[2010-04-04-NJPW-New Dimension] Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hirooki Goto

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hirooki Goto - NJPW 4/10/2010

 

I wonder if Goto's career would be any different if he won the title here as opposed to Makabe winning in May. Ultimately, it looks like they were building to the returning Kojima vs Tanahashi for the Dome. Either would have been a transitional champion. Makabe was a slightly bigger name and had a more interesting gimmick.

 

During the first half, I thought this was good wrestling, but I couldn't understand why this place #6 in Ditch's poll for 2010 in Japan and then the second half kicked in and the placement made sense. I have behind the big three NOAH matches on the year and big FUTEN matches of the year, but this was great pro wrestling.

 

Watching this stuff, it seems like Nakamura is much better as a heel. He is a prick on the rope breaks. Then just eats a massive suplex from a pissed off Goto. He powders. Gets whipped into the railing and then Goto just throws his body at him. He pisses off the babyface and then eats a bunch of babyface offense. Good heel. He gets a kneelift and then does a great job grinding the match with a ton of interesting, violent knee strikes. Ability to work on top. Good heel. Especially since Goto is not a compelling babyface in the slightest. Goto catches a kick and powerbombs him. Elbow drop, 1-2-Cross Armbreaker. This is what I remember about Nakamura more than anything else the ability to counterwrestle really well. Goto steps on his head to break. Strike Exchange. Goto hits a neckbreaker and Nakamura really sells this. This is when the match kicks in.

 

You get the sense Nakamura played with his food and now he might lose. Nakamura hits a Boma Ye to the back of the head. You can sense the Champion's desperation. Goes for the Boma Ye and Goto catches him. Goto uses a bunch of head drops to get nearfalls, which Nakamura sells well and plays into the injured neck. Goto SMOKES him with a lariat! Great nearfall. Goto goes for another lariat, but Nakamura hits Boma Ye to the head and as Goto tries to pick himself back up BOMA YE!

 

I liked the story Nakamura clearly the better wrestler and champion underestimates the powerful Goto. Almost gets caught once Got injured the neck and creates some drama, but at the end of the day Nakamura has his knee like Misawa had his elbow to bail him out of trouble. ****

[Makai Club #1]

Slow start with both men feeling each other out with pushes into the ropes until they brawl on the outside. Then the match starts getting better when Nakamura starts heeling it up a bit, going to town on Goto’s midsection with his brual knee strikes and kicks. There is a really good sequence when Namakura locks on a cross armbreaker out of nowhere with Goto broke with a stomp, leading to a nasty breaker on the ropes which Nakamura sells excellently. The match grew from that point on with Goto bring out his biggest bombs like the Ushigoorishi and Nakamura getting more depertete and urgent in his attacks. Nakamura has a great cross arm breaker counter when Goto tries to hit the GTR, jumping up and headscissoring Goto over into the move. The strike exchanges were so well done too. They didn’t go to long and they lead to the finish with Goto hitting a big lariat with a running lariat attempt countered into a knee by Nakamura and then the Boma Ye for the finish! So the match turned into a great one after a mediocre start. Nakamura’s selling was great. His bumping for Goto made Goto look like a force to be reckoned with and I loved the urgency he had near the end of the match, not wasting any time hitting the Boma Ye when he got the chance to. Goto was rather bland as the fight from beneath guy early on but excelled more as he gained control. ****