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superkix

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  1. superkix
    This is a good companion piece to the May tag match, with the same intensity and hot exchanges. I loved Fujiwara in this -- his ability to take a beating from the opposition is one of his hallmarks but he does his fair share of dishing out the revenge slaps and headbutts. I thought Maeda looked really good here, especially in his interactions with Yamazaki, whether its catching a kick and dropping down into a leglock, snapping off a belly-to-belly suplex or sweeping the leg in a beautiful counter. At one point, he hits what looks like a capture buster! In the final minutes of the match, Takada is blasting Yamazaki with some nasty kicks, landing a few to the head and face, but when he tries for a big rolling solebutt and can't hit all of it, Yamazaki scores the pinfall with a quick German suplex hold. Loved this.
  2. superkix
    Heated exchanges, snug strikes, sweet suplexes -- this is my kind of tag. I mean, you’ve got Yamazaki in there with his sick lightning kicks, Takada and Maeda kicking and suplexing all day long, Fujiwara with his slaps and headbutts, at one point, re-injuring a bandaged Maeda, busting him open. There’s almost zero down time, which is kind of what you want from this type of match. Maeda can be a phone call away from a shitty performance but he was really fired up here, especially after seeing red. He had some slick suplexes, including a dragon, and I loved the hot finish between he and Yamazaki – it exemplifies the three rules of UWF perfectly. He first stuns Yamazaki with wheel kicks, plants him with a capture suplex, and then submits him with the crossface chickenwing. Kick, suplex, submission.
  3. superkix
    If you liked their match from '84, then this is your jam, especially the second half, when they're trying to submit, outstrike and outsuplex each other. The early portion of this match ends in, more or less, a stale mate as they trade kicks and knees and scramble around the mat for control. At one point, Takada knocks down Yamazaki with a kick but he's unable to capitalize. Kazuo's finally able to stun Takada with a solebutt and then blasts him in the face with a kick. He becomes a pitbull at this point in the contest, sinking his teeth into Takada with strikes, hitting a German suplex hold and going right into the submission hold. Takada's able to fire back with strikes of his own, crumpling Yamazaki with a kick to the gut. Before long, they're both unloading with some really brutal offense, trying to get that ten count or submission. Yamazaki is able to make back to his feet before the 10 but finally, a well-placed kick to the midsection from Takada is enough to keep him down for the count. Really good stuff.
  4. superkix
    This is Jumbo working in dominant fashion, with Tenryu fighting to get in every lick of offense. He tries to wear Tenryu down with a hard-hitting onslaught of moves, including an awesome diving knee strike, and that recurring Cobra Twist. Tenryu gets in a knee here or an armbar takedown there but Jumbo's firmly in control early on. Tenryu is able to pull off a German suplex hold and powerbombs Jumbo a little too close to the ropes. Late in the game, he starts picking apart Jumbo's leg, surviving a pair of backdrop suplexes, before the action spills outside. Tenryu tries to take him out with a kneebreaker onto the time keeper's table but Jumbo is able to make it back to the ring. However, after they trade enziguris, Jumbo finds himself tangled in the ropes and can't get back to his feet before the referee calls for the bell, awarding Tenryu the victory. A good spirited showing from Tenryu against the more experienced and confident Jumbo.
  5. superkix
    This was a whirlwind of non-stop, no nonsense action, with plenty of stiff kicks and suplexes from Team UWF. I mean, the selling is non-existent but there's little to no downtime. This builds from their 3/20 match with Takada being a little more on the ball when it comes to Koshinaka's wiliness. After Koshinaka catches a foot, Takada slaps his way free and blasts him with a back kick to the grill. Maeda suplexes everyone around the ring, including dumping Koshinaka on his noggin with a belly-to-belly. Mutoh pulls off the moonsault press for a fired up crowd but it's not enough to beat the shooters. Koshinaka tries for a few roll-ups but Takada is able to counter an attempt with a cross kneebar and Koshinaka has no choice but to tap out. A fun, suplex-happy match with everyone poppin' up and hittin' moves.
  6. superkix
    This was a blast. Everyone (mostly) was fired up, the exchanges were red hot, the atmosphere electric. Ueda was a peroxide turd but fortunately, he’s not in this much – I mean, he tags in only to tag in Inoki. But when Fujiwara and Maeda are in there shooting against Fujinami and Inoki, it’s fantastic. There’s a lot to love about this match but there’s also a lot going on. The aggressive jockeying between Fujiwara and Fujinami, Takada and Maeda blasting Team NJPW with kicks and suplexes everywhere. The apron drama during the elimination teases really translated well with the crowd. The double eliminations were awesome, especially Fujinami trying in vain to shake off Fujiwara’s sleeper hold until the only option is to spill over the ropes to the outside. Of course, Inoki is the hero of this particular story and the lone survivor of his team against the invaders. After submitting Takada with the sleeper, Inoki endures everything the fiery Kido throws at him and connects with the big enziguri to win it for New Japan. Tons of passion, intensity and non-stop action – highly recommended.
  7. superkix
    The pairing of Shibata with KENTA works on so many different levels. It’s a shame we only got three tag matches out of them. Hot opening as Big Taue chicken-steps around the ring and Shibata tries to bully the vet with elbows and boots. Taue slaps him silly and gives him a coconut crush to the entertainment of the fans. They eat up Taue’s dive tease. Shibata really brings out the best in the veterans because he gives zero fucks regarding their age. Shiozaki makes for a good whipping boy, especially against a pissed off Shibata. They have great chemistry together. Shibata mocks Taue with a couple of coconut crushes over his knee to Shiozaki and oh boy, Taue is pissed, shaking the ropes. Shibata puts Taue in the octopus hold and when Go comes in and breaks it up, Shibata pedigrees him! They try to set Taue up for the Doomsday Device but he chops his way out. He catches KENTA with a great chokeslam counter to the springboard before chokeslamming Shibata and hitting a sit-out powerbomb for a huge false finish. After Shibata takes down Taue with the sleeper hold > PK combo, they finish off Go with the brutal springboard Doomsday Device for the win. Probably the best Takeover match of the three and a hot crowd for the Shibata/Taue exchanges.
  8. superkix
    For the most part, I liked the story of Shibata trying to take down big boss Kensuke. I thought the legwork was a smart approach, even if it didn't feel like a real threat, but I liked how it came about with Sasaki powerbombing his way out of an armbar, showing off, and Shibata quickly snatching the leg for the takedown and heel hook. Shibata kicking the leg before dragging Sasaki back to the middle and re-applying was great. Sasaki's selling was okay at best but he no sold a lot of Shibata's strikes. At one point, he hulks through probably 15 hard kicks from Shibata before finally succumbing to the damage. After blowing off the legwork, Sasaki hits a bunch of lariats and hurts himself finishing off Shibata with the Northern Lights Bomb. Not a barn burner but the crowd was into it and I thought Shibata playing the underdog was fun.
  9. superkix
    Well, this was a hot mess. Marufuji and Ibushi weren’t at their bests here, with Ibushi looking especially ungainly. Marufuji just didn’t seem to care much at all. That being said, I loved the shoot interactions between Shibata and Morishima. During the match, Shibata tags in Ibushi but Morishima completely blows off Ibushi’s kicks to continue fighting with Shibata and when Ibushi finally gets his attention, Morishima clobbers him with an elbow and tags out. Team NOAH work on the lower back and legs of Ibushi for a bit, keeping him at a distance from his partner, but once Shibata gets the tag, he goes completely nuts on Marufuji with strikes in the corner and poor Marufuji doesn’t have a prayer. It’s an awesome moment in an otherwise not-so-awesome match.
  10. superkix
    This may be my favorite Shibata in BML match. A super fun little match, with a pudgy, teenaged Nakajima slugging it out with Shibata Tons of great strikes, good counterwork, and crowd-supported hope spots for Nakajima. I loved Shibata’s Cobra Twist counter into the shoot pin attempt and Nakajima’s mini-elbows. When Nakajima begins a comeback, Shibata cuts him off the hard way with a piledriver! Nakajima fires off a big roundhouse kick and a German suplex hold but Shibata comes out of the two count with a double wristlock on Nakajima. Shibata follows that up with a PK to the arm, a kick to the chest, and he’s right back into the armbar off the kickout. Nakajima tries to escape but when he slips, Shibata sinks his teeth in and it’s over quickly.
  11. superkix
    Monma’s got an interesting look, almost JCVD villain-esque. He’s a little wild with some of his strikes but his knees looked decent and he did pull out a swanky armbar takedown. After an exaggerated Death Valley Driver, Shibata unloads on him with penalty kicks and backdrops, dumping on his head for the three count. Decent match.
  12. superkix
    This was Karaev’s first pro-wrestling match and…well, it didn’t necessarily show. I feel like he understood his working environment. His strikes weren’t bad and Shibata sold like hell for them. I liked Shibata trying to take out the leg with kicks and ultimately getting the sudden leglock submission. But yeah, this was really too short.
  13. superkix
    I guess this is where the “heat” between Shibata and Shiozaki took root. Shibata kicks the crap out of Shiozaki to open this match and calls out Misawa like a badass. Hell of a way to start the match. This was pandering at times but felt more consistent from bell-to-bell than their previous tag. Misawa took some major bumps (Jesus, that springboard Doomsday Device) and the interactions between he and Shibata felt unique but it’s a lot of Shiozaki getting dominated. Shiozaki doesn’t look bad in there and he’s always been a good seller. Love Misawa snapping on KENTA when he comes at him with those disrespectful shit kicks in the corner. The story here is Shibata REALLY wants to put Misawa to sleep and defeat him. He dangerously backdrops Misawa on his head after a sleeper hold and slaps it right back on, tiring him out for the PK. Shiozaki breaks it up and immediately pays for it. That KENTA save from across the ring after the moonsault was awesome. In the end, Shiozaki survives the PK but not a few brutal kicks to the head. Another good to great tag match with plenty of fun moments.
  14. superkix
    This was like a greatest hits match, with a lot of cool spots and moments, but no real cohesion. Yone was the lame duck and the match lost a bit of its steam when he was controlling on offense. KENTA and Shibata were a fun pairing, and pissed off Baby Huey Morishima was awesome, especially in his interactions with KENTA. After KENTA hits the tag-in springboard dropkick, his shitty little face kicks only aggravate Morishima, which leads to a beat down and Morishima tossing him out of the ring. Shibata/KENTA looked pretty great on offense but Morishima’s volatility was the best thing about this match, in my opinion. When KENTA goes to fuck with him on the apron, Morishima yanks him out of the ring and throws him over the barricade! Things slow down when Morishima/Yone are on offense, though I loved the smaller KENTA throwing himself at both guys in attempt to fight them off. Shibata worked in some good strikes and arm control on Morishima, and I loved him coming in and booting Morishima over the ropes to the outside to set up the big springboard Doomsday Device. The final stretch was a mess but the finish between KENTA and Morishima was brutal. Not a great match by any means but plenty of great moments.
  15. superkix
    In his last match with New Japan, Shibata faces Tenryu, who promptly exits the ring to meet Shibata on the entrance ramp and throws him down into some chairs before returning to the ring. Awesome. This was all kinds of ridiculous in maybe the best way possible? I don’t know. They trade finishers maybe half a dozen times before Tenryu tries to kill him with a rope-hung DDT from the apron to the floor. Holy shit. Shibata comes back pissed and stiff with strikes. He connects with the second PK of the match but Tenryu’s not going out like that. He DDTs Shibata through the slaps and nearly KOs him with a front necklock. Loved the look on Tenryu’s face after Shibata kicks out, followed by a barely coherent Shibata stumbling into a pair of guh! punches for the finish.
  16. superkix
    This isn’t much but what we get is Shibata trying to get in as much offense against Kawada as he can, riffing some of Kawada’s own signatures, before Kawada snaps and goes apeshit on him, chopping him in the throat and backdropping him on his head. Surprisingly, Shibata is able to wear Kawada down with the sleeper for the PK but that’s as close to victory as Shibata is able to taste. The finish is something else as he and Kawada go at it until Kawada rocks him silly with shots, including a KO punch, which Shibata mistakenly sits up from so Kawada kicks him in the head and drops the knee for the three count. Kawada's selling made this thing all the more enjoyable. A sub-10 minute match with a great back half.
  17. superkix
    YO! We worked with artist James Frazier to come up with a neat Fist of the North Star/Fighting Network RINGS mash up t-shirt. Pre-orders are open now, check it out: http://fightingnetworkfriends.bigcartel.com/
  18. superkix
    Stiff as hell right from the bat, with Kawada coming at Hansen with machine gun slaps and Hansen kneeing him and tossing him out of the ring to cool off. Hansen always sells so great for Kawada's kicks, and his selling of the legwork was top notch here. Kawada chops out Hansen's legs with kicks and uses a single leg crab to wear him down. I love that even when Hansen is falling from the bum leg, he still manages to strike Kawada. Awesome leglock spot with Hansen kicking at Kawada's face to get out of the submission hold. Of course, the big desperation powerbomb on the outside was big turning point in the match but the scoop slam onto the guardrail looked even more painful. Loved Hansen's back bodydrop into the elbow drop spot. Kawada's kicks are pretty hellacious as he catches Hansen with a shot to the chin, staggering the bull and turning the tide in his favor. During the finishing stretch, Hansen calls for the lariat but Kawada counters with a jumping high kick. This only pisses Hansen off so he powerbombs him and puts him the Brazos Valley Backbreaker. In frustration, Hansen refuses to break the hold, and you can tell he's ready to end this. Great elbow by Kawada and collapse into the pin but Hansen ultimately hits the lariat for the win. Another fun, stiff brawl, with a little more substance and structure.
  19. superkix
    A great match. Kawada's selling and facials are great throughout and when Hansen smells blood, he immediately begins targeting the leg -- it's cool to see Hansen relax into the legwork, either on the mat or shinbreaking Kawada on the guardrail. Hansen sells strong for Kawada after a big kick folds him over the guardrail. The crowd energy builds around the potential for Hansen's lariat. Several times during the match, you can hear the crowd getting excited for Hansen to signal for the lariat but instead, he kicks or elbows Kawada, and the crowd dies down. Really loved the dragon sleeper struggle, with Kawada switching arms to prevent Hansen from escaping, until they collapse into the ropes. When Hansen finally calls for the lariat, the crowd heats up and he connects with the enzui lariat but he purposely breaks the hold. Throws a little water onto the fire and I get why he doesn't want to end it that way. Hansen's a man. He wants you to see the lariat coming. Great jackknife powerbomb before he just murders Kawada with the lariat. Lots of ups and tons as far as crowd energy goes, but it's a smartly worked match for Hansen and one of his best solo performances.
  20. superkix
    Fun to see Jumbo in a bully role and the fans firmly behind Fuchi in their only singles match. There's a nice little build to the backdrop but as Fuchi continues to counter the attempts with submissions, working him on the mat. I like when Fuchi keeps grabbing Jumbo's arm to prevent him from using a rope break. For awhile, Jumbo wears down Fuchi with abdominal stretches and sleeper holds. When Jumbo finally hits the backdrop, he can't immediately capitalize and Fuchi kicks out at two. But Jumbo hits a second one and that's all she wrote. Great selling from both men, a fun build, but a simple and safe tournament match.
  21. superkix
    So much to love about this match -- stuff like Kawada selling Hansen’s haymakers like death, or the way Hansen kicks Kawada like he’s kicking at a clod of cow shit. I love how Hansen throws his weight into offense, like that big back elbow out of the corner or the awesome diving shoulderblock through the ropes. They take turns controlling portions of the match and at one point, Hansen looks a little lost and then really looks lost (as in loss of consciousness) when Kawada's got him trapped in the Stretch Plum. Kawada destroys him in the corner with kicks and chops at him before Hansen just grabs him by the head and slams him down with zero shits given. After Hansen’s big ole release powerbomb, he signals for the lariat and the crowd is eating it up. Kawada cuts him off but Hansen hits one of the greatest lariats of all time, the momentum of it carrying him clear out of the ring! They're both sluggish and glazed over, and Hansen almost collapses into that final enzui-lariat with enough power to defeat Kawada. Great psychology, brutal shitkicking strikes, and a super hot crowd during the final minutes of the match. One of the best brawls of all time.
  22. superkix
    Short, violent match, with Fuchi brutalizing Kikuchi with at least 10 backdrop suplexes. Fuchi tries to bully Kikuchi early on but Kikuchi ain’t having it and I really loved Kikuchi's early run. Believable early nearfall off the German suplex hold, Fuchi busted open and reeling. Then Fuchi starts torturing Kikuchi with the backdrops and it's...tragic. I mean, Kikuchi is trying to survive, hooking the leg to block another attempt or grabbing the ropes, but Fuchi keeps backdropping him and there's this sad final visual of Kikuchi crawling around the mat, looking for a way out, before Fuchi continues to backdrop into oblivion. These two have such great in-ring chemistry but watching Fuchi's hyper-aggressive onslaught is really something to behold.
  23. superkix
    This was fun -- quick, crisp, innovative. This was the first time I'd seen these either of these two wrestle and there was some neat offense like Kamaitachi's wrist-clutch dragon screws or Dragon Lee's roll-through Regal Plex. The legwork was whatever but it still played a decent role in the match and wasn't completely ignored, although Lee's selling could've added something. But as a high spot lucha match, this delivered.
  24. superkix
    As a spirited junior heavyweight-style match, this was fun stuff. Shingo is the king of bombz, and at the time, current Open the Dream Gate champion. I've always liked the fire and intensity he brings to the ring, whereas Mochizuki is the aging ring warrior here, and dang, he takes a thrashing from Shingo. Mochizuki wrestled smart, aware of the danger Shingo poses. The arm work was whatever -- limbwork goes nowhere in a DG match. Mochizuki's kicks on point and that tree-of-woe headlook looked real nasty. Shingo looked strong and his power movez looked legit, but this was the Mochizuki show, and his performace made Shingo look that much stronger. The finishing stretch where a frenzied Mochizuki is just trying to survive Shingo's relentless big offense was a definite highlight. He didn't let his age slow him down and brought everything. High energy, high emotion, one of the better DG matches I've seen.
  25. superkix
    This was one of the very first NOAH matches I remember seeing during my initial exposure to Japanese pro-wrestling and, at the time, my high school brain was like "whoooa, dude, what the hell did I just watch?". So having rewatched this, it's still a fun story with the young brash Jun Akiyama trying to dethrone King Kobashi with everything he's got and Kobashi...well, dropping Jun on his head a lot and Akiyama with the will to survive. It's long though, and you know, I struggle with overly long, thick matches. I really liked the opening with Kobashi trying to set the stage with chops and Akiyama doing a little swanky maneuvering where he can to turn the tide on Kobashi. Loved Akiyama’s driving elbows in the corner. Then we get Kobashi focusing on the neck, where he hits a cool front necklock deadlifted into a suplex, and Akiyama again turning the tide with a nasty dropkick to the knee before working over Kobashi's arm. But it's filler...well-executed, sure, but filler nonetheless. Soon, Kobashi is dumping him with a sleeper suplex or a half nelson suplex on the rampway. Then Akiyama comes back and hits an Exploder to Kobashi on the floor (sold like death by Kobashi) and tries to set-up for his front necklock finish. When Kobashi grabs the ropes immediately, Akiyama hits the wrist-clutch Exploder for a terrific nearfall. They're both obviously exhausted by this point in the match and I like how it played somewhat into the finish, with Kobashi collapsing into his pin attempts. Akiyama still trying to fight back even in the face of death was great, before Kobashi stuns him with the spinning backchop and destroys him with the Burning Hammer. A really good match, awesome in parts, with a good build and tons of bombs...but too long for my tastes.
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