Friday, January 13, 2017

Shinya Hashimoto & Takashi Iizuka vs. Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murakami (NJPW, 1/4/00)

This ain't pretty, folks. It's chaotic, reckless, and chock full of the best kind of hate...not that this is an official endorsement for hate. Murakami gives zero fucks for Iizuka or the refree or the New Japan fans. He beats the snot out of Iizuka and leaves him lifeless on the canvas while Hashimoto comes in to his defense and fights off the evil Murakami and Ogawa but the match falls apart quickly. The fans are pissed off, throwing trash in the ring, and Inoki has to step in to restore some order and re-start the match. Iizuka's a mess and Hashimoto's trying to figure out if they can keep going but Iizuka wants to finish this fight. Murakami gets the jump on him again but Iizuka is able to snag an arm, force the armbreaker, and the fans shit their seats. Iizuka's punches look like kisses but he's able to do his part on the mat and try to keep Murakami grounded. Murakami is such an insufferable prick throughout this. He does such a fantastic job of keeping the heat on. Even when Hashimoto gets the tag, he doesn't stop fighting with Iizuka until Hashimoto kicks him in the head.

The energy from the Tokyo Dome for Hashimoto vs. Ogawa is ridiculous, and the fans want nothing more than Hashimoto to kill him. Love Hash's shoot headbutt in the ropes before he starts clobbering Ogawa to the ground. When Ogawa tries for the side headlock takeover, Hashimoto backdrops him. Great selling from Ogawa throughout these exchanges, plenty of stiff shots with Hashimoto egging him on. After Ogawa starts STO'ing everyone, Iizuka comes back for the big dropkick assist, Hashimoto tries to break Ogawa's arm on the outside, and Iizuka gets his redemption with a satisfying submission win on Murakami. Murakami's faceplant on the rear naked choke was a great visual. The atmosphere was amazing, the interactions hate-filled, Murakami was the despicable man here, and the Ogawa/Hashimoto delivered on most levels, even if it was cut a bit short. 

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