Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Nobuhiko Takada vs. Hiroshi Hase (NJPW, 2/5/88)

What can I say about Hiroshi Hase that hasn't already been said? Criminally underrated, killer mullet, equally killer mustache, tons of killer suplexes. This was part of the inaugural Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Hase gets punished by Takada early on in this match-up, taking some nasty kicks to the face and really struggling to stay on his feet in a terrifically sold performance. But he goes from nearly being KO'd on the mat to firing off a quick German suplex hold at the snap of a finger. The selling, more or less, goes out the window in favor of back-and-forth offense, with Hase managing to pull off his patented Northern Lights suplex hold for a two count. Takada tries to suplex Hase from the top rope but they end up collapsing to the outside and brawling over the barricade, which results in a draw. This had its moments and these two would go on to have a superior match the following month for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title.

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