RIP Masashi Aoyagi

 

Masashi Aoyagi & Akitoshi Saito vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Daisuke Ikeda, NOAH 11/16/2000

Very WAR-feeling NOAH match, the kind that the company should have done more. Not many „wrestling“ sequences, just guys awkwardly kicking and punching each other, jumping on each other and refusing to get off. Marufuji looked pretty good here as he knows how to work this kind of match, instead of his junior spots he did double legs, capture suplexes and going for chairs. Aoyagi is nice here kicking ass and matching up with Ikeda. They don‘t square off as much as you‘d like because Saito is the focus, but when they do its good stuff with Ikeda using the gi against Aoyagi, hitting a hard lariat etc. Also really liked the bit where Saito challenged Ikeda to a macho exchange and Ikeda just blindsided him and went for the eyes, something that should have ended all macho exchanges right there.

Masashi Aoyagi vs. Atsushi Onita, FMW 8/28/1994

This was an exploding barbedwire, double hell landmine deathmatch. As a match it was pretty much a tribute to their matches in the 80s, except now occasionally guys would get pushed into an explosion by a kick or takedown. I give Onita a ton of credit here as he sold a ton for Aoyagi. Aoyagi just took him apart with kicks, kicking at his bandaged shoulder, Onita took most of the explosion bomps getting shoved into the mines by Aoyagis kicks. Even Mr. Pogo did a brief run-in to blow a fireball in Onitas face. It really ramped up the drama of the match and the crowd was huge into it. Aoyagi taking of his jacket for a strap drop moment only to end up getting blown up himself was one of those deathmatch moments. Ending was the standard Onita fare but it was good. It was nice for Aoyagi to have this match where he kicks the tar out of Onita on a big, exploding stage.