[1995-08-12-NJPW-G1 Climax] Keiji Muto vs Masa Chono

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Fun fact: This, Kawada/Kobashi and Kawada/Taue are the only matches to show up on every single yearbook so far. I've come to enjoy Muto/Chono as a yearbook tradition because I like seeing the matches progress over time. I loved the '96 match, and one thing that stands out here compared to the '92 and '93 matches is that Chono has so much more charisma and presence than he did before the heel turn.

 

Muto is fired up here and gives a great performance. He juices and Chono works the cut like crazy with punches, kicks and gouging while Muto plays up great facial expressions for the camera. He's on quite the athletic roll before this and Chono slows him down and throws him off his game. Muto's comebacks are tremendous in that he has brief offensive flurries before Chono does something underhanded to turn the tide back in his favor. Chono's STF looks brutal because he's doing more of a choke than a crossface.

 

This is an interesting match to compare to Misawa/Kawada and Misawa/Taue, in that it has the unconventional focus on Muto's face. Chono wrestles like Kawada-lite with some of the tactics he uses against Muto and of course, Muto's bloody face is an added dimension the All Japan matches don't have. I hate out-of-nowhere finishes, and this was an out-of-nowhere finish, but there's too much other good stuff for that to take the match down too much. The post-match brawl between the two is awesome and Muto's celebration is a great moment. Easily the best match of the G1 Climax matches on this set so far.

[Tim Evans]

Best part of this was Hiro Saito shielding Muto's elbow outside and then getting into a fight with the ref. Muto surviving the STF for that long was very Cena like. Good match.

[PeteF3]

Mutoh has gone through quite the resurgence in '95, after several years of Lazy Mutoh polluting a lot of singles matches. Chono has, as noted a few times, had quite the resurgence himself, but I'm starting to think Norio Honaga did this style with a little more panache. He doesn't have Chono's star power, though, nor does he have goons to run interference like Hiro Saito does here. We even get a total U.S. style "YOU! OUT!" from referee Tiger Hattori as he ejects Saito from ringside. But Mutoh is busted open in the process, and while this is hardly an early-'90s Muta Scale performance, the blood flows pretty freely. Ending is a little too similar to Sasaki-Hash for my liking, as both guys go from getting their asses kicked to hitting two big moves for a fluky pinfall. Unlike Sasaki, Mutoh puts an exclamation point on things by effectively kicking Chono's ass after the match. Pretty good, though so far Mutoh/Koshinaka has been the best match of the tournament.

[Zenjo]

Mutoh did a characteristically juicy blade job here. You could even spot him putting the blade away afterwards. This instigated the type of brawling style bout which Chono would do with regularity through much of his career. I always felt he was better at the wrestling side. The match seemed to go down well with the crowd but wasn't my cup of tea. The finish was poor. The frankensteiner isn't a good choice for a flash pin as there is little weight on the torso overall. Day 2 was a comedown from the opening day. Flair vs Koshinaka was weak. The other 3 bouts were solid fare.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Keiji Mutoh vs Masahiro Chono - NJPW 8/12/95

These two have amazing chemistry. Watched a bunch of their 2000-2001 shit earlier this year and I came away impressed how they consistently have great matches especially because I don’t like Chono. 1995 is probably Chono’s peak year with the heel turn and novelty of his American style cheating heel persona. Mutoh is also surging this year having won the IWGP title and have some spectacular matches this year. This G1 Climax alone is incredible with both Flair and Hashimoto matches being excellent. I heard the Koshinaka match is as well (if anyone has a copy of that hit me up). I thought this was another feather in the cap of both men for their 1995 campaigns. 
 

Even before their shenanigans that put the match over the top, they do their New Japan chain wrestling really well, great urgency and grit to it. When Mutoh is clearly getting the better of Chono, Chono goes for not one but two ball shots but doesn’t really get all of it…based on the selling of Mutoh, but you never know with him. It serves to piss off Mutoh who gets scuffle with Hiro Saito. In the chaos, Chono bashes Mutoh’s head into the post which results in busting him open. Hiro Saito does get ejected but the damage has been done. I like how Mutoh has one last burst of energy in the form of a back handspring elbow but after that last gasp Chono just works the cut. Lots of bashing into the exposed turnbuckles and punches & kicks to the cut. Chono gives Mutoh too much space and he begins his rally BUT crashes and burns on the Moonsault. A spooked Chono goes for STF but the first one is a choke so broken up but second is a proper version but Mutoh makes the ropes. Chono goes Yakuza Kicks but Mutoh snaps off a Frankensteiner for the win. Chono attacks after the bell but a bloody Mutoh runs him down in the aisle way in classic Mutoh fashion.

I actually like the flash pin here because Mutoh was clearly in a big hole and has missed his Moonsault. After surviving Chono’s cheating and STF’s, it felt like a proper way for him to escape. It protects Chono as well. Very entertaining like 12 minute match. ****