[1995-02-17-NJPW] Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I need explanation, and I need it now. What did Chono and Tenzan do? Why is everyone so pissed off at them?

 

This is NUTS. It's probably more of an angle than a match, but the action is fantastic and the angle is classic. There is brawling all over the place throughout the arena involving half the promotion, chairs and tables being thrown around, cameras shaking, stretcher jobs, open mic challenges and crazy heat. As awesome as it is, I really need some context though.

[jdw]

The Wolves vs New Japan feud was under way by this point:

 

03/04/95 Tenzan & Chono & Saito vs. Choshu & Hirata & Hashimoto ***3/4 (2/12/95)

03/11/95 Tenzan & Chono vs. Hase & Sasaki **** (02/17/95)

03/18/95 Tenzan & Chono & Saito vs. Sasaki & Choshu & Hase ***3/4 (02/19/95)

03/25/95 Chono & Tenzan vs. Hase & Sasaki **** (03/07/95)

04/01/95 Tenzan & Chono & Saito & Sabu vs. Hirata & Hase & Choshu & Hashimoto **** (03/13/95)

04/08/95 Hashimoto & Choshu & Iizuka vs. Tenzan & Chono & Saito *** (03/19/95)

 

I suspect you guys looked at the match the week before. That had a batshit crazy brawl as well.

 

I don't recall if Tenzan turned on the 02/18/95 TV show where the main was Hirata & Tenzan vs Chono & Saito. He challenged Hash for the IWGP on the 2/25/95 TV show... think the all out heel joining with the Wolves was on the 3/4/95 TV show.

 

Clearly whoever did the Cho-Ten wiki page screwed up on when they started teaming.

 

John

[Loss]

Who did Tenzan turn on? How did Chono end up with him? I'm really interested in what led to the chaos of this match.

[jdw]

Looking at the WON...

 

02/12/95 HI afternoon show (Koshinaka's group's fake promotion):

 

Kosh asked Tenzan to join HI. Tenzan beat up Kosh and Ohara, leading to a Tenzan-Ohara match. HI attacks Tenzan after the matck, with Hirata, Yatsu and Masa Saito making the save.

 

Main event was Hirata & Yatsu & Masa vs HI. HI attacks them after the match, and Tenzan & Chono make the save... then beat up Masa. Chono & Tenzan effectively join hands: they hate both NJPW and HI.

 

02/12/95 NJ evening show:

 

Tenzan & Chono & Saito vs. Choshu & Hirata & Hashimoto. Wild brawl. Tenzan pins Choshu, everyone goes nuts. Sabu shows up. Hash is put through a table. More brawling back stage.

 

I confess that the specifics of NJPW doesn't stick in my head as much as AJPW. In terms of angles/mic spots from Japan like you do for the US... this is one of the few ones from AJPW or NJPW that would fit into that.

 

John

[Loss]

Thanks for the explanation, that's really interesting. I'm curious to see if the top feuds are more angle-driven than normal throughout the year.

[Tim Evans]

I agree with Loss that this was crazy and fun. Hashimoto looked like he wanted to kill someone. Nice to see some emotion from the New Japan guys.

[PeteF3]

Outside of his NWO stuff, I think this is my first look at Megaheel Chono. This is far more Crockett/Mid-South/Memphis-like than anything else in puroresu at the time including the deathmatch promotions. Pretty much the entire NJPW locker room is serving as lumberjacks, pouncing on Chono or Tenzan whenever either one hits the floor. Chono is kept outside while Tenzan is slowly brutalized and tortured by both opponents. After domination by the babyfaces, there's a ref bump (!!!) and things really break down. The heels fight back with weaponry, and Hase eats a piledriver onto a table before Tenzan moonsaults his way to victory. Things break down again after the match and Team Wolf is chased outside. This is a match that almost defies an actual star rating, but is great fun and serves as another gigantic point of difference for NJPW compared to All-Japan. Like the Dirty White Boy, Hash was sort of spinning his wheels as champion for the latter half of '94, and Chono's career was in even worse shape. Now both guys feel revitalized.

[Calvin]

Is this Cho-Ten's origin story? There's so much going on here because they're strongly leaning into the theatrics, and the match feels completely secondary to the angle. I don't really know what to make of it, and the Mid-South style brawling was more surprising than interesting.

**1/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

On 3/18/2023 at 3:07 PM, Calvin said:

Is this Cho-Ten's origin story? There's so much going on here because they're strongly leaning into the theatrics, and the match feels completely secondary to the angle. I don't really know what to make of it, and the Mid-South style brawling was more surprising than interesting.

**1/4

The 2/12 six man five days prior. Made a thread with a helpful Reddit link.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki - NJPW 2/17/95

This Wolves run is so good cant believe it took me until now to get to it. Five days on the heels of Tenzan’s heel turn the mega angle against Choshu and the lads. Sasaki & Hase are out for blood, A rip roaring brawl in the aisle way  breaks out and all the heat is on Tenzan. They isolate and beat the piss out of Tenzan in the Ring. Really fun babyface shine but with some stank on it. Tenzan whips Hase into Tiger Hattori and all hell breaks loose. Tenzan pummels Hase with his Mongolian Chops and wipes him out with a spinning heel kick. Chono brings in a chair and kicks ass. He tells Hase to take a seat and Yakuza kicks him. Tenzan piledrives Hase on a table and then moonsaults him for the win. More brawling and heat is unreal. 
 

I wish I watched this shit in order but this only adds to why 3/7 rematch is so badass. This feels incomplete because there is no comeback but I wish wrestling did this more early in a storyline match one or two have the heels cheat and just massacre the babyfaces to build to the climatic match. Not every match has to tell a complete story let story feel complete as a collection of matches. *** 1/2