Written by: Super Mastodon (@SuperMastodon) A battle for supremacy over the true ideology of Strong Style between defenders of New Japan's honor against Inoki's assembled MMA army in a ten man elimination tag-team match. Strong Style. Two words that are synonymous with New Japan Pro Wrestling. It laid the groundwork for what the promotion is all about, to be the King of Sport and showcase to the world that professional wrestling is the most superior combat sport there is. At least that is how Antonio Inoki initially envisioned everything when he created the now famous wrestling ideology. If you want to learn more about the history of strong style itself, then I highly recommend Dave Knows Wrestling's video where he tackles the entire background of the topic. What is a wrestling ideology? In my personal definition, it is something that a wrestler adheres to when it comes to his or her performance in the ring. Mainly pertaining to the way they wrestle, as well as other related elements like character work, storytelling, and moveset just to name a few. In Japan, there are a lot of specific wrestling ideologies that have been developed through the years, with some continually evolving and can trace their roots from pre-existing ones. Strong Style happens to be one of those with Antonio Inoki, founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling being in the forefront of the movement thanks to the massive influence he received from his mentors Rikidozan and Karl Gotch. Unlike other forms of wrestling where they tend to focus on a specific element like mat-based submission or highflying aerial maneuvers, in strong style it is all about the physicality. Make pro wrestling about as realistic as possible with hard strikes such as chops, forearms, and kicks. But to me it is more than that, strong style can also be a battle of endurance, the last man standing in the ring will determine who the winner is. Giving it your total effort to take down the opposition, even though the struggle is visible it allows you to gain the support of the fans due to the dedication and hard work put in to get the victory. It's all about the fighting spirit. On October 13, 2003 a pivotal match in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling took place for their Ultimate Crush II event in the Tokyo Dome which was attended by approximately 47,000 people. The event was a six match card with the closing bout being the highlight and had a lot of build heading onto the show. It should also be noted that around these years, NJPW were doing more than one Tokyo Dome shows per year unlike nowadays wherein the tradition is just kept for the big January 4th shows aka Wrestle Kingdom. By this point Inoki-ism has fully taken over the company, many wrestlers were booked into legitimate MMA fights and loss mostly in embarrassing fashion. Inoki was started to be seen by many as this villainous dictator instead of this courageous leader helping his men to battle, which is why people were starting to question, if his vision of Strong Style has changed. Who does the wrestling ideology he made popular belongs to? Is it to the dojo graduates who had to claw their way to the top or the individuals who have prior background to martial arts and are using that as leverage to take over the higher rankings within the company? The locker room has been split since the late 90's during the Shinya Hashimoto and Naoya Ogawa rivalry, but now it has reached a boiling point that could no longer be contained. Well this is professional wrestling and we're not going to settle these debates in a public forum, it shall be done in the squared circle. What's interesting about these multi men elimination matches in Japan unlike in the Survivor Series type matches we're familiar in the US, there are multiple ways to eliminate an opponent other than the usual pin fall or submission, but knocking out your opponent or throwing them over the top rope counts are possible ways of elimination as well. "Shin Inoki Gun" is compromised of men who adhere to Antonio Inoki's newly formed belief of what Strong Style is while Team New Japan are defenders of the traditions dating all the way back to the birth of the company. We will be observing not only the match itself but many other details surrounding it such as the ongoing rivalries that will be all connected into this match and how did they all get here in the first place. So without further ado, let's get straight into the action and discuss, the clash of two worlds in one universe over the rights of Strong Style. MEET THE PLAYERS Yoshihiro Takayama Heading into this match Takayama is the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion and also the NWF Heavyweight Champion, the revived belt which used to be New Japan's top prize in the 70's before the IWGP officially became the main championship. Coming off his iconic MMA fight against Don Frye a year prior, Takayama's stock rose even higher due to the tenacity and fighting spirit he showcased in the match, despite being on the losing end, he gave the much superior fighter in Don a good beat down and to this day that fight is still talked about due to its brutal nature. A few months before this, Takayama ended Yuji Nagata's 392 day reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and has been a dominant force in New Japan ever since, defeating numerous contenders for both of his belts. Because of his new found popularity in MMA and having been trained in the shoot style since his younger days as he was mentored by Nobuhiko Takada in UWF-I, it was obvious which side Takayama is in when it came to this civil warfare amongst the NJPW roster. Shinsuke Nakamura Before he became the enigmatic King of Strong Style, Shinsuke Nakamura was first dubbed as the "Rookie Supernova" as out of his dojo class, he was seen by Inoki with the most potential and bypassed the typical young lion system and immediately was pushed to the top because of his natural athletic abilities and background in martial arts. You can say in a lot of ways, Inoki was probably saw his younger self in Nakamura which is why he had such high hopes for him. It would still take two more months after this match before he had his first reign with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but by this point Nakamura has already been into three MMA fights. He did lose his debut match against Daniel Gracie, but won his next two fights submitting both Jon Nortje and Shane Eitner, it seems like Inoki's prophecy of his success is turning out to be true. He's been feuding with his dojo classmate Hiroshi Tanahashi as they enter the fray with their seniors in this match. Minoru Suzuki The King of Pancrase, no doubt which side Minoru Suzuki is a part of in this match. After all he is one of the founding fathers of modern day MMA along with Masakatsu Funaki by creating the Pancrase promotion. Initially learning under the mentorship of Inoki and Fujiwara, Suzuki would go by his own eventually and co-start his own company in which he became one of the focal stars and forming a legendary rivalry with Ken Shamrock. An official record of 29-19 by this point of his career, Suzuki has become one of the most successful Japanese fighters of all time and paved the way for the evolution of combat sports in the country. The same year he left Pancrase and returned as a freelancer to professional wrestling, he made his return to NJPW on June 13 defeating Masayuki Naruse and on September challenged an old foe and rival Takayama for the NWF Heavyweight Championship unsuccessfully. Ever since he was young Suzuki has cited Inoki as his idol, now he enters the ring representing the visions of the man that inspired him to fight. Kazuyuki Fujita If there is a man that has truly embodied "Inoki-ism" it would be none other than Kazuyuki Fujita. I mean his nickname is literally "The Last Disciple of Inoki" if the former president were to be reincarnated, it would have been Fujita. Just like most pro wrestlers, he started as an amateur and had a great pedigree in the field, seen with lots of potential from the get-go by NJPW. The thing about Fujita that separates him from other wrestlers who tried MMA is that he actually turned out to be successful in it and gained more legitimacy because of his wins. The thing that separates Fujita from the rest of his peers who tried out MMA is that he was successful in it. Because of having a difficult time initially trying to make his way up in the roster, Inoki agreed to have him focus in his MMA training and once he's set, Fujita became the New Japan representative in PRIDE and unlike most wrestlers, he found his stride better in the sport and won his first four fights. Inoki finally found the successor he was looking for and on April 9, 2001 he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship dominating over Scott Norton which is a big deal in itself. Fujita's credibility rose through the roof and while his MMA career did have some losses over much tougher competition, he was able to score more wins than losses. It came to the point though where he became a part-time wrestler and full-time MMA fighter. He used to be overshadowed by members of the Third Generation, but now has eclipsed them which is why his addition to the group doesn't come as a shock, his theme song is a remix of Inoki's original so he goes into this match with history against everyone whether the opposition or even his own team. Bob Sapp Ah yes, Bob Sapp. What an interesting career this man has. You can't talk about the twilight years of New Japan without mentioning his name once, playing a big role in the history of the company both for the good and bad. Believe it or not, there was a point in time where Sapp wasn't just all hype, he actually was a dominant force in the ring whether its MMA or kickboxing. The Beast isn't just a nickname, the size advantage towering over his opponents, he was legit. Sapp was a huge megastar in Japan, he appeared in various television shows and commercials, treated like a true celebrity. Everyone wanted to cash in on the train and with Inoki attempting to find new stars for his company, Sapp was a no-brainer. A year before he defeated Manabu Nakanishi in his pro wrestling debut in the Tokyo Dome. Even from the beginning, he was already being booked as an unstoppable force. This would only be his second wrestling match in the company and still has a solid record in combat sports so his credibility wasn't all shut down yet. He was the last man to make an entrance and boy did he milk every single second of it, whether you like Bob Sapp or not that's your opinion, but you have to give him credit, he knows how to put on a show and a very charismatic individual, which is why he was so celebrated in his prime. He got the biggest pop out of everyone in this match, that pretty much speaks for itself. Hiroshi Tanahashi It's surreal to me seeing Hiroshi Tanahashi in his younger years. Nowadays we know him as the Eternal Ace, who's presence alone is captivating, but back then he was clearly outshined by everyone else's star power. Obviously he hasn't tapped into his true potential yet as he was just a few years off his debut in 1999. Even though his dojo classmate Nakamura was the one personally handpicked by Inoki, Tana's abilities and natural athleticism cannot be denied and he was already slowly receiving some growing support from the fans. Around this time he was the reigning IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship which is the now defunct belt for wrestlers who were 30 years old and under, basically the title for the young stars of the company. Tana and Nakamura have already been feuding over this belt heading into this match and there's been tension brewing between them along with Katsuyori Shibata. Tanahashi is the inaugural U-30 Champion winning it back in April when it was established. From a pro wrestling stand point and as we know now thanks to the power of hindsight, the star Inoki was looking for all this time turns out to be Hiroshi Tanahashi, but his time is yet to come due to the influx of shoot fighters going over him, hence why he's fighting on the side of the dojo veterans. Manabu Nakanishi A former Olympian turned professional wrestler, it's a tale as old as time but one of the few to really make a statement and become a beloved individual for his loyalty and hard work is Manabu Nakanishi. By 1999 Nakanishi already was one of the top stars of the company, winning that year's G1 Climax. He was well on his way to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion at some point down the line, but the problem is he could never capitalize on it and as soon as the tides changed for the company, he was the one left behind the most. While his dojo classmates Nagata and Tenzan still had some semblance of star power, Nakanishi was relegated to what felt like a midcarder. His peers weren't so treated kindly already, as the spotlight was focused on the MMA athletes, but he was even put down further on the totem pole, it feels like a totally different wrestler booking wise as he couldn't reach the same heights again just a few years ago. What's interesting about this is that the support of the audience did not stop for Nakanishi, clearly management was no longer behind him at this point, he was still a massive fan favorite and they heavily rooted for him even if he lost most of his high profile bouts. His work ethic and loyalty to the company was unparalleled and the fans recognized this even if he was being fed to part-timers like Bob Sapp. Earlier in the year on July 2003 Nakanishi had his first and only MMA bout which he loss via knockout, further damaging his credibility. He still did not give up though and tagged along with his peers into facing the biggest threat to their careers. Yuji Nagata The man that was supposed to take the throne Shinya Hashimoto left as the next ace of New Japan but fate didn't swing that way for Yuji Nagata. Even as a rookie, his loyalty to the company was already cemented by taking on the UWF-I invaders of the early 90's and defending the honor of Strong Style. All wrestlers in this match personify the wrestling philosophy one way or another but nobody does it in the way Yuji Nagata did, especially in his prime as he lived and breath what Strong Style was all about. When the Three Musketeers were slowing down and eventually left the company, Nagata was the one touted to be the face of the company, out of the Third Generation members, he was seen as the best among them talent wise due to his natural athleticism he gained from his amateur background, then adding in the influence of Nobuhiko Takada, as well as a relatable charisma that made him connected with the fans. By the 2000's, Nagata was already an established main eventer, winning the 2001 G1 Climax and the following year defeated Tadao Yasuda for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, winning it for the first time ever in his career after chasing for the belt numerous times in the past. Nagata would then set a record which at the time was the second longest reign of the belt's history at 392 days behind Hashimoto's 489. He also set a record for 11 straight successful title defenses within that timeframe and because of his success earned him the nickname "Mr. IWGP." On paper it seemed like a solid reign all around, after all the stats speak for themselves, but Nagata's reign coincided with Inoki-ism and his time as the World Champion was tarnished because of this. A year prior to becoming champion, Nagata got booked into an MMA fight against Mirko Cro Cop which he loss in embarrassing fashion, getting a TKO 21 seconds into the first round. Inoki thought that to build up Nagata's credibility, he'd put him up on legitimate fights against highly trained athletes, but it served the opposite. Looking at the opposing side, Nagata has feuded with most of the wrestlers there, around this time he was already heating up his rivalry with Minoru Suzuki, he has also fought Fujita for the IWGP Title, and it was Takayama who eventually ended his reign. Much like Nakanishi, Nagata remained loyal to the company despite being completely overshadowed by the newly found competition. Blue Justice fought in the dark times and he's not backing down now. Hiroyoshi Tenzan The irony of Hiroyoshi Tenzan fending off the invading team as he was once on the other side of the coin, being one of the key members of nWo Japan and had many great battles against the core group of NJPW led by Shinya Hashimoto in the 90's. When Mutoh and Kojima left New Japan and Chono was starting to slow down, Tenzan was sort of left on his own. Eventually as newcomers were starting to fill in the roster spots, he didn't want to be left behind and had a change of heart, what was once a rowdy arrogant heel, turned to one of the biggest fan favorite underdogs. He has sided back with his dojo classmates in fighting for the honor of Strong Style. His entire personality and image changed, cutting off his iconic mullet and going with a clean-cut persona while maintaining the charisma he possesses. Tenzan was also the main focus of the entire New Japan squad here, now being in the main event title picture, he had an ongoing rivalry with Takayama by this point and they'd face each other for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship down the line and this served as a preview for what's to come in their brutal match up. Takayama would always have the upper hand on the challenger but Tenzan never backed down and still continued his pursuit for the victory, in the meantime he is leading his peers along with their sensei as they do battle in the Tokyo Dome. Seiji Sakaguchi Out of everyone in this match, Seiji Sakaguchi is the man most familiar with Antonio Inoki. Their history together runs deep. Going all the way back in their younger years together as tag-team partners then eventually becoming heated rivals. The former judoka has wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling since its birth year in 1972 and has competed in three different decades, retiring in 1990, he did have one comeback match for the anniversary two years later but he has stayed retired for a long period of time and focused on his role as part of the backstage management. However, when Inoki was stowing away from his original visions of the company and taking NJPW to another direction, Sakaguchi stepped in and wanted to keep the tradition on the brand of Strong Style he believed in and was one of the founding fathers of. After 10 years being out of the ring, Sakaguchi returns to the ring at the age of 63. It added to the gravitas of the match and when a living legend gets involved, everyone took it seriously. Sakaguchi has seen the company rise from the ground up, mentored many of the wrestlers that came in the dojo. He is in this match to represent the legacy of all the past superstars of New Japan Pro Wrestling and keep those legacies alive. His son, actor Kenji Sakaguchi added some star power for the loyalists as well showing support to his father and the team by being in their corner. THE MATCH First off I'd just like to say the entrances alone were spectacles themselves. The grand presentation of it all really made you feel like this was a high profile match. It was the New Japan group who came out first and then the MMA Army followed with Bob Sapp showing the most charisma and received the loudest reaction from the crowd. Say what you want about him, but he sure does know how to work an audience and he milked every single moment he was there, then they marched to the ring in Inoki's theme song which looked both awesome and somewhat eerie because that was very much the embodiment of what went wrong entirely in the company around this time but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Now to the action, before the bell rang Sakaguchi gave Sapp some judo gear complete with a black belt and all which the crowd enjoyed, the man wore them and off we go. Sakaguchi gave Sapp some judo takedowns for that sweet nostalgic pop. Eventually though Sapp's physical advantage was too powerful for the old man and he got dragged around. Thrown into the corner and met with an awkward looking splash from Sapp. He wasn't the most fluid in the ring and still lacked a lot of the fundamentals in the ring. Takayama got tagged in afterwards and continued the assault on Sakaguchi to get some more heat on the side of the heels. There were a few comeback spots for Sakaguchi but he eventually got eliminated by Nakamura over the top rope 3:45 minutes into the match. With the old school act gone, time to focus on the remaining current crop of talents. Nakamura was the next one eliminated, after some multiple exchanges from both teams when everyone got tagged in at some point including Tanahashi who got in the ring as soon as Sakaguchi got eliminated adding fuel to their feud for the U-30 Championship, Nagata put in the work on the young wrestler, successfully executing an Exploder Suplex but before he could pin Takayama interfered. Nakanishi was tagged in, a HUGE lariat to Nakamura which flipped him around, impressive sell there. Followed up with a German Suplex and held onto it for the pin. 14:47 into the match, the numbers are even on both teams. Fujita entered the ring next as the legal man and he got annihiliated by members of the Third Generation, devastating chops from Nakanishi, submission holds from Nagata, and the creative offense of Tenzan. Eventually Fujita and Tanahashi were the ones exchanging blows with Fujita getting most of the upperhand. As he was preparing to execute a move, Tanahashi countered with a roll-up pin on Fujita which caught him offguard and got the surprise elimination. A big win for a young Tanahashi scoring a pinfall over the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Eliminated at 21:49 into the match. This wouldn't be the last time these would meet in the ring. The rivalry of Tenzan and Takayama came into play next, it was the main focus for the bulk of the second half with the two landing stiff strikes onto each other. A preview of what's to come in their championship match down the line. I know multi-men tags are pretty much one of the best ways in building up rivalries especially in Japan, these two just took it to another level though with their non-stop action throughout this time. I always enjoy strike fests in Puro matches but more-so if each strike had some meaning into it, as a part of an overall story, and these two provided just that. In a short amount of time, they had their own "mini match" if you will in the ring, providing the fire for their heated rivalry continue its burning. A lot of near falls between the two, Takayama's Everest German was sold well by Tenzan, he looked like he got knocked out silly taking that move. Tenzan got back up on his feet and countered Takayama with a rolling kick to the face, then he got the champion onto the apron and attempted to eliminate him over the top rope, but both of them got eliminated instead when Sapp entered the ring and assisted in the elimination of Tenzan as he was working on taking out Takayama, so both of them were out 27:53 into the match. I did find it odd how Sapp got away with that, he wasn't the legal man so technically Takayama was the only one eliminated but I get it, both the champion and number one contender being out at the same time is fine as it adds intrigue to their upcoming bout, it's just weird how Sapp wasn't reprimanded for his actions, like Hulk Hogan in the 1992 Royal Rumble assisting Ric Flair to eliminate Sid Justice. But whatever, not really a big deal, this match was already crazy at this point with lots of hype and action. Nakanishi and Sapp were back in the ring next, reliving their past encounter. The former Olympian tried to neutralize the much bigger opponent and even had him set up for his signature Argentine Backbreaker but he gave out and wasn't able to hold on to the big fella. Nakanishi hits a Yajin Lariat but Sapp stood tall, he went in for another one but got tackled for his efforts. A football tackle from Sapp to Nakanishi, eliminating him over the top rope 29:38 into the match. At this point this was the longest action time Sapp got in the ring, beforehand he would get tagged in, do his few spots, then tag out again to conserve his stamina, which is visibly limited. Nakanishi's elimination received a mixed reaction from the crowd, it was predominantly cheers but not as loud as their reactions during the entrances. Now it's down to 2v2. Tanahashi squared off with Suzuki, some nice grappling and striking from both men. Even at this stage of his career, we can already see bits of what made Tanahashi great later on, struggling to keeping up with the much more experienced athlete in Suzuki but still not quitting and continuing to fight. He got a German Suplex onto Suzuki which the crowd erupted for but only got a one count for his troubles. Tanahashi tried a Dragon Suplex but Suzuki reached the ropes, an O'Connor Roll pin from Tana but Suzuki countered back with his signature Sleeper Hold which nearly got the reigning U-30 Champion but he did barely managed to reach the ropes. Sapp got tagged back in, he tried to go for the Beast Bomb, Nagata intercepted, him and Tana sent Sapp to the ropes but both of them received the weakest looking double lariat ever, it's really tough to watch big Bob wrestle and for the wrestlers to sell his offense but I digress. He picked Tanahashi up and tried to throw him out of the ring, Tana was able to get out of the predicament and did a sneaky pin which got a near fall. After no-selling Tana's forearm, he finally got the Beast Bomb in and pinned Tana 33:16 into the match. The crowd maybe a bit out of energy at this point but it is also felt to me at least they were somewhat deflated with that result and not in a good cheap heel heat kind of way. So it's down to 2v1 as Yuji Nagata is the last remaining member on his team against his rival Suzuki and Bob Sapp. It's the classic booking technique of having the top guy be the last man standing with all odds against him but not giving up and still putting up a fight. Nagata was especially fitting for this role and so he brought the goods towards the opposition. Multiple leg kicks followed up by two Enziguiri's which got a two count. An armbar from Nagata but Sapp was able to take control back by getting the upperhand on the ground, a Beast Bomb to Nagata but this time only resulting in a near fall which popped the crowd. As Red Shoes was making the count on Nagata if he could stand up, Suzuki began assaulting his rival. I have to admit the final stretch of the match was the weakest part to me in terms of the overall action, the pace slowed down immensely between Nagata and Suzuki with the latter holding onto the Sleeper for a long period of time. I understand they were trying to go for a more methodical approach and it is their feud at the time but after all the high volume and intense action we've seen thus far, the sudden change in pace did feel a bit disappointing and it's not just me as the energy of the entire arena really sunk down around this point, add in the fact that they've been there for a good amount of time now. Suzuki then hits the Gotch Style Piledriver and I was surprised to not see him for the pin immediately but instead went for another submission hold, the Octopus Stretch as popularized by Inoki himself. Nagata passed out and the referee called for the bell, ending the match at 39:54. What a total letdown of an abrupt finish that was. FINAL THOUGHTS This one match encapsulated everything that is both right and primarily wrong about this era of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The spectacle and presentation is there, the build up with the vignettes and then the grand entrances of each wrestler, made it feel like a high profile match which it was. The action was fine, a lot of heated exchanges and some cool moments sprinkled here and there but for the booking itself, that's where everything went south. They tried to go for the classic David vs. Goliath tale into the final minutes with Nagata being the last man to represent his group being outnumbered two to one against Suzuki and Sapp but they barely touched onto that aspect as it was basically Suzuki holding Nagata onto submission for the bulk of the closing minutes, every uneventful after all the action we've seen building up to this. Nagata losing is basically the entire story of Inoki-ism, no matter how over the fan favorites were, Inoki's handpicked wrestlers always go over in the end. It may be good heal heat for awhile but eventually you have to book your babyfaces as winners as well, otherwise they'd just look like chumps and lose all of their credibility and no one would take them seriously as contenders. It didn't help that the likes of Fujita and Sapp were part-timers and juggling through their MMA and wrestling careers. Why the likes of Nagata, Tenzan, and Nakanishi failed to reach the heights their predecessors did is that even when they won, ultimately they were still associated with losing as their opponents got treated much better and given the spotlight all the time. I'm not against a "pro wrestler vs. shoot fighter" rivalries, it's been done successfully before like when Akira Maeda led the original UWF squad and hijacking Antonio Inoki, which culminated into a classic 5v5 match as well only that time, all ten men were over and the match quality was better, they tried to re-create that magic with this match in 2003 but they were not able to convey it well because the fight did not feel equal. The MMA army were booked way too dominant and the New Japan squad were always on the losing end despite their efforts. Eventually the fans would lose interest seeing their favorites lose big time matches, it wasn't until Inoki was finally ousted and Tanahashi's rise into popularity that NJPW's revival from the dark ages took place. As for the match itself, I did enjoy it for what it was. It wasn't meant to be like a five star technical showcase, it was supposed to be a chaotic fight between two divisions of the roster with different ideologies about wrestling and that is what we got. I didn't mind the constant interferences from one team to another, breaking up the pin falls, I thought it added more to the fun of it. From start all the way near the finish, it was all about action and the crowd helped with their loud reactions too, although as I've mentioned the finishing sequence did bore me and the way it ended was a total disappointment. For the wrestlers, Nagata and Tenzan stood out to me the most out of everyone in this match, which is pretty much what you can say throughout that time in NJPW. They brought in their working shoes for this match and a lot of the exciting spots were involving them. Takayama was just as stiff as expected, same with Fujita who I feel is somewhat of an underrated performer, sure he isn't like a scientific mat technician like a Bret Hart, but when it comes to pure striking action Fujita is excellent in that and his style works well as a foil to the babyfaces. Suzuki was fine but I've seen better performances from him around this time. Nakanishi was explosive, a far cry from what he could do in his final years before retiring, in his prime he was as spry as you can get from a big man so I enjoyed a lot of his spots too. Nakamura and Tanahashi were still developing, the former was clearly still not as fully confident yet in the ring, haven't truly found his "mojo" yet if you will but for the latter, Tana already showcased some glimpses of what made him into the biggest superstar in Japan. A great sympathetic and relatable underdog hero. Sakaguchi was okay, clearly only there for the bonus nostalgia feels, for someone in his 60's he actually did well all things considered but nobody expected him to last all the way through, he served his part. Bob Sapp, well yeah he was awful, but that's not breaking news to anyone, to his credit he did make up for it with his charisma and the crowd ate up almost everything he did. A pivotal match that presented the two sides of Inoki's conflicted vision. Even though it may not be as fondly remembered because of the era it took place in, this match is essential into the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling, the dark side may have won over this time around, but the heroes did managed to conquer through the end and see the light shine back on them again with the new found Ace leading the charge. Huge thanks to Alex McLeod for allowing me to view this match off his collection! This piece wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for him. Ever since I discovered this match reading through the background of NJPW, I have been intrigued, I was not able to find a copy online, but luckily he was kind enough to upload his version and share it to me so I could have a fair review of this match by actually seeing it. Much respect to you kind sir!
You can check out my other pieces here if you're interested: Toshiaki Kawada and The Reign of Loyalty Kenta Kobashi's Legacy Defining Title Run Follow me on Twitter: @SuperMastodon Thanks For Reading. |
AuthorSuper Mastodon. Spent countless of hours throughout my life watching professional wrestling. Now I write about it, because I like that too. Archives
March 2021
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