston Crab. Sasaki is really fun on the apron. KItamiya gets a running forearm to tag out to Sasaki.

Sasaki is an awesome house of fire!!! Tons of energy, chops, lariats and a big powerslam to that dick Akiyama. You really want to see Akiyama's ass handed to him and Sasaki does that. It is just like pick on someone your own size and then Sasaki comes in and brutalizes the bully. Great wrestling psychology. You can feel the urgency too. If he does not win now, then he knows there is no shot. Sasaki gets his famous armbar, but Kobashi comes in chops him hard. Akiyama is able to recover to hit a knee from the middle rope, which enough to tag out to Kobashi. Kobashi gets caught in lariat sandwich, but kicks out. Kitamiya wants in and Sasaki is spent. He makes the difficult decision to tag out. 

Kobashi side steps Kitamiya's dropkick. Sasaki bulldozes Kobashi and Akiyama comes flying in with a high knee. SPEAR TO AKIYAMA! KITAMIYA'S REVENGE!!! HE DUMPS KOBASHI ON HIS BACK! THE KID GOES WILD! He gets cocky and tries a BURNING LARIAT~! Kobashi no sells! Awesome! Spinning back chop and Akiyama comes in to hit a sliding knee to get two. KOBASHI BURNING LARIAT~! Finishes him off.

Awesome performances by Akiyama and Kitamiya. Opening segment is incredible. Akiyama is such a douche in this. Kitamiya gives the ultimate "I think I can, I think I can..." performance. I love Kitamiya's explosion at the end only succumb to Kobashi's Burning Lariat! Second best match of Japan in 2012 and a stone cold classic.

#11. Katsuyori Shibata vs Hirooki Goto - NJPW Dominion 2013

Big, dumb, hyper-masculine, testosterone-addled fun! So often spotfests seem so dainty and like a gymnastic exhibition. THIS IS A MAN'S SPOTFEST! They beat the living shit out of each other. I love Shibata. Hell, Goto was awesome in this too. Goto set the tone right out of the gate with a monster lariat as they charged each other. I loved the way Shibata stepped through that roundhouse kick. That was the most intense figure-4 ever when Goto slapped the shit out of Shibata and Shibata yelled at him. I don't care they dropped each on their head three times and each time popped up to deliver another head drop because THEY ARE MEN! That Shibata headbutt was ferocious. They rifled each other with kicks, slaps and forearms. The finish was actually really well-built. Goto basically slammed Shibata face first down on the mat, which was his big nearfall. Shibata used a desperation sleeper to get himself back in it and then with kicks and a couple Death Valley Drivers was able to use the Sleeper effectively enough to set up the Penalty Kick!

Stiffness marks rejoice and revel in this manliness! Awesome!

#10. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW 10/14/13

The series is at 2-2-1, but with Okada as champion going into the match and being 1-0-1 in the last two you can tell Tanahashi was feeling the pressure. He starts off more conservative with a headlock base. Then he even feigns a knee injury. He really milks it and even I think it is going to lead to an Okada heat segment so he had all fooled. He was prancing around doing air guitar to a big pop in the crowd and with me. He goes after the arm, but misses the somersault splash. Okada works the neck with the usual offense, the key highlights being the dropkick to the floor and the Hangmans DDT from railing. The match picks up when Tanahashi press slams him from the top. So if Tanahashi ever wrestles Flair people cant say Flair forced him to do that spot. :) 

Tanahashi needs a strike exchange, missed dropkick before he can take over with arm work. This is some vicious arm work. You can really feel the desperation in Tanahashi that he needs to win this match as he brutally attacks the arm. The transition out is pretty lame with Okada hitting his two weird suplexes that he always hits. Okada sells the arm on the Rainmaker pose. Tanahashi gets a neato pinning combination to avoid the Rainmaker. RAINMAKER~! Woah! That was early. Okada arm hurts too much ala Invasion Attack. The submission move he uses is called Red Ink, but he tries that, but cant hold due to the bad arm. Tanahashi should stick with the arm strategy in future matches. Tanahashi hits a wicked Dragon Suplex and then Sling Blade. High Fly Flow to a standing Okada, but Okada rolls to the outside, but there is no escaping Tanahashi as he hits one on the outside. I think that's the best use of the High Fly Flow to the outside I have seen. Okada nails a Tombstone on outside! BALL GAME! They really milk this spot. They really do protect the Tombstone. It comes down to Tanahashi trying to use his arm work to save the match with Okada trying to nail a Rainmaker and both of them are pretty much out of it from all the punishment. If the tombstone is not enough, Okada hits two picture perfect dropkicks, which should be enough. RAINMAKER~! Wait that was a Tanahashi Rainmaker! He gets a nearfall, here comes the High Fly Flows, but Okada got his knees up. TOMBSTONE~! BALL GAME~! RAINMAKER~!

This is the inferior version of the Invasion Attack match. It is a better template than they were using before, but the problem here was it was lacking the transitions of Invasion Attack and the drama. Instead they substituted bomb throwing. Here it felt my turn, your turn. Invasion Attack Okada's control was tenuous due to a bad wing, but Tanahashi could never really overcome the hole he was put in by the DDT on the apron and then subsequent headrops. Here, it was Tanahashi worked the arm really well and Okada sold, but then lets do bomb throwing. It sounds like I am being harsh, but I do think this is their second best match together because it is just plain more exciting than the previous ones and did think selling was great. I thought selling down the stretch was awesome. 

#9. GHC Heavyweight Champion KENTA vs Takahashi Sugiura - NOAH 5/12/13

Now this is more my style. Sugiura's pint-sized Stan Hansen act is great. These are two asskickers to the max. I liked that they keep the fighting spirit bullshit to a minimum and they just there to dish out pain. Sugiura is the first one to establish control with a side headlock. So simple, so effective and they show you can do a lot with it. Sugiura is a tenacious pitbull holding onto it. Once KENTA gets free, they just start rifling each other with kicks. KENTA's were brutal. Sugiura DROPPED him where he was standing with one of the most vicious slaps I have ever seen. The women in the front row eyes popped for that. Sugiura's front facelock is the stuff that would make a 1992 All Japan announcer cream his pants. :P  

KENTA struggles to the floor but Sugiura hits a neckbreaker off the apron and a brainbuster in the ring. He is rocking it. I didnt love KENTA's first comeback. He hit a dainty forearm and then a flying clothesline (the flying clothesline rarely ever looks good) and went into the STF. I was happy Sugura re-asserted dominance with a kneelift. Then it became all about the abdomen. Hanging him out to the dry on the top rope, SPEAR, front suplex. He was crushing it. He even did Big E's spear through the ropes to the floor which is insane. Sugiura is feeling it tonight. They brawl on the outside. KENTA saves himself by winning a suplex struggle and suplexing him in the crowd. Double Stomp from the riser to the floor. Then in a spot that popped me huge a Double Stomp from the top rope INTO THE CROWD! That was wicked! Sugiura milks the countout tease. This match is rocking. 

KENTA is flying a million miles per hour kicking Sugiura ass all over the place. Big dropkicks and kicks abound. Too early for Go 2 Sleep settles for STF. Scary lack of heat for the submission. He nails a Tiger Suplex out of this. Sugiura hits a Frankensteiner from out of nowhere which I totally loved as a sudden transition. Then he goes for an anklelock. It all rushes back to me I knew there was something I didnt like about Sugiura, he wrestles like Angle down the stretch a ton of anklelocks and Olympic Slams. It breaks down into a fucking stiffest. This was glorious. They were slapping the shit out of each other. Both of them were giving as good as they got but as KENTA dove for a takedown Sugiura rocked his shit with an uppercut knee. Wow! In the corner at one point, Sugiura was just cracking with slaps and then a barrage of vicious elbows. KENTA is dead. He is fucking dead. Wow! That was amazing. Olympic Slam and nothing doing. You see they went too far now. They killed the babyface and now his comeback is incredulous. Sugiura starts smacking him around and KENTA just wakes up and tries to submit him. Ugh.

They are slapping each other. Fatigue and pain has set in. This is so badass. They start roaring against each other. Through the onslaught, KENTA fights through and hits GO 2 SLEEP! 1-2-NO! Sugiura comes up swinging. This time is CLOSED FISTS! He is throwing lefts and rights and holy shit! KENTA FIRES BACK WITH HIS OWN FISTS OF FURY! Forget what I said. THESE MEN WERE BORN TO BE ALIVE! HOLY SHIT THAT WAS JERRY LAWLER LEVEL EPIC! GO 2 SLEEP ON EXPOSED KNEE! 1-2-NO! What the fuck that should have been the finish. KENTA pummels Sugiura into submissions with wicked slaps it is brutal. Go 2 Sleep! Academic!

It has its flaws but fuck this was a WAR~! KENTA earned his man stripes tonight as he went toe to toe with one of the toughest asskickers of all time. Took a lickin and he kept on tickin and he beat Sugiura at his own game standing and banging. Awesome asskicker of a match, the closed fist sequence is an all-timer! 

#8. AJPW Triple Crown Champion SUWAMA vs Jun Akiyama - AJPW 10/23/11

The Prodigal Son Returns! Still announced from NOAH, this would be the beginning of Akiyama's full-time return and ultimate rise to power unseating Keiji "Pro Wrestling Love" Mutoh. I consider myself a Suwama fan. He feels like a raw bone power house that belongs in Mid-South. He is a hoss. I think it is easy to underestimate him in this match but this is far from a carryjob as he brings it as much as Akiyama in the best match of his career and what could prove to be the best non-New Japan match of the front of half of this decade. 

The story of the match is of course Akiyama, the Fifth Pillar, returning home and even though he is not the champion he is the favorite, I think Suwama is different than any opponent he has faced. Kobashi is strong as an ox, but Suwama is so one-dimensional and it is all about power with him. There are times when I don't think Akiyama is prepared for every counter to be a power move. On top of that Suwama has youth on his side and he is in his prime at this point. He has been a main eventer for at least three years now and is not afraid of the spotlight and it shows. He does not prove himself to Akiyama. He is equal from the beginning and that's what the test of strength shows. Akiyama gets a drop toehold on the outside into the railing shades of the Misawa 2000 classic to open up a lead on Suwama's neck. Suwama is great at selling this and what I love about Akiyama is even though we are 5 minutes into a 30 minute match none of his covers feel perfunctory. You feel that as he is attacking the neck that he could get a fall this early because of his urgency. As he tries to create some speed to strike Suwama's neck he leaves himself open to his power counter a big time overhead belly to belly that rocks him and sends him to the floor. That's when the match shifts into next gear. Suwama throws Akiyama around at will outside focusing on the back. Akiyama does a magnificent job selling the back. Suwama is destroying it with slams and a Boston Crab. Akiyama cant run the ropes, cant counter Suwama his back is in a bad way. There is a great spot where Akiyama gets a knee and tries to get up top so he can get some momentum to turn the tide, but his back is so bad that he cant capitalize and Suwama hits a big time superplex. It all comes to a head on the apron. If Akiyama cant come up with something here then his return will be a disappointment. He manages to hit an Exploder off the apron and salvage the match. Suwama is in a lot of pain. Akiyama slowly works himself back up using his patented Akiyama offense knees, elbow to the back of the neck, Exploder and the Guillotine Choke. Suwama strength and energy sapped. Akiyama looks to go airborne, but Suwama swats him out of the sky with a monster lariat. Now Suwama returns on offense and it is big time suplexes that's in order for Akiyama, but Suwama is clearly hurt from the Exploder and Choke. They do a big suplex barrage, which I don't care for, but it is obligatory in the style to sort of the level the playing field. Suwama hits a HUGE dropkick to send Akiyama to floor and then hurls his body through the ropes out on the floor onto Akiyama. This would be the biggest win of Suwama's career and he is pulling out all the stops. Akiyama back in the ring looks like he can barley stand or run the ropes. Suwama needs that powerbomb for the win. Akiyama struggles and struggles to avoid it locking on a choke, but Suwama does what Suwama does best he powers out with a back drop. That's difference between Suwama and his other opponents the reliance on power to solve his problems. It is barrage of suplexes, German and Backdrop Driver. Akiyama is putting up token resistance, but Suwama is irresistible even throwing out a frogsplash. Suwama calls for it and nails a MASSIVE POWERBOMB! Only gets two! Honestly, I was rooting for him. I knew right there it was over for him. Even though he kicked Akiyama's ass if he was not going to put him away there he was not going to do it.

Yep, just as he went for the back drop driver here comes Akiyama's resistance and he shifts his weight. As they struggle with strikes Akiyama hits a lucky knee that connects with Suwama's head and knocks him out. Great glassy eyed sell from Suwama. The selling has been off the charts great in this match. Akiyama hits a barrage of knees and the crowd comes alive. Exploder->1 count yep Suwama is dead in the water. Exploders and Wrist-Clutch Exploder only gets two!??!!? Oh cmon! New crazy Michinoku Driver wins the match for Jun Akiyama.

Guess what this would be Jun Akiyama's FIRST Triple Crown Championship. I had sneaky suspicion he never won pre-split and so this makes it extra special. Definitely way too much excess down the stretch. Suwama murdered Akiyama and could not get the job done annoys me because it makes Suwama look like a choke. The lucky knee was a great transition. Then again way too many knees and Exploders. Enough complaining, this fucking ruled. Great, great selling by both men. Loved the control segments. Suwama's power game was great. Akiyama's offense was brilliant. The transitions were incredible and so well-timed and made so much sense. Like I said may be the best non-New Japan match of this front half of the 2010s in Japan. Not talked about enough! Watch this match! 

#7. AJPW Triple Crown Champion SUWAMA vs Masakatsu Funaki - AJPW 10/24/10

Puroresu Match of the Year, 2010

FINALLY! This was uploaded in all its reigning glory I have probably been on the lookout for this for 5-6 year. This was even better than I expected. Table throws, furious strike exchanges and BLOOD~! Curious though we only get 21 minutes of a 29 minute match a little less than 75%. It feels complete so I am going to rate, but I wish we had it in its entirety. 

SUWAMA maybe the most underrated wrestler ever because he has been stuck in 21st Century All Japan his whole career, but the dude is a beast and if you like power wrestler like me you ought to check him out. Funaki is a shoot-style beast and together have a crazy sexy beast match that is probably my worldwide 2010 match of the year. In the buildup to this match Funaki was Knocking Fools Out with his kicks to the head including SUWAMA. That's how you build up a challenger. 

Pretty much an excellent shooter vs pro wrestler match. Funaki is better at strikes (kicks and open hand slaps) & submissions. SUWAMA has raw bone power and relentless heart. SUWAMA rocks the double hand chops, meaty lariats and brutal throws. Offensively, this is a dream match. 

Funaki catches him with a kick to the head that more spooks SUWAWA than anything else as he powders. This plays off Funaki's lethal kicks and his KO power. It plants that seed this match can be over at any second and SUWAMA needs to be cautious. The thing that is not SUWAMA's game plan. He is never cautious. He is always moving forward and is a bull, just lowers his head and runs into the fray. 

They do some great wrestling. I love how Funaki quashes SUWAMA's fireman's carry attempt and they both grapple really well. Upon standup, Funaki starts lighting SUWAMA up with kicks but just one might Double Chop fells Funaki. They do a great job establishing Funaki's technical advantage, but SUWAMA's strength is the great equalizer. On the outside Funaki again laces into him with kicks and SUWAMA just HURLS THE TABLE AT HIM! YES!

SUWAMA has the high ground back in the ring and scores with the Double Chop sending Funaki flying. SUWAMA sticks his leg through the ropes and Funaki gabs a kneebar. Funaki's other main weapon besides Knocking People The Fuck OUT is his heel hook. Funaki just settles into a rhythm of kicks and I could watch him kick forever. I love SUWAMA he is always moving forward and he is always trying to get back on offense. He is selling, but he keeps struggling and keeps fighting. Hell Yeah! Funaki is maneuvering into submissions like the heel hook and cross armbreaker, but SUWAMA is using his guts and power to fight out.  He starts catching those kicks and thats when he starts throwing Funaki around. At first those throws just get Funaki off balance, but eventually they will make in roads. Suplexes allow for resets they dont always cause damage. It breaks Funaki's rhythm but he gets back up. The first one that does real damage is the slam on the Triangle Choke pickup. It is all power with SUWAMA hurling his body with a shouldertackle off the apron and huge Mack Truck Lariats. Funaki for his part just starts throwing hands with reckless abandon. Funaki's hands were flying and a lesser man would be knocked out. These were stiff, brutal shots to the head. At one point in the corner I thought he fucking KO'd SUWAMA with an illegal closed fist. SUWAMA comes up with BLOOD! Holy shit! Funaki just comes flying in with a flying knee to the head. This is so fucking awesome! 

SUWAMA is out on his feet. He has nothing behind anything and Funaki is picking him apart. Funaki goes for the Back Drop Driver, but SUWAMA reverses and DEMOLISHES HIM! MASSIVE DROPKICK! THE BEST DOUBLE UNDERHOOK SUPLEX YOU WILL EVER SEE! Funaki tries fighting back, flying knee in the corner, but SUWAMA catches and muscles him into the BIGGEST RUNNING LIGER BOMB EVER! THAT WAS AWESOME! SUWAMA BLASTS WITH A SPINNING LARIAT! THIS IS SICK! SUWAMA wants his Last Ride Powerbomb. Funaki has one last gasp HUGE STRIKES TO THE HEAD! How the hell is SUWAMA not out...Funaki is teeing off...DOUBLE KO KICK AND SUWAMA OBLITERATES HIM WITH A LARIAT! Two massive Takayama style Germans and a THUNDEROUS POWERBOMB FOR THE EMPHATIC VICTORY! 

From a purely offensive standpoint, this is why type of match. I love shoot-style for its strikes and submissions. I love pro wrestling for its power in terms of the lariat, suplexes, slams and powerbombs. This was a blend of everything I love in wrestling from an offensive standpoint. On top of that, I loved the layout. It was electric, big fight feel. Both guys never giving an inch. They both coming forward, tons of struggle and urgency. This was not two dudes playing ragdoll for the other. They coming in and trying to disrupt the other. That is what I love. There is some selling stuff and some transitions here and there that could have been improved on but fuck it this was BAD FUCKING ASS! Supercharged Big Ass Pro Wrestling!

Break The Rules: Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki (All Japan Pro Wrestling, 2014-2015)

Hey yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

One of the biggest disappointments in pop music for me this past year was Charli XCX's major solo single debut "Boom Clap". It was a solid pop song and I was entertained by it for the first couple listens. I think pairing with Fault in Our Stars for your first major American release was the smart business decision. However, at the end of the day, it did not sound unique. Charli has been a part of the writing and performing the hooks of two of the biggest songs of the past couple years, Iconapop's "I Love It" and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy". Two wildly different songs that are immediately recognizable and stand out from the pack. I eagerly anticipated Charli XCX's solo efforts and try as I might, Boom Clap fell short for me. As I was looking through some of her music videos recently, she is a total babe in case you were unaware, I found "Break The Rules", which I think was a perfect blend of snot-nosed punk and current electronic-based dance pop music. I hope that song gets a harder push in the current music scene as I think it could make a big splash with the huge anthemic chorus and because I am a pretty big Charli XCX fan.

My new future ex-wife

I am also a big Jun Akiyama fan. The last remaining Pillar of Heaven of the 90s All Japan scene has returned home to All Japan Pro Wrestling ousting Keiji Mutoh as president. Mutoh & Co. departed to form Wrestle-1 while Akiyama was left with an interesting hodgepodge of older All Japan talent (Akiyama & Omori), NOAH talent (Shiozaki), Mutoh-era AJPW (Suwama, Doering & Akebono) and Kensuke Office (Miyahara). All Japan of the 90s showed that you could run an effective promotion with 6-8 top wrestlers and while All Japan looks a bit thin they pack enough punch to put on quality matches.

It all begins and ends with Jun Akiyama, who is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever live Akiyama continues to add to his legacy by owning Jumbo Tsuruta/Mitusharu Misawa role of respect veteran legend that is going to beat respect into these punks. Akiyama is still more than capable of performing in this role as I think he was the God King of Offense in 2014. The Five Pillars of Heaven had crazy deep offensive arsenals. Even though offense is more critical than ever in America and Japan with "innovative" moves ruling the roost, no one comes close to the arsenal that Akiyama still possesses and  there is nothing "innovative" about it. It is about delivering maximum pain as his strategy dictates to win a match. It stands out even moreso without Misawa, Kobashi and Taue as opponents because it feels like he has too much offense. He is delivering such a beating to his opponent that when his opponent makes a comeback it is not credible, which was the problem with Omori especially. 

Takao Omori is one of the most pedestrian, lifeless puroresu stars of the 90s and 00s. His heralded 2000 classic against Kobashi in the Champion Carnival felt more like a Kobashi offensive exhibition. He just does not bring anything special to the table.  He was totally exposed in the Akiyama match with such mundane selling and comeback in what was the biggest match of his career. He is much better suited to be a bruiser in a tag team match like in the instant classic from December against Shiozaki & Miyahara where Akiyama and Miyahara can bring the personality.

Kento Miyahara is the great All Japan hope. If he can mature into a big star and they can put some pieces in place around him then All Japan has a shot at least competing for the number two promotion in Japan. I did not like the Akiyama/Miyahara match as much as some because it was a bit too back and forth, but Miyahara showed a ton of charisma and energy in the match that kept me engaged throughout the match. That finish is one of the best finishes of the year. Definitely check out the match! Then in a match where he is paired with the current ace of All Japan, Go Shiozaki, he totally stole the show by trying to prove himself to Akiyama sometimes to expense of winning the match. I love that attitude. The Akiyama/Miyahara story was compelling and I hope they continue to follow it up with more Akiyama & Miyahara tags ala Jumbo/Misawa in 1990-1992. 

Kento Miyahara: Next Big Thing?

Due to Miyahara's youth, the smart play is to use veteran and former GHC Champion, Go Shiozaki as the interim Ace. You can't deny Shiozaki's experience as a heavyweight champion of a major promotion, but I found him to very disinterested in the three matches I saw from the past year. He was totally hidden in the classic tag for the most part. In the Doering & Suwama matches, he looked like the second best wrestler by far. He reminds me of Nakamura circa 2008 just someone there to hit a few big moves and collect a paycheck. I hope he can add a some fire going forward as I am trying to keep up with All Japan this year.

His singles opponents, Suwama & Joe Doering, a couple powerhouses impressed me in their matches. Doering has a good bit of Stan Hansen of him and I have no problem with that. I liked how he was always moving forward in that Triple Crown match and he was very effective in selling Shiozaki's offense. He has a great cross-body and I definitely like him as a gaijin powerhouse on the roster. Suwama is someone that impressed me during Best of 2000s Japan project when he appeared. He is a stout powerhouse, but versatile enough to have interesting matches with people as different Tanahashi, Takayama and Shiozaki. In the Shiozaki, I really got to see him lead a match and I thought he did a fantastic job. His use of the sleeper as a way to sap energy of Shiozaki to set him up for bigger and bigger moves was a genius strategy and he was on top of his timing of cut offs and selling for Shiozaki.

Going forward, I think All Japan needs about two more pieces to flesh out its roster (*cough* Katsuhiko Nakajima *cough* *cough* Naoya Ogawa *cough*), but they are a great heavyweight alternative to New Japan and I look forward to dig back into their archives between 2010-2014 and look forward to watching their future work.

Match Lisitng:

Jun Akiyama vs Takao Omori - AJPW 6/15/2014 Vacant Triple Crown Championship ***1/2

Kawada/Kojima II. Cant believe Akiyama choked. Akiyama offense great. Omori <<< Kojima.

Jun Akiyama vs Kento Miyahara - AJPW 9/15/14 ****

Superb finish. Great veteran vs rookie match. Too many momentum shifts

Go Shiozaki vs Suwama - AJPW 9/15/14 Royal Road Tournament ****1/4

Best use of the sleeper. Suwama on point with cutoff and selling. Go Shiozaki needs to add emotion

Wild Burning (Akiyama & Omori) vs. Xceed (Shiozaki & Miyahara) -AJPW 12/6/14 ****1/2

Akiyama/Miyahara story rules all. Feels like Jumbo/Misawa of this generation. Exciting

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Joe Doering vs Go Shiozaki -  AJPW  01/03/15 ****

Doering's urgency engages while Shiozaki's disinterest hurts this. 

Akiyama may have lost his hair, but he has not lost a step in the ring

Jun Akiyama vs Takao Omori - AJPW 6/15/2014 Vacant Triple Crown Championship

Wow, this is like an exact copy of Kawada vs Kojima 2005 for the Triple Crown. You have the super worker kick the dogshit out of the generic create a puroresu  wrestler in really entertaining fashion only to choke in ridiculous fashion to a barrage of lariats. The only difference was that Kojima was actually over. In defense of this match, I think if you plug in a wrestler with more charisma than Omori this match would be a lot better. Omori is about the most bland wrestler I think I have ever seen. He does the bare minimum in almost every regard, but never really excels at any one thing and especially anything involving emotion. Nothing he did felt earned or like he was overcoming anything because he just started hitting moves. To give Kojima some credit, he does have charisma and there is an energy when he starts to make his comeback. Omori is just so flat. On the other hand, I thought Akiyama's asskicking of Omori was more entertaining than Kawada's asskicking. Akiyama just absolutely destroyed the arm. I love he would just take Omori down at will by the arm whenever he tried to fire up. Akiyama has so many weapons at his disposal strikes, submissions and my favorite throwing Omori's arm into steel objects. At one point, Akiyama hits a crazy cool combination of piledriver into a Boma Ye Knee so sick. Akiyama is grooving into his usual finish stretch (Boma Ye Knee, Guillotine Choke, Exploders)  and I am just like this is way too easy and alarm bells start going off. Akiyama is going to choke. Choke big time. Omori hits some weird lariats, which I am going to chock up to selling. Akiyama bursts out with an Exploder, a quick Boma Ye Knee and then another Exploder. Omori kicks out? Bullshit! Omori wins with a barrage of lariats, wow, that was lame. I have said this before matches like don't make Omori look resilient, it makes Akiyama looks like a choke for not being able to polish him off with all his big moves. Omori was perfectly fine at selling, but his comeback was pathetic. Akiyama crushed it offensively. This was probably the best offensive performance of the year in terms of limb psychology and the two EXPLOSIVE big move combinations.  Did I watch the wrong match? It is a good match and worth to match Akiyama be a boss, but this seems far away from match of the year to me. I am disappointed because I really want All Japan and Akiyama to be awesome. Here's hoping the rest is great. ***1/2

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Jun Akiyama vs Kento Miyahara - AJPW 9/15/14

In 2014, Akiyama was the God King of Offense. Usually, offense is one of the first things to go for the greats, but I would argue he actually almost has too much good offense that it has been working to the detriment of these matches until the unbelievably awesome finish. The problem with Akiyama dissecting opponents like Omori or Miyahara is that they don't have the cache of a Misawa or Kobashi that I believe in that comeback as much. Miyahara was way better at showing fire than Omori, which helped greatly. I loved the beginning the sense of urgency of both to pounce on each other's mistakes. Then it devolves into who will back down first in an elbow where neither gives an inch. Akiyama wins the battle and then slams Miyahara onto the parquet floor. I love Akiyama jawing with the ref while wrenching Miyahara's head around the railing. Akiyama has so many ways to hurt you and they were all on display as he kicked some Miyahara ass. Miyahara wins a suplex struggle and begins a comeback, but just does not have much in the tank. I have to say Akiyama seems to lost his ability to sell well. This is the guy who made Tenzan tolerable by selling, I would have liked to seen more of that selling here. Stuff like Akiyama walking over to hit a superplex just killed the spot for me. I don't mind more explosive type cutoffs like his Exploder off the apron. Then were selling issues with Miyahara who takes a huge knee to the chin and then armdrags out of an Exploder to hit a nice scissors kick, but before you know it Akiyama is back on offense. It is not like these cutoffs felt like they were fighting through something rather they were just false momentum shifts and they were used a couple times too many. I have decided against giving away the finish because the finish is what takes the match to the next level. What I will say it is the perfect credible ending to to how match had been built at that point. Akiyama rocked on offense per usual. Miyahara gave a pretty good young lion performance, he definitely has a lot of potential. I think what was missing was a more rousing comeback for Miyahara, who I think has it in him. There were too many momentum shifts for their own good. Still that finish takes this from a very good match to a great match. ****

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Go Shiozaki vs Suwama - AJPW 9/15/14 Royal Road Tournament

I really enjoyed Suwama in the two matches I watched for the Best of Japan in the 2000s and the trend continued here. Suwama understood Shiozaki's greatest asset to be his energy. He continually sapped that by effectively using the sleeper. This did not achieve the level of the famous sleepers match between Pegasus Kid and Black Tiger in 1996, but it was a perfect use of the sleeper. The sleeper/chinlock is best used to drain the energy of an explosive babyface and let a heel regain his wind. Too often it is misused and thus triggers people's attention to drift. Shiozaki is all about those chops, but Suwama is going to make sure there is nothing behind those chops after the sleeper. You see how Suwama modulates his selling. Suwama sells the chops at the beginning of the match, but after the sleeper he stands tall. Shiozaki did a great job selling the first sleeper as really knocking him out. He is great at peppering in the hope spots, but his selling leaves a lot to be desired. He just does not have enough emotion. As good as Shiozaki's chops look, Suwama's double chop is so sick and maybe my favorite move in wrestling now. Suwama was wrestling perfectly. He took his time and was cocky when it was time, but anytime Shizaki started to fire off, he would immediately snuff the fire out with  a double chop or a powerslam. Go finally mounts a bit of a comeback and is looking for a macho pissing contest so Suwama says fuck that and grabs him by the hair and applies a sleeper. Suwama is my hero. Suwama obliterates Shiozaki with a lariat and then a belly to belly suplex. With the match firmly back in his hand, Suwama looks to polish him off with his powerbomb. Shiozaki escapes and looks for refuge on the apron. Suwama comes flying across the ring with a HUGE dropkick and follows up with a suicide dive. Suwama returns to the sleeper to set up the powerbomb, but Misawa-rana. Man copying Misawa AND Kobashi, now that is just not fair! Suwama immediately clamps on a sleeper. I love Suwama's urgency. Suwama tries to gain the pin three times. Go busts out the classic collapse on a rope run and he really exaggerates his chops not having much. This is some really good shit here. Suwama is all over him, but looks to get a running start and Go roars out of the corner with a lariat. Ruh roh! Shiozaki hits a big lariat to send Suwama tumbling out and HUGE plancha by Go! Shiozaki goes all in on the lariat. Suwama is not going down without a fight, but he is on jelly legs. Suwama is selling like a boss. The double chop crushing a roaring burning lariat attempt was awesome! Eventually, Go hits a big time lariat to set up the Go Flasher & Limit Break for the win.

Suwama totally outclassed Shiozaki here carrying him to a great match and the second best AJPW match of the year. Suwama was wrestling at such a high level. He was using the sleeper to debilitate his opponent and set himself up for the powerbomb. He was cocky when it was time and snuffed out Go when appropriate. Go Shiozaki needs more emotion and his selling for the majority of the match left a lot to be desired. The finish run was typical late 2000s puroresu and was fine for what it was. Suwama is underrated and this is a great showcase for him. ****1/4

Suwama: Master of the Sleeper

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Wild Burning (Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori) vs. Xceed (Go Shiozaki & Kento Miyahara) 

AJPW 12/6/14

There have been strecthes in all these 2014 AJPW matches where they are wrestling at a ***** level and it feels like you are watching 90s AJPW again. The action is explosive, urgent, but also with a sense of purpose directed towards winning the match. The best example of this high-caliber of work is towards the beginning. Miyahara has out worked the bigger, older Omori exposing a midsection weakness. This was not enough for Miyahara who was became obsessed with getting his shots in on Akiyama on the apron. Of course, he paid for his negliglence in the form of a wicked big boot by Omori. Akiyama without missing a beat, seized Miyahara and flung him outside to whip him in the railing. He explosively DDTs him all over the floor. It was like nothing else you would see in modern wrestling landscape. Maybe Brock is that explosive, but that is the only thing that comes close. The problem is unlike 90s AJPW they can not maintain the caliber of wrestling throughout a match rather these are fleeting moments of excellence. These stretches elevate the matches from the usual late 00s NOAH fare. I would say the matches are more similart to early NOAH than anything else.

Back to the match, I am 100% sure now that Akiyama was the best offensive wrestler in the world last year. It is scary how deep his arsenal is, but without Misawa, Kobashi, and Taue it is going to waste. Akiyama blasts Miyahara with knees and hits a piledriver in short order. When he does not get the pin, he tags out with authority. I am sure Akiyama has a chip on his shoulder regarding Miyahara. Omori bouncing Miyahara head off the top of the steel post for the super back suplex was the best thing Omori has ever done. Miyahara is such a great young talent. I love how when he gets piledriven he is searching for the bottom rope because he knows he does not have the power to kick out. That is a wrestling acumen very few ever reach. As always, since 2000, a suplex struggle signals Miyahara hitting a hard-fought suplex to tag Shiozaki. I will give Akiyama-Miyahara their suple struggles look hard-fought and having seen a lot of perfunctory suplex struggles I am appreciative of it. Miyahara does the smart thing and tags in Shiozaki.

I like Shiozaki's hot tag. It is simple but effective. His chop is the great equalizer. It is the only thing Akiyama has consistently sold all year so it feels like a real weapon. He actually blasts through both Akiyama and Omori. I like Akiyama's desperation to stop the bleeding with one of his bombs but Shiozaki has too much spunk to go for that. Shiozaki is looking lariat but eats a knee and Akiyama clamps on a choke. That is good shit. Shiozaki looks to put his team firmly in position to win, but gets caught quickly. Shiozaki powers out. I like how they are putting over Go. Omori comes in and hits his generic offense and the heat dissapates quickly. Shiozaki chops Omori's lariat arm and tags out to Miyahara.

After the tag to Miyahara he trades some moves with Omori. One second Miyahara eats a superplex and the next he is kicking off someone's head with a scissors kick. Once Akiyama is in, he is looking for the win and the match kicks into the big finish stretch. I like Akiyama looking for the Exploder seeing Go coming so he lets go to cut him off, but it is too late and eats the lariat. Miyahara gets a flash triangle and his scissor kick/deadlift German combo as nearfalls. He goes for his kill finish the Butterfly Piledriver, but nothing doing and Omori BLASTS him with a wicked lariat. Omori is good for something. I liked the Boma Ye knee/Lariat combo to a sitting up opponent. Go saves. Akiyama runs through his usual offense of knees to the head and an Exploder head drop to polish off the young hotshot.

Easily my favorite of the touted 2014 All Japan match as this one combined a ton of action with the great Akiyama/Miyahara story. Omori dragged shit down a bit. I thought Go wrestled well in the beginning and was a decent hot tag. I liked how they treated his chop and his interactions with Akiyama were good. Still, Akiyama/Miyahara made this match special. If they could just replace Omori with the recently retired Sasaki or someone like that, this match would have a real shot at match of the year. As is, it stands as the one All Japan match that can hang with the best of New Japan. ****1/2

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AJPW Triple Crown Champion Joe Doering vs Go Shiozaki -  AJPW  01/03/15

Hansen vs Kobashi 2014?

Hey if you are going to imitate, then imitate the best and there ain't much better than Hansen/Kobashi. Shiozaki is not nearly as histrionic as Kobashi and Doering is not as wild as Hansen, but together they still put together a great match. Unusual for a puroresu match, the eventual winner actually takes most of the offense in this one, but it still feels like Doering was a big mountain to climb. Early on, Go just could not get anything going with his vicious chops. Doering would just steamroll him with shoulder tackles and overwhelm him with power. Go got pissed off after one too many shoulder tackle and took it to Doering with some rapid fire chops. A thrust kick to the head finally stuns the big man. The one thing Doering really captured from Stan was always moving forward. Even when wounded, he was still coming at Shiozaki and you always felt like Go was in trouble. Three DDTs were not enough to keep the champion down because he just kept coming. Finally, Shiozaki threw a lariat so fierce that Doering just collapsed. It was one of the best sell jobs of the short year of 2015 so far with him just hanging out on the middle rope only to topple over. Doering tries to regroup with tag partner, Suwama, but is obviously discombobulated. Shiozaki lets him back in the ring, what a gentleman, only to dump him back over with a lariat and hitting a monster plancha over the top rope. I don't like the Frankensteiner at all during a comeback sequence. As a transition fine, but in the middle of the sequence, it just does not make sense. First Go Flasher only gets two and when he goes for Limit Break (put away Suwama back in September), Doering pushes off and hits a spinebuster to level the playing field. Doering gives Bray Wyatt a run for his money in the best cross body department. He hit two vicious ones. Shiozaki teases the Burning Hammer, which gets the announcers, the crowd and me excited, but he just hits a normal slam. Lame. Doering collapses on his own powerbomb and things do not look good for the champion. Go Shiozaki pays tribute to Kobashi with spinning back chops and a Burning Lariat to win the match and his first Triple Crown Championship.

There were way too many strike exchanges in this one for me. I thought Doering outworked Shiozaki, but Shiozaki had looked like the lesser of the workers in all his matches of the past year. Doering sold the wounded animal lashing out really well and you really believed that one of his big bombs could take out Go. Go was able to persevere, keep him at bay, until he could crush him with a Burning Lariat. Go is just bereft of emotion and the needless strike exchanges keep this from being a true classic, but Doering is awesome and this is a great match. ****

Fight To Survive: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toshiaki Kawada, Yoshihiro Takayama, Katsuhiko Nakajima (All Japan 2005-2009)

Hey yo Stud Muffins and Foxy Ladies,


Jim Harbaugh sure has his work cut out for him next season. Ain't going to be a walk in the rose garden.

Yinling the Erotic Terrorist pins DANGEROUS K~!

The same used to hold true for the ultra-hard-hitting All Japan Pro Wrestling of the 90s. After the Split, All Japan was able to survive on the backs of three of the greatest legends in puroresu: Toshiaki Kawada, Genichiro Tenryu and Keiji Mutoh. This model was not sustainable and new stars would need to be promoted. The style redefined. Keiji Mutoh emerged as the President of All Japan and defining his brand as Pro Wrestling Love, which I think is positively awesome and so Inoki at the same time. Pro Wrestling Love was one of the first attempts to bring American style wrestling to Japan.

DANGEROUS KAROKE~!

HUSTLE, fighting opera, run by the one-time ultra serious, shoot-style practitioner, Nobuhiko Takada was an even more over the top attempt to import crazy American soap opera hijinx to Japan. One of my favorite HUSTLE storylines was that the Great Muta sprayed mist into the netherregions of Yinling The Erotic Terrorist. This obviously impregnated her and she laid a giant egg. No, GobbledyGooker did not pop put, but rather sumo wrestler and current All Japan mainstay Akebono. It is absurdly badass in my book. HUSTLE also brought us Nobuhiko Takada and Toshiaki Kawada as karoke singers.

There's the Proud family!

Basically, I did not want to get through these reviews of 2000s Japan and not speak about HUSTLE. All Japan in the latter half of the decade was a more a serious version of HUSTLE. There were rival gangs like the Voodoo Murders and RO'D. Every match is preceded by video packages because of the importance of storylines and angles. There are a lot more run-ins, interference and general shenanigans. The junior heavyweights being pushed more was probably more of an influence of the New Japan juniors of 90s being successful and the rise of Toryumon/Dragon Gate.

The Mutoh name ensured that he would always have access to some of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling. All Japan throughout the end of the decade was able to secure significant time from high-level freelancers like Kawada, Minoru Suzuki, Kensuke Sasaki and Yoshihiro Takayama. In addition, Mutoh had a strong, very upper midcard act in Satoshi Kojima that he could plug in right away and was grooming the hard-hitting, powerhouse, Suwama to be the next superstar. All Japan was producing the quality of NOAH, but in 2005 & 2006, it was really not far off the mark from New Japan, which had a hit a nadir. Once Tanahashi really rose to prominence in 2007, New Japan outpaced All Japan and never really looked back.

The big shift in All Japan booking came at the beginning of 2005. Throughout 2003 and 2004, Toshiaki Kawada was rewarded with the grand Triple Crown reign he deserved albeit 5 years or so too late. Kawada's best match of the reign was a wild, violent brawl with Naoya Ogawa and the most marquee match was the slightly disappointing dream match with Shinya Hashimoto. However, Kawada simply did not have the opponents to have the reign befitting of him, but he made do. In early 2005, much like his compatriot, Kobashi, it came time to put his reign to and end. Unlike NOAH, I think All Japan made the correct call on who should be the next champion, the crowd favorite, Satoshi Kojima. I have been hard on Kojima for being a generally uninteresting wrestler, but make no doubt about it. He was over like rover. To make matters even better, he would win the IWGP Heavyweight title to be the first man to hold the two top titles in New Japan and All Japan simultaneously. So you can't say they didn't push the dude.

Like I said, try as they might puroresu was in a general malaise and Kojima just couldn't get them out. This leads to them a revolving door of legends like Keiji Mutoh/Great Muta, Sasaki, Suzuki and Takayama. Minoru Suzuki who was oddly quiet in the 2000s dragged one last great match out of Mutoh in what I believe to be Mutoh's last. Takayama had a fun 2009 run as a hard hitting giant and his war with Suwama was reminiscent of his great battle with Sasaki in New Japan. The best matches of All Japan much like in late 90s WCW did not feature their cast of legends, but the up and comers.

In 2008, All Japan brought in the red hot Hiroshi Tanahashi from New Japan, who was fresh off a string of excellent matches in New Japan that revitalized the company after founder, Antonio Inoki's departure. All Japan could not have been disappointed by Tanahashi who had kickass matches with a legend like Kawada and their up and comer, Suwama. Tanahashi played the cocky, pretty boy heel to perfection getting under the crowd's skin and by the end of each the match the place was rocking to see Tanahashi get his shit kicked in.

The best match from All Japan during the time span was from the newly pushed junior heavyweight division featuring Kensuke Sasaki protege and boy wonder, Katushiko Nakajima, who at 19 years old, tore the house down with Shuji Kondo. The match featured some of the best mid-match strategy-altering I have ever seen. As Nakajima looks to take away Kondo's strength advantage by taking out the arm, his neck is severely injured and thus he has to go for big head shots to stay in it. I love when a wrestler takes what is given to him and responds in a natural way. Nakajima was wise beyond his years and Kondo was no slouch in this 2007 Match of the Year Contender.

Nakajima The Supernova

Match Listing:

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Toshiaki Kawada vs Satoshi Kojima - AJPW 02/16/05 ***1/2

Kawada chokes huge. The Kojima Era begins. Pretty good "epic" title change

AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion Shuji Kondo vs AKIRA - AJPW 1/8/06

Fun American-style bullshit with interference and cool spots. Kondo is a great powerhouse

AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion Shuji Kondo vs. Kaz Hayashi - Sumo Hall 8/27/06 ***3/4

Flawless, marvelous offensive execution. Weak on selling, transitions and story.

All Japan Jr. Hvywt Champion Shuji Kondo vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - AJPW 2/17/07 ****1/2

#47 out of 100 - Must Watch

Awesome chess battle it is Kondo's strength against Nakajima's strategy. Nakajima battles neck injury.

AJPW TRIPLE Crown Champion Minoru Suzuki vs Keiji Mutoh - AJPW 07/01/07 ****1/4

#68 out of 100 - Recommended

A flawed match, but a terrific Minoru Suzuki performance carries the day. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Suwama - AJPW Champions Carnival 2008 ****1/4

#60 out 100 - Recommended

Hiroshi Flair vs Lex Suwama is tons of fun

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion Naomichi Marufuji vs Shuji Kondo - AJPW 11/03/08

Waste of time, which is a shame since I like Kondo a lot

AJPW TRIPLE Crown Champion Yoshihiro Takayama vs Suwama - AJPW  08/30/09 ****

#90 out 100 - Recommended

Two big muthafuckas kicking each other's faces in. Sign me up!

AJPW Triple Crown Champ Yoshihiro Takayama vs Satoshi Kojima - AJPW 09/26/06

It is the Suwama match except with Kojima, so it is mediocre.

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AJPW Triple Crown Champion Toshiaki Kawada vs Satoshi Kojima - AJPW 02/16/05

How did he lose?

CHOKE: Toshiaki Kawada's Soft Drink of choice. How the fuck did Kawada lose this match? He absolutely dominated the first 20 minutes of this match. Kojima looked like the Denver Broncos just overwhelmed and outmatched by Kawada on the biggest stage All Japan could offer at this point. Kojima could not get anything started without Kawada taking over seemingly at will. I did enjoy the throwback to old school All Japan with the surfboard. The only thing stopped me from losing interest in this blowout was that crowd never gave up on Kojima. He was over at the start of the match, when he was getting his ass royally kicked and at the end of the match. Say what you will about Kojima and his modified Ace Crushers, but dude was over and if All Japan had anybody worth a damn at this point he could have been an effective Ace in terms of pleasing their core fanbase.   He still cheering for him through the powerbombs, the half crabs and stretch plums.

Now for me, the layout CHALLENGED my interest because I didn't believe that Kojima had a puncher's chance. This style of match is pretty tricky because you either make Kojima look like a jabroni if he loses or Kawada look like the biggest choke if he loses. The drama in this type of match usually comes from the guy working underneath having one big home run shot that he can hit that can change the complexion of the match. The problem is Kojima has no such move. His Ace Crusher, which could be his home run (DDP and Orton have utilized it that way) has not been protected. So you have this jarring discontinuity in the match where Kawada kicks his ass for 20 minutes and Kojima does an extended comeback (At one point, Kojima hits a roaring elbow and Tiger Driver and could help think to myself is this a bad Misawa parody. ) rather than a flash comeback. Based on Kawada's selling, I don't think you can make a case for rope-a-dope because he didn't seem to punch himself out rather Kojima just sort of went from getting his ass kicked, to getting his ass less kicked until eventually he won. Kawada was still hitting Back Drop Drivers and drilling brainbusters. It was making him look more ineffective than Kojima strong. You got to love Kawada though because when it is time to sell he is totally committed as he sells this weird top wristlock/arm figure-4 like death even though Kojima shoulders should be counted down. Kawada hits another back drop driver and powerbomb. From a kayfabe perspective, how the hell did he lose. The Kojima lariat barrage was really well done because of the escalation of the lariats and Kawada's selling.

I enjoy Kawada kicking people's asses, dont get me wrong. I think they tried to shoehorn Kojima into a role that he did not fit. As much as I mocked Kojima for his Ace Crusher variations, he is not a horrible wrestler. They could have worked a momentous title change to mark the passing of the guard from Kawada to Kojima. I just thought the match was far too disjointed from the opening 20 minute ass whupping AND A standard extended comeback when Kojima needed some bigger spots. I know was awfully harsh on this match, but I think it demonstrates a really strong point of how a certain guy is not right for a given layout. That being said Kawada was really fucking good in this match. He escalated his offense throughout and was making Kojima earn his comeback. I just wish there was a stronger spot that said this is where the match went off the rails for Kawada and he really started to have to scramble. It never felt that Kawada was in trouble until he taking lariats and it was over.  ***1/2

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AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion Shuji Kondo vs AKIRA - AJPW 1/8/06

AKIRA brings out a scale with him to have Kondo weighed before the match. Automatic *****! I actually like how Americanized All Japan was in this period. It was really different than New Japan and NOAH. This is a match that may benefit from watching it in 2014 instead of 2006. I may have been sick of liberal outside interference in 2006, but in 2014 it is pretty fresh (i don't watch 2014 New Japan so the Bullet Club is not something I see). I thought it was a nice little device in this match. Another thing I love about All Japan is they have video packages before their matches reviewing the angles. Awesome, now I know this is going to be hot and heavy instead of a championship style match. Kondo was really into dueling limb work, but blowing off the arm selling when necessary in 2006 & 2007. I do enjoy him as a junior powerhouse, but we did not get to see much of that. AKIRA was really fun in this, but it does not reach the level of the Kanemoto or Minoru Tanaka matches.

The match starts off with some decent amateur wrestling, but could be hotter given what I saw in video package. Kondo lariats the post. So we expect AKIRA to exploit this and remove this weapon. All Japan was really into selling an injury, but then doing a move anyway. I still can't figure out how I feel about that versus outright no-selling. AKIRA misses a kick and his foot gets in ropes and BOOM chair shot to the knee by who I assume is Brother YASSHI, but I could be wrong. The knee work is solid and I love the fact Kondo uses the outside to great effect and throws AKIRA into his buddies. Kondo stupidly sets AKIRA up for a superplex. I hate that why would you give someone the high ground. AKIRA snaps the arm over the top rope. AKIRA works the arm and YASSHI gets nervous climbs on the apron, but brains Kondo with the briefcase. AKIRA climbs to the top and SPLASH! But only two. Kondo abruptly puts Akira in an inverted Texas Cloverleaf. Could have used a better transition there. Then the outright interference happens after a ref bump, but AKIRA's buddies chase off YASSHI. Kondo still hits a superplex. The finish run was concise and mostly well-done. AKIRA gets his hope nearfalls, a nasty German and backslide. Then Kondo hits two wicked lariats to win.

This a fun, breezy 15 minute match. It is entertaining and easy to digest, which I appreciate. Are there flaws, yeah, but it is a fun way to spend 15 minutes. ***

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AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion Shuji Kondo vs. Kaz Hayashi - Sumo Hall 8/27/06

Probably the most underrated junior heavyweight in history, Shuji Kondo

The one constant of All Japan from the 70s through now is their disregard for the junior heavyweight division. Even NOAH as a spiritual successor to All Japan cultivated a strong juniors division led by KENTA and Marufuji. Even though Mutoh took over AJPW in the 00s coming from NJPW with a strong junior's division did not seem to change AJPW's stance on juniors wrestling. With that being said the token All Japan match of 2006 is a junior heavyweight encounter between two of Ultimo Dragon's students, Hayashi and Kondo.

Before, I get to the match a very skinny Stan Hansen gets into the ring to do the duties of reading from the scroll before a championship match and it was just such a cool touch to see Hansen again. He was wicked over.

This is one of the prettiest matches I have ever seen. It was like you strip Dragon Gate matches of any comedy and just have them play it totally straight, which makes sense since they are both Dragon's students. I can appreciate beautiful execution and from a technical level this is nearly perfect. Hayashi has the best looking hurricanarana I have ever seen and Kondo is one of the best at taking it. Hayashi really looks likes he is grabbing with his legs and forcing his opponent over. Kondo really throws himself into the bump. Hayashi's middle rope senton was fan-fuckin-tastic. He was going a million miles an hour. On the slow motion replay, he still looked like he was going fast. Kondo is a great powerhouse junior like a smaller version of Sasaki. He was really able to work on Hayashi's knee and some very impressive powerslams and one great spear. Of course if you are a powerhouse in Japan, you best have a nasty lariat and his destroys Kojima's and looks badass. Hayashi is a big fan of Emerald Flowsion, but when that can't secure him a victory he does what every wrestler does he tries the move from the top rope. In a move, I never EVER thought I would see. Kondo hits a Flip DDT. When we were growing up, my younger brother always said his finishing move was going to be the Flip DDT. I don't know if he is going to be crushed or excited that someone finally pulled off that move. A moonsault and lariat polish off Hayashi and Kondo retains the belt.

So now the other shoe drops, this match is great eyecandy, but there is not substance to any move. Kondo moves over Hayashi's knee really effectively. I love when he caught a Hayashi rana attempt and put him in a Boston Crab. What does Hayashi hit as his comeback move a wicked fast back handspring elbow. O BUT HE REMEMBERED TO SELL AFTER THE MOVE! He would do this for his 3 next big spots that required the knee, hit the move and sell the knee, before abandoning it altogether. I am happy he did put some effort in, but c'mon man! Look, I don't think just because someone attacks your knee you have to be crippled, but maybe you could hit your spots at half-speed or at least show you are struggling. The end of the match is a total bombfest with very little selling.

To me this is the perfect match to show fans or up and coming wrestlers look you are not going to get a better executed match, but see how they just rattle off moves and without that framework it is all inconsequential. Hayashi and Kondo are amazing to watch and I am sure if you put them in there with a Liger, 90s Sasuke, 90s Otani that they would have had some phenomenal matches. You pair this execution with a great layout, I am seriously saying five star classic without it you are just left wondering what might have been. ***3/4

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All Japan Jr. Heavyweight Champion Shuji Kondo vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - AJPW 2/17/07

Strategy in pro wrestling is often reduced to being very one dimensional. You work a body part to set up your finishing move. You attack an opponents' strength to neutralize their finisher. I am not saying all good pro wrestling needs more advanced strategy or this specific strategy. What this match offered was a rare instance of a multi-faceted strategy. Nakajima established early that his intention was to neutralize Kondo's strength advantage and his lariats by knotting up his arm. However, Nakajima did not have a finishing hold to directly translate this strategy into a victory. In addition, Nakajima took a nasty spill onto the guardrail that severely fucked up his neck. In a nice touch, Hokuto checked on Nakajima. It can not be underestimated how much Sasaki and Hokuto added to the match by being on the outside cheering on Nakajima. It felt like parents cheering on their kid.

Nakajima pressed on by kicking the arm to keep Kondo at bay, but Kondo overwhelmed with brute power zeroing in on the injured neck. Nakajima realized that Kondo's arm was too strong and that point of attack would not turn the tide. So he began taking head shots. Finally, Nakajima stymied Kondo's onslaught and with a dive to the outside. He levelled the playing field to finally return to his attack on the arm. He utilized mentor Sasaki's arm drag, but could not get the cross armbreaker as Kondo slammed out on it dropping Nakajima right on the back of his head. As much as this match was about Nakajima, Kondo was amazing at selling the arm the right amount. He was not blowing off Nakajima's work, but at the same time Nakajima really had not done enough to damage the arm so that it was totally useless. Kondo was fighting through the pain in a believable way. Kondo's slams really target Nakajima's neck, who cant seem to get anything started. In a great sequence, Nakajima is deadweighting Kondo on a powerbomb so Kondo blasts him with a elbow. Nakajima's sell would make Kawada proud. Kondo then spikes Nakajima on his head with a piledriver, but Nakajima kicks out. I will say the placement of that move was too early. The big flaw of the match begins here as Nakajima starts selling like Kaz Hayashi meaning he sells after he does a move not as he is doing it, but it is not as egregious.

Nakajima at this point has no hope winning this match via arm work (no real submission game) so he goes for head shots to set up Emerald Flowsion and a flying bodypress. Kondo signals for a lariat and Nakajima kicks the arm reversing into a Human Capture Suplex only for 2. I liked how after all the kicks to the arm that Kondo could use his arm properly on his slam so that the full impact was not delivered. It was good selling. I loved the axe kick on lariat arm. Kondo finally gets lariat, but it is not enough. I totally bit on the Northern Lights Bomb finish with Sasaki right there.  Nakajima wins the match with a German Suplex.

This match had the potential to be a Match of the Decade Contender. The dueling body part psychology, the appropriate arm selling by Kondo, the amazing neck selling of Nakajima, the two-leveled Nakajima strategy all wove together to create a unique, dynamic match. The finish run did depart from this where Nakajima's comeback became a bit incredulous and his selling uneven and the moves excessive. I am not going to penalize the match too much because the base of the match was still there Nakajima defending against the lariat, working through his early match mishap (neck) and using headshots to create big offense. ****1/2

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AJPW TRIPLE Crown Champion Minoru Suzuki vs Keiji Mutoh - AJPW 07/01/07

Miley wishes she was this cool

I wonder how Minoru Suzuki feels about Miley Cryus stealing his gimmick. How bitchin would it be if she stole his hairstyle too? I would become a Miley fan over night.

I would say what I am most surprised about is the lack of love for Minoru Suzuki in this Best of the 00s poll. He has been having a kickass 10s so I just presumed we would see more of him in this decade. Mutoh is a polarizing figure no matter what decade he is competing in. I definitely lean towards the pro-Mutoh SIDE in the 2000s with his barrage of dragon leg screws, basement dropkicks, figure-4s and Shining Wizards. It is really effective work, but it requires the opponent to add something. The maniacal Suzuki does a great job selling and coming off like a total lunatic at the same time.

The opening matwork is a little boring, but it is well-worked. The one THING the New Japan boys had over the All Japan boys was they were more well-versed in matwork so Mutoh does not seem out of place going up against a legitimate shooter even if his double wristlock is shit. Suzuki gets a deep double wristlock and applies the cross armbreaker and we have our first major turning point of the match. Mutoh bails and Suzuki is right on him attacking the arm using railings and the ropes at will. He does get a little cocky and while he is stepping through the ropes Mutoh catches the foot and everybody say it with me: DRAGON LEG SCREW!!! My favorite spot variation on the usual Mutoh work is the dropkick from the timekeeper's table to Suzuki's knee. I dig Mutoh's leg work and Suzuki was great at selling it. What really got my goat in this match was Suzuki worked a short cutoff getting a cross armbreaker and Mutoh totally no sold it by lying there and then just popping out into a figure-4. That really pissed me off because it really ruined what could have been interesting dual psychology and I hate when the cross armbreaker is disrespected.

Suzuki gets an ab stretch while Mutoh is on top and that is the trigger to Suzuki taking over. Suzuki does a great job showing how he is fighting through the pain to kick Mutoh's arm not that Mutoh is really selling it well. Suzuki hits his piledriver and goes back to the abdominal stretch.  Suzuki goes to his bread and butter the sleeper. Mutoh is a bit taller than Suzuki so he has a leverage advantage in being able to whip him off and also not feel the full effect, but once Suzuki is able to get him on his back that all disappears and so when Mutoh tried to roll through a second time it almost cost him the match. After a pinfall attempt, Mutoh rattles off 4 Shining Wizards and no pin! Backbreaker, Moonsault, but Mutoh comes down hard on the knee and cant make the pinfall right away. Kick out! Oh so you will sell WHEN YOUR own move hurts you, but not your opponent's moves. I see you, Keiji. He hits a Shining Wizard but uses the hurt knee and again hesitates to make the cover. He looks to hit the backbreaker, but Suzuki rolls into a heel hook. Mutoh makes the ropes. Suzuki mocks Mutoh and gives him a taste of his won medicine with a Dragon Leg Screw, but goes to the well once too many and Mutoh hits a Shining Wizard. Suzuki is rocked and Mutoh goes for the Shining Wizard and Suzuki catches it into a heel hook to retain the Triple Crown.

I was really bothered by Mutoh's selling. He dropped the arm selling even though Suzuki kept going back to it and Mutoh slightly sold for the sleepers, but once he hit his knee on his own move then he starts selling that smacks of egotism. Suzuki was phenomenal in this. He is dangerous and he knows it, but is not afraid to sell. He had a near one year reign as Triple Crown Champion and I think I will go back and watch some of his matches after I finish up everything HERE. The finish stretch here is one of the better ones of the 00s and really liked the Shining Wizard counter to a dragon leg screw only to have the Shining Wizard countered into a heel hook. It is a not match of year contender, but still a great match. ****1/4

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Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Toshiaki Kawada - Champions Carnival 2008

This did not make the Best of Japan 00's voting, but could not simply resist watching one of my new favorites against one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. Tanahashi as the cocky, pretty boy that will do anything to win matches is incredible. What makes him such a great heel is that he is always doing something underhanded to take the advantage. Early on, he gets under Kawada's skin by slapping him on a rope break and running away.He transitioned this into a baseball slide and wiping out Kawada with a plancha. When Kawada started kicking his pretty face in with big boots and then whipping him into the railing, he tried to blow out Kawada's knee. Unfortunately for him, Kawada has not sold his knee all decade and he probably is not going to start for this punk kid. Kawada is the perfect foil for Tanahashi. Unlike Suwama and Goto for are ultra-serious Strong Style pro wrestlers. Kawada has character. He holds Tanahashi in contempt for flaunting his hair and being a punk. So when Kawada is beating the snot out of him it is all the better. They do a great build on the outside to a Kawada powerbomb where he just throws Tanahashi DOWN! Tanahashi has been a great bumper in the matches I have seen. He really makes people's offense look good. Just when it looks like Kawada has him beat as he goes for a second powerbomb, Tanahashi low blows him. Awesome! The finish run is very well-done with minimal no-selling. Tanahashi is just absolutely desperate. He throws everything at Kawada going after his knees, throwing out cradles and sprinting for High Fly Flow. Kawada is also working hard to win the match using cradles, hits his brainbuster and kicks to head. There is a real sense of urgency as the clock winds down to a draw. This is the best Kawada match seen since 2005 and is about on par with Misawa Dome match. Tanahashi played to 00s Kawada's strengths and that is just letting him kick ass and work a hot finish. The more I watch the more I believe that if the NWA travelling champ was still a thing that Tanahashi would be the best NWA champion today. He works great with a variety of opponents, he knows how to shine them up, he always gets the crowd invested in his matches, he knows how to work on top as a face or as heel and his finish run lead to a climax. It was great to see Kawada have another great match and this leaves me only more excited for more Tanahashi matches. ****

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Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Suwama - AJPW Champions Carnival 2008

All Japan, New Japan & NOAH aces all in one photo. Pretty damn cool.

In 2007 it seemed New Japan had left the dark ages of Inokism behind them, but 2008 was like the Black Death before the Renaissance we are witnessing today. Admirably, they tried to create a star on Tanahashi's level by having him drop the IWGP championship to Nakamura on the Dome show. This match did not make the project, but it is definitely, I am going to check out. To see how they since progressed (or perhaps retrogressed) since their great 2006 encounter and to see if Tanahashi plays the heel in the match. Much like in 2005 & 2006, it seems New Japan had partnered with All Japan, which included Mutoh winning the IWGP Championship. This was a death knell for championship match quality for the rest of the year. In addition, we saw Tanahashi wrestle in the Carnival against All Japan's hot, young prospect, Suwama.

I liked this match up a lot on paper before I even saw it for two reasons. One is both wrestlers are on the cusp of becoming The Man in their respective promotions. So you get a hungrier version of an Ace vs Ace showdown. In addition, there are few match ups I like more than the powerhouse versus the cocky pretty boy. This match, especially beginning, felt like I was watch Hiroshi Flair versus Lex Suwama. The cool paradigm shift in this match compared to the Flair vs. Luger series was Suwama was on Tanahashi's level so Tanahashi is even more tenuously in control than a Flair would be.

Hiroshi Tanahashi have the best consistent heat since the Kobashi title defenses. This crowd was red hot. Booing the shit out of Tanahashi and chanting for Suwama throughout the match. It does not matter if it is Greensboro, NC or Tokyo, JP, every crowd is going to love the pretty boy slam -> gloats, but unaware of the powerhouse no-sell -> pretty boy gets slammed. I love when wrestling transcends both time and cultures like that.

INCOMING!!! Huge pop for Suwama's suicide dive! Tragedy strikes for our hero as he was re-entering the ring, Tanahashi grabbed his leg and wrenched it with a timely dragon leg screw. Again, Tanahashi takes away the base of his stronger opponent. He is able to work a body part, but also create an opening for his preferred moves. Plus, cocky, shit-eating grin Tanahashi is awesome at working over the leg. I loved when Tanahashi is jaw jacking with the ref and gets speared, but it is right back to work on the leg. Suwama slaps the ever loving taste out of Tanahashi's mouth to HUGE cheers and mounts the comeback.

Unfortunately, Suwama does not really bother selling and the match does lose its way a bit. It is a bit too easy for Tanahashi to regain in intervening moments when Suwama should either be kicking his ass or making him earn it more. I liked Suwama going for a knee for a knee with a heel hook, but only lasted for a hot second. The Sling Blade countered into a Back Drop Driver is such a great spot. Tanahashi is a crazy bumper. He was getting absolutely tossed around by Suwama. Suwama hits this crazy German Suplex that Cesaro would be proud of, it was a sick dead lift. Tanahashi is overkilled, just like the Goto match, but to an more extreme degree. Tanahashi has not been hit with the powerbomb.

Tanahashi hits a High Fly Flow hits knees in mutual destruction, but Tanahashi comes out on top. He applies the Texas Cloverleaf, which won him the Goto match. This time it was just not in the cards. Tanahashi crumples him with a Dragon Suplex. He goes for another one, but countered into an overhead belly to belly. Here comes the powerbomb, but Tanahashi counters into a roll-up. Tanahashi showboating gets his head taken off with a lariat and finally the powerbomb ends it.

This and Goto matches are very close for me. Tanahashi is really excellent in both of them as the cocky, pretty boy heel that uses the dragon leg screw as a game changer. I loved the addition of the Texas Cloverleaf to the arsenal. I like Suwama better than Goto because he has more charisma and has some cooler power spots. I thought the beginning of the Suwama match was better because it was even more clear in its face/heel dynamic and was really entertaining. However, the finish run was definitely more overkill in this match. Tanahashi should not have survived that many slams on the neck to only get back on offense. The finish of the Goto match overwhelms the beginning of the Suwama match for me to put the Goto match ahead, but both will do very well. ****1/4

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AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion Naomichi Marufuji vs Shuji Kondo - AJPW 11/03/08

I have a  biger problem with the bomb throwing fests where I run though my moves for a bit and then you run through yours especially in this context because it does not treat the wrestlers as unique entities. Marufuji and Kondo have enough stylistic differences that they should be responding to each other rather than working as if they were against a generic create-a-wrestler. I understand the viewpoint that I should judge the match I got not the match I think I should have got, but I think when the match I get effaces character of the wrestler I don't think it is a very good match. The beginning of the match was easily the best part because you got to see those stylistic differences in action. Marufuji was outwrestling and using his quickness to stay in control. Then he went for a sunset flip powerbomb off the apron and Kondo just stepped on his face. Kondo used his power to attack Marufuji. Then as soon as Marufuji busted out that weak ass transition where the opponent literally carries him over into the ring so Marufuji can suplex him the match just plummeted him for me. It was a blinding barrage of suplexes, superkicks and lariats then just kept on going and going and going. I loved how they did "we are too exhausted to really hit each other" strike exchange about 8 minutes before the actual finish. I was just like fuck both of these asshole and I actually like Kondo. Kondo runs a bunch of his impressive power spots, but when he goes for Splash Mountain it is countered. Now Marufuji hits Spanish Fly, lariats and a Michinoku Driver for the victory. It was not even really that entertaining of a bomb fest. It was just really long, meandering and aimless.

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AJPW TRIPLE Crown Champion Yoshihiro Takayama vs Suwama 

Pro Wrestling Love 8 08/30/09

My main main, Takayama has risen to the ranks of ALL Japan Triple Crown Champion as AJPW continues their run of veterans as champions while they continue to build their only viable Ace, Suwama before they switched to their current penchant for sumo wrestlers. Mutoh is not Inoki weird, but definitely cut from the same cloth. All Japan for their troubles actually was not in that horrible shape when compared to Pro Wrestling NOAH. NOAH has a wider collection of young talent, but Suwama is definitely at the same level as all their heavies and is more consistent. I will say I need to see more Shiozaki and have not seen Suguiria. Morishima has been able to hit higher highs than Suwama, but Suwama is the more even wrestler. The problem is AJPW just has no one to pair him with at all. Suwama is pretty good straight ahead power wrestler that hits his spots and lays it in. He could use a little more fire at times, but as a meat and potatoes wrestler I have seen none better in his generation in NJPW, AJPW or NOAH.

Much like Sasaki versus Takayama, this is a fucking war! What I love about Takayama is that he has no obvious weaknesses. He is a giant shooter that can kick your ass with strikes, throws and on the ground. It means his opponent has weather an onslaught and take advantage of any mistake. Give Suwama credit, he does try to take it Takayama first with grappling, but caught in cravat and then a test of strength does not go his way. From what I read of Suwama is that he is country boy strong, the sort of Japanese equivalent of the cornfed farmboys of the Midwest so when his strength is not working then it is not looking too hot for the young stud. Suwama gets an early break when he throws Takayama out on the floor. I dig Suwama's double chops they make a great sound and look painful. Takayama is THE KING of Clubbering Offense. He makes knees and forearms look badass and interesting. Again, Suwama takes advantage by catching an errant Takayama kick and turning it into a throw. Suwama cant keep the advantage and they end up exchanging chops and throws. I just love two big dudes throwing each other around. SUWAMA BIG DIVE~! HOLY SHIT! Somewhere along the line Takayama's eye is swollen shut! The belly to belly throw off the top rope almost kills Takayama, which probably was not a terribly safe spot given Takayama's age and condition. Suwama steals Takayama's Everest Suplex to only get two, which takes to an All Japan video package is how Suwama beat Takayama in a tag match earlier in the summer. Takayama drills him with a nasty Dragon Suplex. Suwama puts up some resistance so Takayama nails him with a closed fist, a headbutt that busts Takayama open and Everest Suplex for win.

The two strikes against this match was that 2009 Takayama just isnt 2002 Takayama. He is a lot slower and not as healthy. He does excel at these gritty contests and his roughhouse style ages well. Suwama is a like a 90s Kensuke Sasaki before he adopted Kobashi-ism. He is a brick powerhouse, but he is has the added advantage of being taller than Sasaki so looking even more imposing. If you watch the video package, you will also see that Suwama has PROBABLY best looking powerbomb ever, but we don't get to see it in this match. The other strike is that it is a little two back and forth. At first, the transitions were Suwama catching Takayama, but not being able to sustain offense, but after a while it just became throw shit out at each other. This is one of the few matches where I felt the finish stretch actually helped the match rating because of how nasty Takayama was on offense and Suwama put up a strong resistance, but it was NOT too ZOMG FIGHTING SPIRIT~! Much like Takayama/Sasaki, I really enjoyed this match, but it is not really a MOTYC, but still very entertaining. ****

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AJPW Triple Crown Champ Yoshihiro Takayama vs Satoshi Kojima - AJPW 09/26/06

I have this weird attraction towards ALL Japan in the 00s. I don't know if it is misplaced loyalty due to my love for 80s and 90s All Japan even though they are the same promotion in name only or if it is because it reminds me of a Japanese version of WCW. They have the strong veterans on top and have some interesting combinations headlining their shows. They use angles/storylines, which are usually stupid, but in a fun WCW way not a shitty TNA way. Most importantly, their wrestling matches feel like a throwback to the 80s and 90s. NOAH is so steeped in Kobashism, unless Akira Taue is wrestling, that you just need a break from all that overkill. New Japan just fucking sucked for years and we will see how it goes once Tanahashi and Co. take over, but All Japan actually has matches that build to a climatic finish rather than the false finish three spots before getting the biggest pop. Akira Taue in 00s All Japan would have been actually really awesome. The Holy Demon Army versus Mutoh/Kojima versus Tenryu/WAR Guy in the early 00s, YES PLEASE! Holy Demon Army versus Minoru Suzuki/Takayama, what  a badass match that could have been! There was a lot wrong with All Japan, but my biggest problem has been Satoshi Kojima. I have really wanted to like him. I really did. You know who he reminds me of, 2005 John Cena. When they tried to make Cena into Austin (rebel against Authority, Bischoff), Rock ("funny" promos), Hogan (superman in the ring), Kojima uses Kobashi's chops, Misawa's Roaring Elbow and Hansen's Western Lariat. Who can forget Johnny Ace's Ace Crusher! C'mon dude make something your own.

The match is basically the Suwama match, but worse because Kojima is just mediocre at everything. Takayama beats the living shit out of Kojima and busts up his nose. Kojima tries to make the same comeback as Suwama, but does not have the presence or moveset. Ace Crusher, Kojima does not disappoint! Takayama brutalizes him with knees and he kicks out at 1 for a back drop driver?!?!?!? FUCK YOU PUNCH To FACE! Everest Suplex only gets two!??!!?? Yep, Kojima is winning, but before first, Takayama hits a nasty Dragon Suplex. Takayama is the God King of The Dragon Suplex. I actually liked Kojima popped up lariat when Takayama went for the big knee, but the following Lariats were not Stan Hansen-esque as the announcer was trying to say to win the TRIPLE Crown titles only to drop it to some lame sumo wrestler that is not Akebono.

It is not a bad match, but watching this back to back with the Suwama match you see how much better Suwama is than Kojima. Takayama BEATING up anybody is always going to be entertaining. He makes clubbering look so good. Kojima is just so blase. He was not as over as he was in 2005. ***1/4

Thanks for making it to the bottom

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The reason Puroresu Thursday got moved to Tuesday was because while I have watched all the badass AJ Styles G-1 Climax footage. I have not yet written it all up so look for that on Thursday!