[2008-02-21-NOAH-Second Navigation] Naomichi Marufuji & Takeshi Morishima & Takashi Suguira vs Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda & Shuhei Taniguchi

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[dawho5]

It was 40 minutes. I watched all of it. Not voting for it.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Brutha, we are totally out of sync on these two six-mans. This was the six-man that I thought was wicked heated and they killed it. It was the other six-man that I thought was lackluster.

Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda, Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura - NOAH 2/21/08

"KO-BASH-I" "KO-BASH-I" "KO-BASH-I"! If the tag match was a return to 90s All Japan, this is a return to 90s six-man All Japan matches. The young guns are looking to prove themselves to the old guard of Kobashi and Honda. Much like an extra in the old James T. Kirk Star Trek, we all know why Taniguchi is in this match. Unlike Misawa and Co., Marufuji and Co. get more than just chippy and are outright dicks to Kobashi throughout the match. They set the tone early, Sugiura bum rushes Kobashi at the bell with a kick right to the face. Even though, Kobashi whoops his ass, nobody is deterred taking relentless cheapshots at Kobashi knowing full well knowing that his protection ranged from the inexperienced and undersized Taniguchi and the octogenarian Honda. At first, Kobashi would just stare daggers into the cocky Marufuji, Marufuji as a prick is so much better than his previous performances. Then Morishima changed those stares into pangs of anguish with a monstrous elbow. I loved the retribution spots against Marufuji's general douchbaggery especially the Olympic Hell with him dangling and Kobashi and Taniguchi pulling on his ankles. It was a true joy watching Marufuji get destroyed, but credit where credit is due he was great at struggling through the segment and making the segment truly gripping. Once Tangiuchi is tagged in against Sugiura, we all know what happens.

 

When they were not taking knocking Kobashi off the apron with powerful elbows to face, they were brutalizing Tangiuchi mercilessly. I loved, loved the spot where Sugiura hangs Taniguchi out to dry on the ropes. He revvs up for a big boot, but his target is Kobashi, who he floors. Marufuji, proves that KENTA is not only one stolen from, as he does the Roman Reigns apron spot and Seth Rollins curb stomp. I loved Marufuji as the douche and Suigura as the violent prick. I would have liked to seen more out of Morishima as the scary monster, he was good, but not as good as his comrades. Taniguchi and Kobashi are getting decimated and Honda just is doing nothing at all. In what was a really lame transition, Morishima just feeds Taniguchi a belly to belly. I loved that heat segment, but what a shitty transition.

 

Morishima and Kobashi have a great sequence as Kobashi has taken so much punishment on the apron he just cant get anything going. He has been neutralized as a hot tag. Honda comes in. It was just pathetic. He looked so awful. I was embarrassed for him. His version of a spear was him bending over and Sugiura running into him and falling over. Sugiura and Honda trading suplexes made me cringe. I was loving this match, but Honda is killing me. Honda is forced to tag in Taniguchi because Kobashi has been decimated. I actually really liked Tangiuchi and Marufuji's sequence. I don't think Taniguchi was better than Go Shiozaki, but he was really good as a plucky underdog with lots of fighting spirit. There was a good struggle over the German Suplex and Sliced Bread. Kobashi, Honda and Taniguchi all hit a suplex on Marufuji, but Sugiura saved. Now Marufufji, Sugiura and Morishima all hit a move on Taniguchi. Marufuji hits a silly looking powerboimb from the top rope and Steiner Screwdriver to win.

Everything up to Honda coming in is just gold. Marufuji as this heat-seeking douchebag was so good. The way he gets his comeuppance mid-match only for him to continue to be an absolute dick. I loved how everybody had zeroed in Kobashi and was just relentless. It is too bad that finish just did not match the body of the work. Still, I loved the heat and the chippiness of this match a lot. ****1/4

[dawho5]

Well yeah. That's why I like reading yours and Graham Crackers' reviews of matches I have seen. I know what I thought about them. What's interesting to me are the differences more than the matches we both praise.

[Childs]

I loved the overall theme of the new generation going after Kobashi with no respect and him having the heart but not the ammunition to fight them off. That kept my interest piqued the whole way, even if some of the individual match-ups didn't excite me. I also thought Taniguchi, whom I haven't seen much, gave a good performance as the lowest ranked guy getting beat like a dog. I'll definitely list this, probably in the bottom half.