Smack2k Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 School me on the best 1990's - 2000's NJPW Heavyweight matches... Looking for some good ones to watch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 My top five would go something like this (in chronological order): Keiji Mutoh vs. Vader, 8/10/91 Masahiro Chono vs. Keiji Mutoh, 8/11/91 Antonio Inoki vs. Vader, 1/4/96 Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto, 8/2/96 Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kazuo Yamazaki, 8/2/98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Mutoh vs. Hashimoto - 95 G-1 Climax Final Mutoh/Flair from that same tournament isn't an all time classic but it's a really good match. Chono/Rude - 92 G-1 Climax Final Again, not an all time classic but I remember really liking Norton/Nagata from 9/23/98 when I saw it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Hashimoto vs Tenryu 94' IWGP Title Hashimoto vs Hase 94' IWGP Title Hashimoto vs Takada 96' IWGP Title (Battle Formation) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Yamazaki/Iizuka vs. Hashimoto/Hirata - 6/12/96 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Just mentioning things not already mentioned. Check the yearbook threads for thoughts. 05/24/90 - Riki Choshu vs Keiji Muto 06/26/90 - Riki Choshu, Kantaro Hoshino, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Kensuke Sasaki & Shiro Koshinaka vs Animal Hamaguchi, Super Strong Machine, Tarzan Goto & Hiro Saito & Masanobu Kurisu 09/14/90 - Great Muta vs Hiroshi Hase 11/01/90 - Keiji Muto & Masa Chono vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki 07/04/91 - Keiji Muto & Masa Chono vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki 08/09/91 - Masa Chono vs Shinya Hashimoto 05/01/92 - Vader & Bam Bam Bigelow vs Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase 06/26/92 - Hiroshi Hase vs Kensuke Sasaki 12/14/92 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Shiro Koshinaka 02/05/93 - Genichiro Tenryu, Ashura Hara & Takashi Ishikawa vs Keiji Muto, Akira Nogami & Shinya Hashimoto 02/16/93 - Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami, Osamu Kido, Hiroshi Hase & Tayayuki Iizuka vs Genichiro Tenryu, Ashura Hara, Takashi Ishikawa, Ricky Fuyuki & Tatsumi Kitahara 04/06/93 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu 06/15/93 - Riki Choshu, Shinya Hashimoto, Tatsumi Fujinami, Masa Chono & Hiroshi Hase vs Genichiro Tenryu, Ashura Hara, Takashi Ishikawa, Tatsutoshi Goto & Super Strong Machine 08/03/93 - Hiroshi Hase vs Shinya Hashimoto 08/08/93 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Shinya Hashimoto 11/04/93 - Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase vs Shinya Hashimoto & Masa Chono 01/04/94 - Rick & Scott Steiner vs Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase 02/17/94 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Shinya Hashimoto 02/24/94 - Jushin Liger vs Shinya Hashimoto (Liger's a junior but it's a heavy match) 08/06/94 - Shinya Hashimoto vs Shiro Koshinaka 12/13/94 - Hiroshi Hase vs Shinya Hashimoto 01/04/95 - Shinya Hashimoto vs Kensuke Sasaki 03/07/95 - Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki 06/12/95 - Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan 08/12/95 - Keiji Muto vs Masa Chono 08/05/96 - Keiji Muto vs Shiro Koshinaka 09/23/96 - Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Kazuo Yamazaki & Takashi Iizuka 09/23/96 - Shinya Hashimoto vs Shiro Koshinaka 01/04/97 - Riki Choshu vs Shinya Hashimoto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smack2k Posted September 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 THanks soo much...I was gonna use the yearbook threads, but I dont know what is and isnt a Heavyweight match in NJPW, as opposed to AJPW where I know the names and can pretty much tell...with NJPW I know some of the names, but not all in terms of "weight class". Also have read how NJPW Heavyweight matches arent their "bread and butter" so to speak, so wasnt sure if they even made the Yearbooks... Will start checking these out so far....even some that arent "top Notch" I'd like to take a look at... It was Dylan's post about NJPW Heavyweights getting a bad rep, but the matches being better than thought that got me curious about this! Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Cooke Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Every Choshu vs Hashimoto match is great but you want to sample the other heavyweights first to get an idea of how the matches are worked and then get to see the genius of Choshu v Hash. I'd suggest Muto v Vader from August 91, Muto vs Chono from Aug 91, and the 11/90 Muto/Chono vs Hase/Sasaki tag as the first three matches to search out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Sasaki/Tenryu from 1/4/2000 is underrated as all hell and makes the case for the start of Sasaki's sustained run as a good singles wrestler. Plus, it's Tenryu main eventing the Dome. Also from that show, Hash/Iizuka vs. Ogawa/Murakami. One of the most heated matches in Dome history, and that's saying something. Completely different match than probably any other match you'll get on that list. EDIT: Interpromotional greatness, but Nagata/Iizuka vs. Kawada/Fuchi 12/14/00 is fantastic, as is Kawada/Sasaki 10/9/00, obviously. Akiyama/Tenzan in the G-1 Final from '03 is great, too. If we're going non-interpromtional, then the Nagata/Takayama 5/2/2003 Dome match works, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 I'll second Sasaki/Tenryu from 1/4/00 as being a really good Dome main event. I don't like Sasaki but that match is really good. If you want a hilariously bad match from that same show look up Randy Savage vs. Rick Steiner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto from November '07 was quite awesome, it fooled people into thinking that Goto was the next great heavyweight. I haven't seen a Goto match that even sniffs it since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 Kensuke Sasaki VS Kawada: their 2 Dome matches in 10/00 and 01/01. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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