Akira Maeda & Nobuhiko Takada vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Osamu Kido (NJPW, 3/7/87)

I love a good 80's handheld match. Some can be a drag to sit through based on the operator, others are little hidden gems and I think this fits into the latter category. Tons of heat between Takada/Maeda and Fujiwara, but especially between hot-head Nobuhiko Takada and old iron-head Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Osamu Kido is the low man on the totem pole and things slow down whenever he's in the ring but, for the most part, he manages to fit in with these guys and does some neat stuff on the mat. At one point, he's got Takada in a leglock and when Takada struggles, Kido kicks his opposite foot to put the pressure back on Takada. Later on, he's able to catch a back kick from Takada and take him down into the single leg crab. But man, once Fujiwara gets in there vs. Takada, the match sizzles. Takada starts cracking Fujiwara's legs with kicks, Fujiwara gets pissed and smacks him down. Against Maeda, Fujiwara immediately takes it to him with body blows before Maeda and Takada work him over with stiff kicks. He's able to slip out of Takada's suplex attempt and take him down with the Fujiwara armbar but he can't get the submission. Maeda German suplexes him and goes into a crossface chickenwing but Fujiwara whips him off and re-applies the hold himself. The finishing stretch between he and Takada is just as nasty as when they started and I loved the actual finish, with Fujiwara catching a kick, stomping out the opposite leg, and then submitting him with the leglock.

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Riki Choshu (NJPW, 6/9/87)

Quite the little barnburner here between a couple of fiery personalities with a fun shift in dynamic, as Fujiwara goes from mean-spirited aggressor to a beaten and bloody mess on shaky knees. But when he’s being nasty, it’s terrific. The headbutts and punches, standing on Choshu’s busted face, the blatant choking. Loved the little maneuver where Choshu tries to push him off and Fujiwara takes the arms and lays back with the jujigatame. When Choshu stalks Fujiwara into the corner and starts laying in the shots, Fujiwara’s wears this amazing scowl as he absorbs the punches to the head. The only way Choshu’s able to make a dent is by ramming him headfirst into the ringpost, bloodying him…but even then, Fujiwara’s still throwing headbutts. Fujiwara makes use of the wakigatame as a counter but he can’t manage to submit Choshu and in the end, Choshu stands tall after blasting Fujiwara with a couple of nasty lariats.

Akira Maeda & Nobuhiko Takada vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kazuo Yamazaki (NJPW, 9/1/87)

This is a good companion piece to the May tag match, with the same intensity and hot exchanges. From Fujiwara and Maeda working holds to Yamazaki and Takada trading stiff kicks, this match has all the components of a raucous shoot-style bout. I loved Fujiwara in this -- his ability to take a beating from the opposition is one of his hallmarks but he does his fair share of dishing out the revenge slaps and headbutts. I thought Maeda looked really good here, especially in his interactions with Yamazaki, whether its catching a kick and dropping down into a leglock, snapping off a belly-to-belly suplex or sweeping the leg in a beautiful counter. At one point, he hits what looks like a capture buster! In the final minutes of the match, Takada is blasting Yamazaki with some nasty kicks, landing a few to the head and face, but when he tries for a big rolling solebutt and can't hit all of it, Yamazaki scores the pinfall with a quick German suplex hold. If you liked the May match, you'll probably like this match -- in fact, I think I enjoyed this a bit more.

Akira Maeda & Nobuhiko Takada vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kazuo Yamazaki (NJPW, 5/25/87)

Wild, unadulterated shoot-style action between four of the best. I mean, you’ve got Yamazaki with his sick lightning kicks, Takada and Maeda kicking and suplexing all day long, Fujiwara with his slaps and headbutts, at one point, re-injuring a bandaged Maeda, busting him open. There’s almost zero down time, which is kind of what you want from this type of match. Maeda can be a phone call away from a shitty performance but he was really fired up here, especially after seeing red. He had some slick suplexes, including a dragon, and I loved the hot finish between he and Yamazaki – it exemplifies shoot-style perfectly. He first stuns Yamazaki with wheel kicks, plants him with a capture suplex, and then submits him with the crossface chickenwing. See-ya. Heated exchanges, stiff as day old catshit strikes, sweet suplexes. Loved this!

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW, 8/31/87)

This is Jumbo working in dominant fashion, with Tenryu fighting to get in every lick of offense. He tries to wear Tenryu down with a hard-hitting onslaught of moves, including an awesome diving knee strike, and that recurring Cobra Twist. Tenryu gets in a knee here or an armbar takedown but Jumbo's in control early on. Tenryu is able to pull off a German suplex hold and powerbombs Jumbo a little too close to the ropes. Late in the game, he starts picking apart Jumbo's leg, surviving a pair of backdrop suplexes, before the action spills outside. Tenryu tries to take him out with a kneebreaker onto the time keeper's table but Jumbo is able to make it back to the ring. However, after they trade enziguris, Jumbo finds himself tangled in the ropes and can't get back to his feet before the referee calls for the bell, awarding Tenryu the victory. A good-spirited showing from Tenryu against the more experienced and confident Jumbo.

Nobuhiko Takada & Akira Maeda vs. Shiro Koshinaka & Keiji Mutoh (NJPW, 3/26/87)

This was a whirlwind of non-stop, no nonsense action, with plenty of stiff kicks and suplexes from Team UWF. I mean, the selling is non-existent but there's little to no downtime. This builds from their 3/20 match with Takada being a little more on the ball when it comes to Koshinaka's wiliness. After Koshinaka catches a foot, Takada slaps his way free and blasts him with a back kick to the grill. Maeda suplexes everyone around the ring, including dumping Koshinaka on his noggin with a belly-to-belly. Mutoh pulls off the moonsault press for a fired up crowd but it's not enough to beat the strikers. Koshinaka tries for a few roll-ups but Takada is able to counter an attempt with a cross kneebar and Koshinaka has no choice but to tap out. A fun, suplex-happy match with everyone poppin' up and hittin' moves.

Nobuhiko Takada vs. Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW, 2/5/87)

This is a low-burning match turned to a blaze by the finish, with wild execution and an air of bitterness. The tension between the two is ever-present as they work to find an opening, bursting with slaps and kicks in moments of frustration. Offensively, they're all over the place, with suplexes and tombstones. Takada's kicks are especially on point but Koshinaka is able to take him down with the single leg crab, dragging him back to the middle when Takada gets too close to the ropes. He blocks the enziguri attempt and hits a backbreaker followed by a German suplex hold for two. The referee is ridiculous here, falling all over himself during the counts. Takada stays on the ground for a while, focusing on Koshinaka's arm. When Koshinaka doesn't give up, he fires off a great backdrop and the bridge on his dragon suplex hold is insane. I loved Koshinaka countering the chickenwing by attacking Takada's fingers and working the hand to the finish, ultimately forcing Takada to submit after enduring a barrage of kicks. The pacing is odd but it works for the most part. Koshinaka's selling was good throughout and while Takada blew off some of Shiro's offense, his selling at the end with the hand was great stuff.