# 132. Riki Choshu vs. Salman Hashimikov (7/12/89)

I’m shocked by how low this finished. I was fascinated by the Russian shooter stuff after the Hash match at the Dome, so I when I saw this on the same disk I made a point to watch it. It’s not that it’s a top 20 match or anything, but it’s a solid eight minutes, an appropriate length given the story, and didn’t come apart in the body for me like so many other 20 minute matches on this set. Everything meant something here. A decent technical battle to start out, Choshu bringing the presence and fire while allowing the bigger Hashimikov to show off a few holds and colorful suplexes. These Russians don;t really understand selling at a high level, but they were scary good in big match situations with what I assume was very little training. The odd thing about this match is the native babyface Choshu starts taking a beating (vicious overhead suplex on the outside), and begins his comeback with an illegal kick to the groin. He sells, while at the same time bringing some strong, dramatic lariats, and Choshu takes the clean three count. I know some would argue you can’t go over three stars for an eight minutes story, but this would have been higher on my ballot than # 132. I’d think it’s between 40 and 55.

I’m stepping away from my top 25 goal again, but I saw this on match on the menu and had to see how it held up…

44. Jushin Liger vs. Naoki Sano (7/13/89)

They have a match voted into the top ten from a month later, so this will serve as a primer. I’ve seen more 1990s Liger than early Liger, but I remember great word of mouth about this match up. This is juniors action, for those who don’t know. Just the opening series of exchanges alone – a point, counterpoint of reversals and holds – is way ahead of its time. It’s the precursor of “demonstration/standoff” wrestling that we still see today in workrate-based matches and promotions. I knew Liger was great, but it’s important to mention how much Sano holds up is end of this match. Its fast and crisp stuff that gradually gets meaner as the contest wears on.Even the lariats are stiff, well-timed, and compact. A body slam in this match gets my attention. Sano’s control segment flows well, and there’s a spot where Liger gives Sano back a surfboard he had suffered a minute before.

Liger does a diving elbow that would make Randy Savage proud. I think what I’m digging so much about this match is that it doesn’t need a million punches, elbow shivers, or shoot kicks. It’s a wrestling contest without a wasted moment or sense of hyperbole that pulls me away from the agreed upon illusion. As I write that last line Liger gives Sano a snap suplex to the floor, followed by a senton dive. I’ll let it slide. The crowd, and I, are invested in this one. My only minus is the selling doesn’t feel dramatic enough, but it makes up for it with urgency and a real sense of drama that develops.

This has built to all out crazy move insanity. They are slowing down to sell, but at fast moments it’s dizzying. Sano’s advantage produces a few near falls, which lead to Liger hope spots. They get somewhat sloppy, but in a realistic way that actually adds to the match. It ends around fourteen minutes, as both men can’t make the refs count to ten in the ring. They lay there, selling for a while. Only nitpick I have is the ref was so anxious to get to the finish that there was no drama in the fast count. It made it obvious he was getting to the finish when he started counting the minute they hit the mat.

A very good match that serves as a great primer for the eventual top ten rematch.

I can not help myself. I wanted to get to match # 24, but the next match on the DVD has Vader coming out in his crazy smoke-shooting head dress, and a Russian shooter. Main Event heavyweights. So we’ll do…

# 63. Big Van Vader vs. Salman Hashimikov (7/13/89)

Vader has so much charisma here, getting the crowd involved and yet scaring them at the same time. I’m watching the opening Vader beatdown of Hashimikov for the Russian’s selling, and I’ve got to say it’s very acceptable stuff. Awesome moment where Hash comes back with a huge lariat that Vader sells perfectly, and then rolls to the outside. He sells a whip into the barricade, and the place is alive for Hashimikov. Very good start.

The way Vader uses his aggression and size the bully a good-sized Hash around is one heck of an image. Hashimikov won’t back down, and there’s a moment where he’s sent to the outside and hops back over the top rope. It pops the crowd, and I’m into this match myself. Hash’s amatuer technique for getting Vader off his feet are always enjoyable and have an epic, big feel to them. Vader keeps coming. He has a big back drop driver spot in there. Hash comes back with a German suplex (you’d have to see it to believe it), a moment later picking Vader up over his shoulder and carrying him around before dropping him back for a good nearfall.

Vader comes back with a huge lariat (great realistic bump by Hash), a splash, and then a powerslam, all for some credible nearfalls. Hash is playing a great underdog in an MMA sense. He’s not playing to the crowd with spirit, but you can see it in his movements and on his face. Vader finally finishes him with a huge belly-to-belly suplex at 8:46. What a monster. Hashimikov runs from the ring, perhaps in embarrassment, I don’t know, while Vader goes into the crowd to scare people.

I love this match — it’s big man power wrestling done tight and stiff — and I’m shocked at how low this finished. I guess the field was just too great, but all these Russian wrestler matches from ’89 are gold.

Let’s go one more and finally do one form the top 25 list…

24. Akira Maeda vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara (2/5/86)

There are opinion makers at DVDVR that will try to sell you Fujiwara as the greatest of all time, and while I wouldn’t go that far (It’s all very subjective), I like him more now than I did a year before. He definitely has something that you can’t deny, in the same way I feel that for Fujinami and to a greater extent Choshu. Maeda is a famous name who didn’t do anything for me early in the set, but yu could tell his training and work ethic was solid. So I go into this one with question marks and unsure expectations.

I am partial to the hold exchanges and escapes they present early. It’s not like Liger/Sano where it came off as a display, as this felt like more of a contest, but unfortunately at a run-through speed. It didn’t feel lazy, just not intense. Another thing hurting for me is that this is the first match in a while without the big atmosphere, so the work is going to have to carry everything. In alot of ways this has the feel of a second match on the PPV card modern UFC bout. Both guys are looking for an opening, but know a finish probably isn’t coming early.

This is pretty much a complete style change form the 1989 stuff I was watching. Ground-based submission stuff with shoot-style kicks and punches when they do stand. No rope running in the first few minutes, and it doesn’t quite feel like wrestling until Fujiwara pulls out his great headbutts. Maeda seems to dominate the standing against the more reserved Fujiwara. On the ground Fujiwara seems to have the advantage.

This match, so far, is exactly why I dropped out of doing the entire set. Very slow to develop without a clear storyline. Alot of stuff that doesn’t build, and though there is a story, it feels more like they are trying to mimic shoot stuff than tell a wrestling story. It’s not bad, and there is a story for sure, but I loved Vader or Hashimoto versus the Russians much more. This match, so far, is not my style.

So they roll outside in dueling leg locks and the bell rings. They are separated and then the match seems to restart. The language barrier prevents me from knowing what is going on. Perhaps this is a multi-falls match. Maeda continues to dominate standing up, so Fujiwara takes the match to the ground. That’s a good story element to follow. I think Fujiwara is bleeding from the mouth too. Fujiwara takes a beating standing, escapes a German suplex attempt, and gets a flash armbar. His facials are great, as are his quick, desperate transitions into submissions. While Fujiwara is very good, this match continues to lay under the surface for me. Close to breaking through, but not there yet ten minutes plus in. Fujiwara gets caught in a rear naked choke, and his facials while going unconscious are fantastic. Still, I wasn’t that into the struggle. This is bad — again, it’s just not the right blend of style for me. I do think I could like a hybrid of this with Fujiwara though. I do like more modern pro wrestling adaptations.

Had this match been picked out of 1981 and plotted into today’s wrestling, especially WWE or TNA, I’d be in love with it and herald it as a great little compact match. As it stands in the context of early 80s New Japan, it’s a mat based match in a sea of juniors mat work on this set. That doesn’t nullify or discredit it’s effectiveness, but it doesn’t help it in my overall standing.

Takano was fun, and a very capable worker I’m more than willing to see more of. Lane was very surprising in this ground-based war, and more than kept up. Most of the time I thought he led. The mat work, holds, and transitions were great. I actually didn’t like when Lane eventually transitioned into punching and kicking. I liked Takano’s head spear to the gut. It’s a simple ten minute match with Lane going over clean, and a perfectly fine little match, but it will get lost in the shuffle for me. 3 and 6/10.

Not sure how I feel about another go ‘round from the chin and the Lariat, but it’s on the set, so I’m watching it.

A live band plays Inoki’s theme as he comes out to a laser light show. That’s pretty cool. And they say Vince McMahon created Sports Entertainment. Ha. Hansen gets the same treatment. We get the national anthems being played. This certainly has the stage befitting a big match. The crowd is chanting for Inoki early. He stays a step ahead of Hansen for a moment, but Hansen grounds Inoki, and for lack of a better term, pounds Inoki. Hansen’s clubbing blows have an effect, and Inoki has to reassess is game plan. The utilization of chin locks and head scissors in this series is astounding in number.

Hansen pulls out the thick knee drops and forces Inoki to sell a bit (I’ve got beef with Inoki’s lack of selling, and if you’ve read these diaries, you are sick of hearing about it). The big move of the first six minutes is a Hansen pile driver, forcing Inoki to the outside. If this was Memphis there would be dire ramifications. It really was not used as a finishing move in any of the matches I’ve seen. Inoki’s comeback is a quick arm bar submission attempt. Hansen stops it with knees. He even throws in one ugly drop kick, and gets a near fall. I desperation Inoki chops the big man down with kicks to the knee, and grabs the leg for a wear down submission.

This is my favorite Inoki/Hansen match so far for consistency of psychology and story telling. Maybe the other ones just didn’t catch me and there was depth there too. It’s in the eye of the beholder sometimes. Inoki manages to stay on step ahead using his feet, and they create some movement here too, which is nice on the eyes. Hansen is narrowly escaping Inoki just past ten minutes, as the smaller guy is really giving him a run for his money. Finally Hansen sends him into the ropes for the big lariat. 1-2-kickout! The place erupts. This rules.

A great spot slightly smudged: Hansen goes for a short lariat, misses, and Inoki goes for a kick to the back of the head – miss. He does it again quick and it seems fine. Glad he fixed it quickly, though some may argue you don’t redo spots. Inoki comes off the top and nails him. He comes off the top again with a knee to the body. 1-2-3. Hansen kicks out a second too late. In a way it ended at the right time, but at 13 minutes, it kinda didn’t have a second act where Hansen destroyed him. Hansen’s offer of a handshake after the match was a great moment that I’m glad I saw after the series. They run through a zillion highlights of Inoki’s career as he’s given the belt. In a lot of ways I liked this the most of the series they had. 3 ¼ and 6.5/10.

#25. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Vader (4/24/89)

The match was good and had a flow to it, though it’s still odd seeing the way they bumped back then as opposed to now. The bumping takes time to get used to. Not as “beautiful” in that sense, but perhaps more realistic. Damn modern wrestling influences. Anyway, Vader plays a great monster, but I don’t think he was as good here as he would become in WCW. He bumped more than I thought he would, but then this was a big show match against the # 2 native of the decade, babyface underdog extraordinaire, Fujinami. Fujinami is really good on this set, but there’s something that holds me back with him and makes me see Choshu as a greater performer. I think it’s move selection, the timing of when to use moves, and the atmosphere they create. I can’t explain it concisely, but suffice to say this was my favorite Fujinami match that didn’t involve Choshu. Fujinami goes for arm submissions (which I bought), Vader is great when he’s in trouble, and we get some drama. Vader squashes him by sitting down on his chest, does what by today’s standards looks like a silly jumping splash, then gets the clean pin. Crowd is really quiet after that one, but it was a satisfying ending that build up Vader even more. I liked the match.

I kept the DVD rolling, saw a young Hashimoto in the Tokyo Dome, and had to sit through it once I saw that his opponent was some Soviet shooter named Victor Zangiev. Which led into…

#27. Shinya Hashimoto vs. Victor Zangiev (4/24/89)

This match was all kinds of awesome. You had a hot Tokyo Dome crowd that was into the MMA aspect of the match, Hash being a native doughy tough guy and Zangiev being an Olympic wrestler that has the feel of a decade-early Kurt Angle when he was in a match with Benoit. Very simple seven minute contest that I hesitate to call a sprint because it was paced so well. The Russian did cool suplexes and Hash showed the charisma and poised I’ve always heard about but never seen (I have watched criminally little of his career.) Arm bars and heel hooks in this one, and the Russian taps to a Hash ankle submission that was done at the perfect time. Reminded me of the famed Kawada vs Gary Albright match from the mid-nineties, though I might like this one more because they don’t try to do to much. They use the styles clash and the outsider aspect to work a quick, impact-filled, match. Highly recommended.

I took a day, sat on that one, then watched this…

#15. Shinya Hashimoto vs. Vader (4/24/89)

This from the same night as the prior two matches. What a sick show that April ’89 New Japan Dome show was. Vader’s big aura is evident here. Liked that he brought out the the giant head gear that shoots out pressurized air when he commands it. This was neat because Vader has the feel of a monster, while Hash is young-but-not-little-guy. He wasn’t a big fatty here, but thick around the middle. Surprisingly strong holds and wrestling in this one. Really strong style stuff, and that doesn’t mean a million stiff kicks or head drops. Think holds involving struggle and decent slap boxing from big men. Vader pulled off a spinning backfist that looked good. Vader beats the crap out of Hash with lariats (they actually mean something still), but can’t keep Hash down for the three. Vader finally throws another lariat that takes out Hash, but the three count gets screwed up by special ref Lou Thesz (i think that’s him), who didn’t think it was the finish and hesitated huge on the three count. Vader goes over to everyone’s shock, and man is that a way to make a monster heel in one night. This was really good, but I might have enjoyed the first two matches a little more.

rolling on…

19. Riki Choshu vs. Big Van Vader (6/27/89)

I love Choshu, plain and simple. I love his punches, his psychology, his presence, and his charisma. Vader was on a roll, as you can see from the matches above, and this clicked because Choshu was willing to get beat up and then fire back in the body of the match. It starts out hot with Choshu taking and beating and then coming on strong. Choshu rips the mask and Vader BLEEDS. Epic stuff here, especially because both men came off as tough. Great match with an average finish. Vader destroys Choshu on the outside, bleeds on him for a minute, and then gets the count out win. Extra points for his Bloody-Brody-storming-through-the-audience bit after the match. Recommended, just be prepared for the finish.

Hell yes! Tiger Mask makes his first appearance on the set. I totally respect TM detractors (and Dynamite negaters too), as there are some valid points, but I simply mark out big time for this match up. It’s fun. Hopefully that feeling is validated in the work.

The first minute has such an energy that I find a breath of fresh air to this set. It’s true that TM is flashy, but can be sloppy and/or miss moves. Very true. But his escapes and movements are entertaining. His underdog persona is more apparent than Fujinami. His speed is beyond anything seen on the set, and it’s used as an asset. His selling, long term, isn’t great, and the structure of the matches can be picked apart, but that said I’ve sat through some really sound mat-based stuff that ended up with me feeling bored. Dynamite is a good foil, and being willing to bump for the smaller TM, is an asset to the match.

All that said, you get alot in this match. You get holds and reversals. You get an up and down rollercoaster feel. You get stiff action and acrobatics. Dynamite plays a trashy heel willing to go for the mask and try to tear it off. I can’t help but like this match, and therefore end up on the other end of criticism (I’m willing to take for my tastes).

On the down side you do get spottiness and misses moves. To that I say: This is the start of innovation. They are figuring it out as they go, and their style was influential of many wrestlers and promotions I liked. It’s ten minutes of interesting stuff, and it has faults, so I’m not going to have it high overall, but it has validity to me, if that makes any sense. 2 ¾ and 3/10.

We saw this one early on (Match # 2). It had a good storyline to a 2/3 falls match, and now the long awaited rematch begins.

Fujinami has confetti in his hair at the start. It’s a good look for him. Keirn fireman carries early on are fun. I’m a mark for that move. Fujinami counters with some good head scissors. You get the typically strong Fujinami mat work here, and Keirn is decent in his own right. I’d say he’s doing more than following along. In typical Fujinami fashion he ends up being controlled and beaten down a bit, gets frustrated, and then has some bursting comebacks that are great to watch. He isn’t my favorite wrestler overall, but for the early 80s New Japan he’s the man.

Fujinami takes out Keirn’s knee hard and works him over, causing Keirn to pull out some desperation sleeper holds. Fujinami escapes and hits a wicked knee drop from the top rope. The finish comes at about seventeen minutes when they go a few reversals and Fujinami hits a German suplex for the win. Solid, if uneventful, stuff at this point. 3 and 6/10.

Joined in progress?! What’s this crap? I’ve been waiting on this one ever since the first Kimura/Chavo tango. We come in mid-hold, friends.

It’s a random hold, but the way Kimura moves into a leg lace is beautiful. The shoot wrestling and holds section of this match is something to behold. It flows, and yet has a strength, -more so than many of the other well received matches before it. This is a set with little to no bad mat/hold exchanges, and this is high end of that. Chavo love ripping arms out of their sockets. Brutal. These guys make each other work for every hold, and I love that. Chavo does a jumping head scissors takeover that I’m in love with.

It slows down a bit to much in the middle for me. Kimura grabs a few holds, and it’s not like it’s bad, but the struggle gets a bit dull for two minutes. Chavo comes back with some higher impact stuff, and Kimura learns from his mistakes. Time move on, and I’m not feeling it, then Kimura busts out the big moves. A back drop suplex and two big pile drivers send Chavo to the floor. Kimura goes for too much and misses a dive. Chavo gets back in after a summersault splash on Kimura, and wins via count out. Decent early stuff, duller second half, and a good last minute. 3 and 6.1/10.

Finally, a match where I have a rooting interest. I like Hansen. He’s tough and bad ass, and is style works for me. Backlund is a total goof who comes out here waving to the crowd like a geeky Howdy Doody. I* hope Hansen destroys Backlund, who may or may not be the WWWF World Champion here (he has a belt).

I have no idea how Hansen kept a straight face in the early going. Backlund’s facials and the way he’d get fired up cracks me. Up. The story here is Backlund finding a way to say away from the big blows of Hansen and remove the space between them. This works for a short while until the big bull smashes Backlund and heads into the Hansen rear chin lock (no daylight showing on those). There are a few sloppy moments, but nothing really bad. Backlund uses arm drags effectively in the early going. It’s odd judging a match that would be at home in WWWF Madison Square Garden on a New Japan set.

It’s fun watching Backlund somewhat frustrate the big Texan. I love when Hansen clubs a guy, then sells the guys elbow of retaliation. It gets tremendously heated once Backlund picks up Hansen in his guard and lifts him onto the top rope. Hansen isn’t amused, and they go crazy on each other for a bit until Hansen starts selling. Hansen almost comes across as the babyface, fighting out of this stuff. My knock on Backlund is that you become aware he’s creating a performance at times, where you feel like Hansen is living this.

Ten minutes in, and Hansen sure likes wrist and arm holds. That’s where we are here. The layout of New Japan matches is something I’m just getting used to, as holds (consequential and inconsequential) are a big part deep into the match. Backlund comes back with a big knee and a pile driver. Now the fans, and I, are totally into this. They run the ropes a bit, sell, and go for pins. It all works great no matter who is in control (it’s back and forth). A Backlund splash is met with Hansen’s knees. He sends him into the ropes for a jumping knee. The fight goes outside. Hansen was great at the stereotypical bar room brawl. He lets his body go. This is some intense brawling. It ends, as you might expect, in a count out at 15 minutes, with Backlund pretty beat up, but manages a horribly telegraphed chair shot. Backlund gets his hand raised, so maybe it was a DQ finish. They have an awesome brawl in the ring post-match. Hansen has a shiner when it is over. Decent match that really hit it’s stride in the last five minutes. 3 ¼ and 6.3/10.

No idea who Ron Starr is, but he has curly hair and an outfit that can only be described as era appropriate. He looks like a jobber, but there is most likely a good reason this is on the set.

There is nothing actively bad about this match. In fact, Starr is a very capable wrestler despite his look. However, this is where the “sameness” of the juniors formula (or maybe Fujinami formula) I have seen to this point crept in for me. Starr doesn’t make a mammoth effort during the long holds segment where Fujinami is working from the bottom. It creates a “going through the motions” feel, even when there is effort given. This didn’t feel special, it felt solid, and solid on this set means you knew how to do a few things on the mat, and get out a Fujinami’s way when he does his comebacks. This one felt more average then the other run of the mill matches I’ve seen so far.

I do enjoy the parts where Fujinami has his hope spots and comebacks, not to mention him getting beat up looks decent too. The airplane spin from Fujinami was a good surprise. I’m getting sick of the double drop kick miss spot though. The way Fujinami goes over strong and clean with the Boston crab at the sixteen minute mark was a plus to the match. 2 ½ and 5/10.

After Kimura’s performance against Fujinami, his stock is rising with me. Chavo was in my favorite match from disc one, also with the great Fujinami. This could be fun.

Chavo’s holds are pretty solid and I believe him as a challenger for the WWWF juniors title. I am growing a little wary and tired of the overall formula of these matches. It’s not that they are all exactly the same, but the guidelines they follow is clear. An early exchange of holds and reversals, followed by a longer segment of holds and control segments for each guy. Then you get strikes and movement towards the end, and maybe a clean finish if you are luck.

Chavo makes me happy about ten minutes in when he takes control and begins to punch and kick. I never thought I’d say this after being raised on WWF, but I was happy to see punch-kick stuff. When did a snap suplex become a brain buster? Either way Chavo has upped the big moves, and he’s trying to get Fujinami up for a pile driver. He drops that and works on some nifty arm bars and pin attempts. The pace is really going here, so I’d guess this is the home stretch. Fujinami and Chavo both miss big flips, which I’ve seen no one land when coming off the ropes towards a guy. Chavo gets tossed outside and Fujinami hits a dive on him. The count starts from the ref. Chavo stops Fujinami from getting back in and hits a back drop driver on the outside floor. An interesting finish where Chavo is half through the ropes, with Fujinami holding on for dear life, when the ref counts to twenty. Double count out finish in sixteen minutes. 3 ¼ and 6.5/10.