[1992-02-04-NJPW-Fighting Spirit] Masa Chono & Hiroshi Hase vs Tatsumi Fujinami & Shiro Koshinaka

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Any match that involves all NJ homegrown talent is at the very least fun. This was good. I've definitely seen better, but they kept the action moving and the opening minutes involving Hase and Fujinami were especially good.

[Tim Evans]

I didn't like this as much as Loss. Hase was pretty good and the ending stretch was nice but the beginning and middle was just boring and heatless.

[MikeCampbell]

This was solid stuff, nobody was bad, but only Hase was outstanding here. Did Chono and Hase team up much? I only know of this, and challenging the Steiners at a Clash.

[WingedEagle]

Really enjoyed this, from the early Fujinami/Hase exchanges onwards with only Chono ever looking a bit of his league. The other 3 delivered their signature spots with Hase throwing out a bunch of suplexes, uranage, scorpion and giant swing and Kosh with his butt bumps. Nice to see Fujinami still hanging with these guys after what he'd been through in previous years.

 

***3/4

[PeteF3]

Good match but mostly carried by Chono and Hase. Hase looked great, Chono looked quite good, Koshinaka and Fujinami ranged from mediocre to good in spots. Interesting story towards the end where Koshinaka seems to be attempting to call Fujinami in to make saves and Fujinami not doing it, despite Chono and Hase making saves for each other. Finally as Kosh is locked in the STF, Fujinami comes in, but Hase is in his way and Shiro has to tap. Camera focuses on Fujinami afterward. Is this what leads to Shiro forming the Skinheads?

[garretta]

Nice little match, with the big story being the dissension between Koshinaka and Fujinami. I feel like we missed a good bit of the buildup to this, since some of the moves Koshinaka wanted to be saved from by Fujinami seemed a bit basic. Maybe that's why Fujinami didn't come in until after Chono had locked in the STF, by which time it was too late.

 

Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot here. Chono and Hase were the much more fluid team, and I liked the work they did on Koshinaka's leg. Hase's an excellent tag team wrestler whether he's paired with Chono or Muto.

 

This feels like a big win for Hase and Chono, but since Muto is Hase's regular partner, it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Still, it was a pleasant way to spend twenty minutes.

[dawho5]

Hase really ripped it up here. Chono hit a few of his signatures really good, but for the most part was not great. For all of Kosh's demanding help, he didn't seem that interested in tagging when he had the chance. Just kept throwing stuff out like he hadn't been begging for help a minute or so earlier. Not a great match, but another really good Hase performance. I'm starting to think he will be my second favorite after Hash of the newer generation of NJPW guys.