[1996-11-16-FMW-Scramble Survivor] Taka Michinoku vs Hayabusa

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Nice match except for the chair overkill. I know it's FMW so I don't mind a little of it, but it really became the focal point of the match in parts.

[El-P]

I recommended this match. Haven't seen it in years though. I do remember them packing up thos damn japanese chairs. It's much better than the Sasuke match it was building to. TAKA also had a nice match with WIN*G Kanemura at the same period.

[Superstar Sleeze]

This features the most egregious blowing off of psychology I think I have ever seen when Hayabusa decided to do a tombstone piledriver on the floor and work the rest of the match at full speed after Taka had put his knee into multiple leg laces, figure 4s, wicked springboard basement dropkick, and a chair shot to the knee. If they just did a straight spotfest, I would have said this was a pretty good match because both are pretty excellent at execution. However, if you decide to put in knee psychology dont act like the first 10 minutes didnt exist.

 

The fact that Loss' complaint was about chairs makes me think I watched a different match as I only saw Taka use the chair once on the knee and Hayabusa pile up the chair. That was hardly overkill in my mind. The spotfest portion was well-done as Taka hit an absolutely ridiculous springboard corkscrew dive to the outside. I am a total mark for the 450 splash and Hayabusa's looked great. Each kicked out of the other's finisher a bunch before Hayabusa won with a very safely performed Steiner Screwdriver.

 

I made my gripes clear, but I will praise them for their crisp execution during the spotfest portion.

[PeteF3]

Pretty much a total stuntshow, but the stunts were well-done. Don't go into this expecting depth, but it's a fun little sprint. TAKA had quite the interesting 1996, as he seemingly worked every indy promotion on the planet against myriad types of opponents, including Kanemura (evidently, according to this thread) and a BattlArts match with Minoru Tanaka. Sort of a junior Tenryu.

[soup23]

This match kind of encapsulated the problems I have with Hayabusa overall as a worker and while I can never truly consider him great. The opening matwork is good when that is the focal point, the selling of the leg is good when that is the focal point. Also, the highspots and bombs are spectacular in the back half of the match. Unfortunately, none of those three things go together at all into one cohesive match and therefore it is unsuccessful. **1/2

[tim]

I really enjoyed this as a spotfest. From Hayabusa's moonsault on the chairs they never let up and it's just spot after spot, and everything looks good. Taka hits an especially spectacular moonsault and the work in the ring at the end feels like a really hard fought bombfest.

[WingedEagle]

Loved this! Taka slid right into Hayabusa's house style here mixing the flying and brawling while both hit just about everything flawlessly. Sleeze's comments about selling are more than fair although I don't think the leg work was so extensive as to be unforgivable that it didn't carry through the rest of the way. Someone said about Dandy/Black Warrior on this disc that you had to view it through a certain perspective to really appreciate it. I think that's a great point even if I'm not sure I agree -- but when I watch Hayabusa vs. Taka I want to see them go all out, try a bunch of ridiculous spots and hopefully hit more than they miss. I don't want them to tell a story on the mat. It just so happens that on this night they not only hit just about every spot but chained them together in a cohesive fashion and built a really great match in the process.

****