Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Hiroshi Hase vs. Great Muta (New Japan 12/14/92)

Another match from the New Japan top 20 as voted on by the Death Valley Driver Message Board many moons ago. This was and still may be a much talked about match for the blood that Muta spills, the beginnings of the insider fan Muta blade job scale.

There was a point during this match where I was heavily leaning towards shutting the match off. I actually grabbed the remote and had it in my hands at the 16 minute mark, looking for something in this match to engage me. The first 15 minutes seemed plodding and disjointed. There was little flow for me, random moves, and Muta’s weirdo act got dull over time. Even when they introduced the spike there seemed to be little crowd reaction or drama in the moment. Muta was bleeding everywhere, but there seemed little at stake.

However, the match turned the corner as the “heel” Muta refused to stay down. They protected and teased his moonsault so that when he hit it, and he did at the end, you knew that was the finish. Muta showed a lot of heart and guts during the final five to eight minutes, and Hase threw suplex after suplex at Muta to keep him down. The finish and the last five to seven minutes made the match special, and a neat pick to see once in your life. I do caution, don’t watch this match if you can’t handle blood. It’s a scary amount that drenched Muta’s face and Hase’s body. It does create quite the visual, but this match does evolve into more than a spectacle or gore-fest.