[1990-02-27-UWF-Road] Nobuhiko Takada vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

[Jetlag]

This is still one of my favourite shootstyle matches. Top notch contest with a masterful build. It may feel like a cliche shootstyle main event, even having a standoff post matwork exchange, but what the hell. This opens up with a bunch great, high resistance shoostyle exchanges building towards the first rope break and down in the minutest details. They spend a good 12 minutes without a rope break and 18 minutes without a down and that sparingness pays dividends when the bombs start dropping. There is of course the theme of whily old Fujiwara always having a counter in his sleeve, there are lures where Takada is overwhelming him for minutes at a time only to be caught and forcing a rope break immediately. Takada is a guy I dislike often, but he was fine here as he was going at Fujiwara with some aggression, and when he starts reigning shots at Fujiwara you can tell he feels that he'll just blow the old bastard away. On the other hand Fujiwara is tougher than he thought, as there are several moments where Fujiwara is eating shoots, trying to catch and counter but unable to. Finally Takada knocks him down but he just turns and ties his shoelace before getting up. Then Fujiwara starts bouncing around and grinning and you know it's on. Shootstyle has a reputation for being dry and sportslike but that is some amazing acting and timing in this contest.

[superkix]

Takada isn't the most exhilarating mat tech; his bread-and-butter is striking. He'd heat up the crowd with some of his kicks but then immediately cool them off by applying a very pedestrian leglock. Thankfully, Fujiwara makes up for that, grabbing an armbar when and where he can and avoiding a lot of Takada's wild swings. He's pretty great here as the wily veteran, hip-hopping Takada into a corner and blasting him with a headbutt, which serves as the real turning point in this match. Takada starts letting loose with the kicks, there are a couple of suplex throws from both sides, and the finish was pretty great, as Takada goes for one of his lame ass leglocks and Fujiwara counters with the cross kneebar and really cranks it in, sending Takada reeling, scrambling for the ropes and trying to peel Fujiwara off before finally tapping out. Fujiwara's post-match old man celebration is about as good as the match itself.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Nobuhiko Takada vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara - UWF 2/27/90

 

Their last meeting was in October of 1989 were Takada won by TKO. The following month, the UWF ran a $3 million show at the Tokyo Dome drawing 50k. Not too shabby. Fujiwara defeated Dick Vrij on the show and Takada defeated Duane Koslowski. The UWF returned to action in the new year with Takada defeating the Ace Superstar, Akira Maeda and Fujiwara defeating Nakano. On the last show before this, Maeda defeated Fujiwara and Takada defeated Yamazaki. Takada is on a four match win streak with wins over the three biggest names in 80s shoot style while Fujiwara comes into the match 2-2, but those two losses are to his main event peers.

 

First Half of the Match: You would never know that Takada was the one on the hot streak at the outset of this match. Lots of struggles and flesh on flesh as they feel each other out locking up. Fujiwara is wrestling with confidence. Takada has his head down. He seems tentative. Takada takes Fujiwara down three times and all three times loses control on the mat to Fujiwara, which is pretty unacceptable. He needs a rope break to break a toehold. He has to scurry out of a potential wristlock. You see Takada throw "check" kicks but nothing like the violent kicks he is known for. On the leg scissors takedown, he loses control again, but regains it with good figure-4 technique that safeguards his feet from being toeholded. Fujiwara does a great job verbally selling. Now Takada's demeanor changes. His chin is up and he is throwing hard kicks. Fujiwara is backpedalling and is favoring his bad leg. Takada goes for the home run two wild kicks to the head. Both miss. They are not as pretty as Super Tiger's but Takada is a lot bigger so they look they would hurt. Fujiwara catches a kick and takes him down. He holds on and looks to turn it into a single leg crab. Great verbal selling with the grunting and the crowd is reacting. Takada makes a ropes and for some reason this awards a point to Fujiwara. I don't get that. Overall, lots of struggle and I like how their demeanors are reflecting the action.

 

Second Half of the Match: Takada utilizes the kicks more frequently as his main offensive tool. This has proven successful for Super Tiger in the past and it was clear from the first half of the match, that he would be outclassed on the mat. Takada's downfall was that he kept trying to the finish the match on the mat. At one point, he goes for a cross-armbreaker and falls prey to a toehold. It is incredible that Takada is so bad at defense. Fujiwara is wrestling the ultimate defensive wrestling match. At one point, it looks like Fujiwara gets knocked loopy and then he has this incredible second wind. The crowd loves it. This is where Fujiwara's charisma really shines. He KNOCKS TAKADA OUT with a wicked headbutt, but Takada is up at 8. Fujiwara hurls him with a German. Takada returns the favor with his own German and this time forces Fujiwara to the ropes. Takada really had a winning strategy with the kicks. He was making significant in-roads. Again he drops down to the mat with a legbar. Again it is reversed into a wicked Fujiwara toehold and this time Takada has no choice but to tap out.

 

First off congratulations to Fujiwara for wrestling a smart, patient match. Very rarely is defense an important aspect of pro wrestling, but this was an excellent example of defensive pro wrestling. Takada should be ashamed of himself. He can contest Fujiwara in a stand up contest, but had no prayer on the mat. I get trying and seeing if you have "it" tonight, but it was clear he didn't. Time and time again, Fujiwara reversed it into his favor. So it serves Takada right that when he had the match won that he drops down into a legbar only to have it reversed and lose. Better yet, I hate his fucking legbar. I like Takada, but his legbar sucks. There is no wrenching. It looks like he is hugging a man's leg. So I am happy after the fifth boring ass legbar by him in this match he lost on that! So yes, the drawback on this match is there are a lot of heatless Takada legbars. I thought Takada rocked in the stand-up. As far as individual performances go, Fujiwara ruled, great defensive wrestling on the mat, greta verbal selling, great stand up (body shots and headbutts) and great charisma. ****1/4

[Makai Club #1]

This was so goddamn entertaining from start to finish. I like the carefulness in the grappling early on. Tons of feel out and careful thought put into each step both took. Both were careful of the other’s grappling skills and it showed. Takada began throwing more kicks as he switched gears once Fujiwara got multiple advantages on the mat. He threw some wild kicks with Fujiwara barely covering up for them until he got caught with a nasty heel hook. I loved the off the cuff bouncing around and the grunts Fujiwara did, and the crowd responding to it was pretty damn cool I must say. Fujiwara’s charisma was on total show in those small things. The match got pretty great after that with more all or nothing strikes being thrown. Fujiwara caught Takada flush on the nose with a brutal shoot headbutt which got an exciting near KO. Then this turned into a battle of Takada’s strikes against Fujiwara’s matwork with Takada on the offence with some germans and head kicks before Fujiwara, the master of counter wrestling, catches Takada with a nasty toehold that’s all crooked. Awesome match. Fujiwara celebrating over a shock victory against Takada was elating. ****1/4