The World of World Japan

 

Masahiko Kochi vs. Takashi Uwano, WJ 7/20/2003

This was a black trunks rookie match and a really nice one. I think Kochi has been wrestling since 1994 and Uwano since 1998, so both of them having to be black trunks rookies in WJ is kind of funny, but these two could put on one hell of a match. Really nice arm control stuff early on before they settle into punishing each other. Kochi was awesome here, absolutely lighting up Uwano with stiff kicks, he had this huge spinning wheel kick that felt bigger and cooler than probably anything else on this card. I also loved his big bulldog. Uwano had some great big lanky guy STOs and I loved the build towards the German Suplex and half crab in the last couple minutes. Matches like this really remind you how important slower more measured matches are, really makes you appreciate each basic move and the sense of both guys beating the shit out of each other was there without turning into some kind of exhibition.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Takashi Uwano, WJ 3/1/2003

 

Basic opening match upgraded with insane stiffness, both these guys were just swinging hard at each other. You know Ishii can bring it in a stiff fest, but Uwano looked really good kneeing him in the face and stomping on his head. Uwanos big STO and German Suplex were great once again. Absolutely sick punch-out finish with both guys bleeding hardway from the blows. Sometimes, you want to watch something like this. Hey, why didn't they make Ishii wear black trunks?

Yoji Anjoh vs. Tomohiro Ishii, WJ 3/15/2003

Two guys with odd charisma who are great at wailing on guys, wailing on each other hard. This was a great 8 minutes. Anjoh has a shaven head and goatee here and looks kind of schlubby, but man he could just destroy a guy. A lot of wrestlers struggle to have 2 or 3 good looking hits but Anjoh just does so much different stuff, knees to the face, elbows, punches, fist drops, from so many different angles and it all looks like he’s destroying Ishii. Ishii is of course really game to get hit, bump big and potatoe Anjoh with strikes of his own including flush punching him in the face. The finish was a flash but it looked fucking brutal. I can get that ending may have come quickly, but why have I not heard about this matchup before? Super warm recommendation for this one.

Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Yoji Anjoh, WJ 3/1/2003

Cool match between two old guys who still had a lot in the tank in 2003. Anjohs punches and strikes just look awesome and Yatsu is so fun and spry here, really explosive throws and dropkicks and not afraid to hit Anjoh in the face.. There is some cool arm attack stuff by Anjoh and I loved the finish. I wish some promotion had done more with these two than just give them undercard stuff because their stuff still looked better than almost everyone elses.

Assorted ZERO1

 

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Riki Choshu, ZERO1 2/29/2004

I had no idea this match happened. I can kind of see why it was largely forgotten – these two are broken down, and they do a short match, without an overly dramatic ending, at a time when most tape nerds where hungering for NOAHesque epics. But fuck, the match between these two was still happening. The first 6 or 7 minutes of this is guys stubbornly trying to crack eachother, really trading brutal kicks and chops where the other looks like he really doesn‘t want to get kicked and chopped. There‘s not even a back bump but it‘s really compelling. Hashimotos shoulder selling ruled and Choshu has some nice kicks to the shoulder. Hashimoto clutching his shoulder after the Scorpion lock was a nice touch. These two are really the kings of these kind of ultra-simplistic, nasty, uncooperative strikes exchanges. Eventually, after the opening established that both guys are broken down and hurting, Choshu gets Hashimoto up for a superplex. And Hashimoto takes that superplex in really brutal fashion, really barely getting over, landing on his shoulders. It feels like a big spot, and then Choshu hits another, even crazier superplex where he nearly spikes Hashimoto. Really probably the most „Damn he killed him“ a superplex has ever felt in a match. Eventually it gets to the usual Choshu stubbornly trying to take Hashimotos head off with lariats while Hash refuses to go down. Choshu sold the finish in a weird way, which is probably the reason this doesn‘t get talked about match. But damn I was amazed by these two guys just cracking each other.

7 vs. 4 Elimination Match: Shinya Hashimoto & Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yoshihito Sasaki & Shinsuke Z Yamagasa & Kohei Sato & Hirotaka Yokoi & Osamu Namiguchi vs. Riki Choshu & Tomohiro Ishii & Takashi Uwano & Ichiro Yaguchi, Z1 12/14/2003

Extremely fun elimination match which was just a wild spectacle. Everyone jumping in and getting eliminated real fast, seconds get involved, all building to the epic Hashimoto vs. Choshu faceoff. Every single exchanges was on the money, you had the black trunks guys throwing beautiful suplexes and dropkicks, Yokoi punching people in the face, Takaiwa crowbarring people, etc. Ishii got to look tough as he does. Last Hashimoto/Choshu showdown was short but super intense, both guys just wasting each other with brutal punches and kicks. That low kick Hashimoto threw to take out Choshu has to be among those great subtle things that end up looking awesome that Hashimoto just has a thing for.

Fugofugo Yumeji & Takao Ohmori vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa, Z1 2/17/2008

About the rawest 90 seconds in pro wrestling you will ever see. It‘s Z1 vs. NJPW, Nakanishi and Hirasawa rush their opponents to start. We get Yumeji trying to stand up to Nakanishi who‘s just a big old tank. Fugo tries to scramble his brains with those crazy jumping headbutts he does and Nakanishi punches him in the throat then just turns his lights out with one of the crazier lariats I‘ve ever seen. Harrowing.