Loss Posted June 18, 2011 Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditch Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 I've got a soft spot for this. The story of Sasaki (who was returning from injury or an excursion) trying to get one over on his 'big brother', featuring a lot of stiffness and some hard-fought matwork, is the first standout singles match for Kensuke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted August 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 This really in some ways is the best possible WWF-style main event match. What I mean by that is that the action is solid but not particularly special, there's a lot of laid out selling in an attempt to build drama, it's paced in a way to milk the dramatic moments for all their worth and there's a great storyline tying everything together that they sort of smack you in the face with -- that of Sasaki facing his mentor and putting forth his best effort, but losing in the end. It feels big and grand and I'd be surprised if this was entirely called on the fly. There are too many well-scripted spots that they clearly put some thought into. It's a smart match. Sasaki bleeding adds to the drama. If this headlined a PPV in the WWF, it would be considered among the best matches the company has ever done. As it stands, it's my favorite singles heavyweight match in New Japan for the year (which I don't expect to stick) and kind of an instant sentimental favorite. If I ever released a Naylor/Schneider comp of my favorite matches, this may be something I would want on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Evans Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 I like the analogy of this being a good WWF style main event. If this took place today, it would probably be MOTY. I don't know who I like more, Hase or Jumbo from this year. Got a laugh out of Sasaki waling right into the steam machine during his entrance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 This is a lot of fun. Sasaki gets over even with the loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Ridge Posted September 10, 2012 Report Share Posted September 10, 2012 Good match. Agreed that it was a good story in match and found myself rooting for Sasaki to pull out a victory. Even with the loss he still came off good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenjo Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Certainly not aesthetically pleasing. Ken bled and it was a deliberately ugly battle. There was plenty of dislike going on and it was intense. Reasonable, but I didn't find it particularly enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 If this headlined a PPV in the WWF, it would be considered among the best matches the company has ever done. Nail on the head. This was awesome. Contrasting styles, big moves, big drama, big selling and storytelling and a finish that fits the match. Awesome. ****1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Best Sasaki match ever? Well, to this point in his career, it's a no-brainer. Lots of hate and intensity with Sasaki's return coming off as a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 I've always been something of a notorious Sasaki hater, but even I enjoyed this. Hase wants to show that he's still big brother to the returning Sasaki and can still kick his ass on a regular basis. Sasaki wants to prove that he's "grown up" in a sense and isn't afraid to bend rules, like choking him with the sleeper, in order to do it. Hase responds by upping the brutality and destroying Sasaki with Uranages and finally pinning him with the NLS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Not that it has to do with anything but judging by the pre-entrance cross-gesture from Hase he seems to be a Christian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretta Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 This match was the ultimate example of how cheating doesn't pay. Sasaki tried to prove to his mentor Hase that he was a big boy now, but went about it the wrong way by using cheating tactics, most notably turning a sleeper into a choke on multiple occasions. That didn't get him the win, though, and the second half was an extended payback segment for Hase, who busted open his "little brother" with a brutal series of headbutts, then chokeslammed him no less than five times before executing his suplex variation for the win. The only way I can see this getting Sasaki over is that he was tough enough to leave the ring on his feet instead of on a stretcher. Otherwise, this was the classic match type where the heel cheats until the babyface mounts enough strength for a comeback, then obliterates him. This was done by a lot better workers, obviously, but fundamentally this match is on a par with WWF Face X vs. Captain Louis Albano at any time between 1973 and 1983, with Hase as Face X and Sasaki as the Captain. This is nowhere near the best NJPW heavyweight match of the year, though I've seen so many bouts that it's tough to come up with a better example off the top of my head. Honestly, the junior division is so much more memorable for NJPW so far this year that it's not even funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 I liked this a lot. Stiff, brutal, nothing close to pretty. Just Hase asserting his dominance and Sasaki doing everything he could think of to stop it from happening. I dislike this referee. He seems way too physically involved and takes attention away from the wrestlers unnecessarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlynwoodx Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 This felt like a grudge match as soon as the lights went down and the crowd started cheering. Cool entrances for both guys that were more like MMA walkouts. Match started and we had a pretty heated lockup where neither guy wanted to give an inch. Hase was trying to use his wrestling background to school the younger Sasaki, with some success. I wasn't feeling a lot of hate between the two, the matwork went on a little long. Things amped up when Sasaki started choking Hase with a sleeper. Hase was not happy about this, and started to light up Sasaki. He busted Sasaki open with a series of headbutts and followed up with five chokeslams before pinning Sasaki with a Northern Lights Suplex. Sasaki was not ready for this level of competition, but he showed some fire by getting up and walking out own his own. Humbled, but not broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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