Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 11/5/17)

I both love and hate that Hiroshi Tanahashi still primps his new haircut like the lion's mane that once so beautifully adorned his head. I can't remember if this match was better than their G1 Climax bout...at the very least, they were quite similar in structure. A lot of "your good, I'm better, no, wait, I'm the best"-ing around to open before Tanahashi settles into to working Ibushi's leg in classic Tanahashi fashion. You know, lots of legwhips. One area that was a marked improvement from the G1 match-up was Ibushi's selling. When he tries to get fresh with his standing moonsault, his leg gives out on the landing when Tanahashi rolls out of the way. Tanahashi, working that veteran ace style, does a good job of cutting off Ibushi's momentum by targeting the injured leg but Ibushi gets his comeback in the form of a somersault kick that stuns Tanahashi, allowing a run of offense that includes a lawn dart in the corner and a swan-dive German suplex. Unsurprisingly, the highlight of the match for me was that pissy slap, palm thrust, boot exchange, with Ibushi seizing Red Shoes' wrist and continuing to snap off kicks at Tanahashi in the corner like a shithead. Alas, Tanahashi survives the Last Ride powerbomb and alludes the final knee strike, planting Ibushi with a slingblade and a dragon suplex hold before putting him away with back-to-front High Fly Flows. A simple story with good selling, a few fiery exchanges, and enough big spots to satisfy without becoming too self-indulgent. Good stuff. 

Masaaki Mochizuki & Kota Ibushi vs. Munenori Sawa & Hayato "Jr." Fujita (Indy Summit, 12/31/06)

Uh, I guess the best way to describe this "special" match-up is manic and sloppy strike porn. I mean, right from the get go, you had Sawa and Ibushi slapping and kicking away like two angst-ridden teenage girls. There are intermittent periods of ground game in between the stiff pissing contests but really, they mean squat here. You got Fujita blasting a provoking Ibushi with stiff kicks to the chest but when he signals for something devastating, Hayato picks up Ibushi, scoop slams him, picks him up again and then tags out. Dumb. Sawa was his terrific self with the hard smacks and Mutoh tribute spots, which included two Shining Wizards to Ibushi and Mochizuki. At one point, Ibushi stops selling Fujita's strikes and then destroys him with his wild lanky kicks and slaps and a German suplex. In the end, a busted open Fujita tries to submit Mochizuki with the K.I.D. but Mochizuki rolls through the final attempt and hits the Twister and a pair of high kicks to pick up the TKO victory. A glorious little clusterfuck of a match that doesn't quite know when to stop.

Katsuyori Shibata & Kota Ibushi vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Takeshi Morishima (BML, 6/18/06)

Katsuyori Shibata & Kota Ibushi vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Takeshi Morishima (BML, 6/18/06)

Well, this was a hot mess. Marufuji and Ibushi weren’t at their bests here, with Ibushi looking especially ungainly. Marufuji just didn’t seem to care much at all. That being said, I loved the shoot interactions between Shibata and Morishima. During the match, Shibata tags in Ibushi but Morishima completely blows off Ibushi’s kicks to continue fighting with Shibata and when Ibushi finally gets his attention, Morishima clobbers him with an elbow and tags out. Team NOAH work on the lower back and legs of Ibushi for a bit, keeping him distant from his partner, but once Shibata gets the tag, he goes completely nuts on Marufuji with strikes in the corner and poor Marufuji doesn’t have a prayer. It’s an awesome moment in an otherwise unawesome match. In the end, Morishima pins Ibushi after a backdrop.