[2000-01-04-NJPW-Wrestling World 2000] Shinya Hashimoto & Takashi Iizuka vs Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murakami

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

 

 

[Superstar Sleeze]

Loss is da man!

Shinya Hashimoto & Takashi Iizuka vs Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murkami - Tokyo Dome 01/04/00

The Dome sure was rocking for this one, baby! From Inoki's entrance through post-match pull apart, this may have the most extended heat ever from a Dome crowd I have seen. The crowd still loves them some Inoki, who came out and said some stuff in Japanese and then broke a big stick in half so he created two wicked sharp stakes. Inoki: Vampire Slayer, Book It, Sci Fi! Everybody is wearing MMA gloves and Hashimoto/Ogawa just has that big match feel that belongs in front of a Dome. It is no wonder Hash thought he could run pretty much an entire promotion with him on top and Ogawa as his number two given the sustained heat. The match delivered a wild, chaotic classic where you had no idea what the heel was going to happen next and any shot could be a KO or a submission. The crowd was really vibing off this chaos and was popping for pretty much every spot. There was pretty much no downtime in the match. Murkami bullrushed Iizuka with lefts and kicks at the outset to establish the feel of the match. He full mounts Iizuka, but he gets to the ref so Murkami shoves the ref off. As he breaks, he kicks Iizuka's head off so Hashimoto comes into check on IIzuka and Murkami grabs the mic to lay some badmouth as one would expect. This is fuckin crazy. Hash fucks up Murkami triggering the big Hashimoto/Ogawa confrontation and the Dome is just losing it. NJPW wrestler pour into the ring and here comes Inoki with his giant fuckin Stake to reestablish order and Iizuka is ok so LETS GET IT ON! Team Ogawa is in love with O Soto Gari/STO and that is their constant go to move to takedown the other team. Once on the mat they trade cross-armbreaker, triangles and a leg bar. There is a real sense of struggle in every movement and the Dome heat is just unreal.

Murkami full mounts Iizuka and was so focused on kicking his ass that he did not see Hashimoto got tagged in, who promptly lights him up with kicks. Hashimoto tells Ogawa not to sing it, but just bring it. Dome is molten. Hashimoto ends their stand up exchange with a wicked headbutt against the ropes and starts beating the piss out of Ogawa and the gloves come off. Ogawa goes to his STO bread and butter, but Hash just throws him back. Ogawa gets on his bike and tries to turn this into a track meet. Hashimoto gets trapped in his guard and survives a triangle choke. Everyone gets hit with STOs as Ogawa begins to turn the tide. Iizuka dropkicks Ogawa to the floor off of Hashimoto. Hashimoto is on Ogawa on the floor and attempts to break his arm with a keylock. Iizuka grabs a rear naked choke on Murkami for the win. Ogawa is a sore sport and throws Iizuka and the NJPW wrestlers pull apart before anything else can happen. The entertainment from this is derived from the chaos and hatred between the two teams. The Dome is just so into match that makes everything electric. The finish was a little too abrupt and I wanted to see more Hashimoto and Ogawa. Still this was a super fun match that just flew right by. ****1/4

[dawho5]

Yeah, this match has a lot to love. Murakami's KO of IIzuka illegally almost sets off a brawl between the shooters and the NJPW guys who are trying to break up Ogawa and Hash when Ogawa and Murakami are a little dickish with them. Hash wants him some Ogawa, and Iizuka says he's up for it. Big shootstyle brawl ending with Iizuka's revenge and hash/Ogawa not caring about anything but brawling on the floor. Then Ogawa tries to start another post-match brawl because one isn't enough. Awesome stuff.

[Graham Crackers]

My favorite NJPW heavyweight tag of the 2000s and it's no coincidence that it's part of the last great NJPW angle. Ogawa vs Hashimoto is a matchup I can always get into. They do simple stuff and milk their charisma but stylistically it's still very New Japan with the nods to MMA and great strikes. Murakami and Iizuka are welcome additions as well. Murakami has such natural heel charisma. He probably has one of the most punchable faces I've ever seen. It's interesting to see Iizuka a little over ten years removed from his role as an underdog in those great 1989 tags. He's still an underdog but he gets to show more of his amateur skills and in the process looks like a real badass. It's a shame he never lived up to the potential he showed here.

 

It's also a shame that the 4/7 Hashimoto vs Ogawa match wasn't nominated for this project. It's the only NJPW match from this decade that feels like a MOTDC, at least from where I'm standing.

[dawho5]

So this match has everything you want from pro wrestling in spades. Stiff striking, check. Impactful suplex-style (albeit MMA style) takedowns, check. HATE, check. Atmosphere? I don't think any other match in this set matches this for atmosphere. Everything is done exactly the way it ought to be done. The fact that this is just a buildup match to a big Ogawa vs. Hash rematch is so crazy given how incredible it is. How to rate it in comparison to the more standard wrestling matches is a bit of a conundrum.

[Wahoos Leg]

The atmosphere around this is top-notch. Great heat and crowd reactions from the outset. It's a little hard to follow what's going on as far as the rules, but the intensity and the violence can't be denied. Some great heeling by Murakami early, and Iizuka comes out with the duke after getting illegally KO'd at the first. If you watch a lot of MMA, you can tell this is worked, but it's still great theater and highly entertaining. It made me want to seek out more of the Hashimoto-Ogawa feud.

 

Hard to imagine this won't be in my top half, at minimum.

[Jetlag]

Hell of a spectacle, just total chaos with the UFO guys throwing the NJPW homeboys around and Hash and Iizuka not taking that crap. There is such an awesome aura of dangerousness emanating from Murakami and Ogawa and it's really feeding into the atmosphere. When Hashimoto comes in it feels like the roof is about to blow off and as usual his interactions with Ogawa are out of this world. Iizuka also had his finest moments ever in this. Early 2000s NJPW gets a lot of flack for bad booking but this was a hell of away to get the angle over.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Heat, struggle, urgency, chaos put that altogether and you got a badass match. Murakami is the best heel that never made it. He is only 41 today! There is still hope someone push this man. Murakami & The Two Ogawas would be the greatest puroresu stable ever. There is an out of control feel that is hard to replicate or ever capture and this match has it in spades. The only complaint is that the climax is a little lackluster, but it is still befitting of the match as Murakami gets his comeuppance. It feels like a consolation prize because Ogawa still stands tall against Hashimoto. I really want to watch the rest of the Hashimoto/Ogawa matches.****1/2

[WingedEagle]

This is easily the hottest I've ever seen a Tokyo Dome crowd. Right off the bat this feels totally different and more intense than anything on your typical pro wrestling show. Between the gloves and Ogawa & Murakami acting like legit American heels rather than anything subtle you'd usually find in Japan this is just insanity throughout. Iizuka is KO'd early by Murakami and shortly thereafter the whole thing is broken up and we seemingly get a DQ! That won't fly but with the NJ roster looking like they might actually kill the outsiders it wouldn't be the worst idea ever. Inoki seems to restart things by the power of his big stick. Hash kick Murakami (who's trapped in an armbar) straight to hell and calls in Ogawa. I know Ogawa isn't exactly a trained or refined wrestler, but his charisma and almost chickenshit (when selling) monster heel routine fits perfectly in this type of insane environment. But clearly not someone you can just squeeze into your standard match. Hash tries punches from the mount but is caught in a triangle. Ogawa follows with STOs for both. Murakami with an awesome judo throw on Iizuka and immediately goes into punches, while Hash & Ogawa brawl outside. Iizuka eventually finishes Murakami with a choke. More madness follows the finish.

 

If Brock Lesnar were booked like this, his 3-4 appearances every year may just be special enough to move business. I know the Ogawa phenomenon fell apart due to Inoki / booking issues, but man does this feel like something that had quite the shelf life.

 

****1/4

[soup23]

The heat here was nuclear. Iizuka and Murakami start things off with Murakami just going nuts and pushing away the referee. Murakami even has time to talk shit on the mic as Hash checks on his partner. Hash then decides he is going to tee off on Murakami and the fight is on. Amazing stuff with Ogawa getting involved as well. The seconds come in and the bell rings which makes the crowd flip. Trash begins to be pelted into the ring as the guys continue to fight. Fujinami gets in as Hash gets on the microphone and shoos away everyone. Inoki now gets in the ring and he declares the match will continue. Murakami vs. Iizuka round two looks like more of the same until Iizuka locks on an armbar. I can’t put over how amazing the atmosphere is here with the crowd electric. I love these two guys just going nuts on each other and trying to lock on submissions. Hashimoto tags in and Murakami ignores him to inflict more damage on Iizuka. Hash is great just standing there waiting before he goes nuts on kicks and then calls out Ogawa. Here we go with the big guns in the match and guess what this sequence is amazing too. Hashimoto utilizes a headbutt and chops down the Ogawa tree to the delight of the Dome. This is one of the greatest Hashimoto performances of a legendary career and it is kicking my narrative that his matches top out at a level quality wise because this is a damn near perfect match in my eyes. The heat is off the charts, the work is stiff and unique to get over the MMA aspects and the character work is also on point. Things break down at the conclusion with Hash locking an armbar on the floor while Iizuka is able to get a choke on Murakami in the ring for the big win. All of the New Japan faithful has to rush the ring to get Iizuka to break. Ogawa isn’t done as he slams Iizuka and we have a pull apart to end things out. I know Inoki’s MMA vision got way out of whack but I can honestly see him watching this match and seeing this as the future because things worked so wonderfully here. I actually watched this match twice and was really high after the first viewing that I messaged Loss and told him it might be a top 100 match of the 2000’s. After watching a second time, this may be a top 100 match of all time for me. This would not be an embarrassment at all as the MOTY. ****3/4

[Jordan]

Yeah, this ruled. Even with all the pseudo-mma, restarts and ring filled brawls this felt like the most "standard" wrestling match probably helped by the tag format. I liked the defined hierarchies in this of Murakami/Iizuka->Hashimoto->Ogawa (slightly) so you get Hash coming in and destroying Murakami to break something up followed by Hash having to find a way to survive STOs. Also has the most thorough beatdown of Ogawa by Hashimoto including the return of the awesome headbutt he broke out in the 10/99 match. Ultimately a great, hate-filled, action-packed brawl that works as a nice contrast to the two Ogawa/Hashimoto singles on 10/99 and 4/00 that were built around Hash's selling and figuring out ways to avoid STOs.

[Microstatistics]

On 10/22/2016 at 7:54 PM, Jordan said:

I liked the defined hierarchies in this of Murakami/Iizuka->Hashimoto->Ogawa (slightly) so you get Hash coming in and destroying Murakami to break something up followed by Hash having to find a way to survive STOs.

 

A great point. The match also showed Hashimoto's growth as he was able to go toe to toe with Ogawa in this, rather than merely survive like he was forced to do at times in 10/99. He even managed to hold him off long enough for Iizuka to secure the upset at the end.

 

Amazing match. Heat, storytelling, violence and hate. Probably the best January 4 show match ever. **** 3/8

[Loss]

This is the perfect blend of pro wrestling excess, shoot style action and pro style action in front of a molten crowd. Murakami is the spark in this -- just an amazing snot who makes the pairing with Iizuka matter and is such a great little punk. The Hashimoto-Ogawa interactions are completely off the page. I like how they teased a quick match just like in October and then restarted. Everyone impressed really, but Murakami was my favorite guy in this in terms of making people not feel disappointed that the finish involved neither Hashimoto nor Ogawa and helping the heat sustain throughout even when those two were not in the ring. Really special feeling and maybe this will go down in some ways as the colloquial end of 1990s New Japan. We'll see. ****1/2

[superkix]

Don't want to regurgitate what's already been said but the atmosphere was amazing, the interactions stiff and hate-filled, Murakami was the perfect insufferable prick, and Ogawa vs. Hashimoto delivered on most levels, even if it was cut a bit short. Loved Hash's shoot headbutt in the ropes before he starts clobbering Ogawa to the ground. I thought Ogawa's selling was really good during his exchanges with Hashimoto. Iizuka finding redemption in the rear naked choke was a satisfying finish to Murakami, and that face plant when he passes out was a great final visual.

[elliott]

I am delighted by the praise for this match. This would rank obscenely high on a "Favorite matches ever" list for me. Fun story, I convinced MattD to watch this match and he only watched the first part and was like (paraphrasing) "why do you like this 90 second match so much, crazy person?"

 

Kazunari Murakami was the bomb in this era. I feel like you can judge the quality of a person based on how much they love Kazunari Murakami.

[jasch]

I'm ashamed to say I've never seen this. Peak shoot style. I love the crowd popping for Hash taking off the gloves. 4 1/2 for me.

[fishbaugh]

Not quite as high on this match as everyone else in the thread, but that's only because I don't think MMA vs Pro Wrestling is a story that has aged well at all. That being said, this was a hot match with an electric crowd, and that made for a very exciting and entertaining 20+ minutes. Murakami was the glue in this, with the Ogawa vs Hash confrontations sustaining the heat. I'm closer to an 8.5 on this one, but that's still firmly in great match territory.

[Mattsdmf]

This was a first time watch for me. This was quite incredible! I love the out of control nature of this match. I'm not too knowledgeable about this feud but from what I've read, it seems really interesting on paper. I love the nuclear crowd heat. I also dig how everything seemed like a struggle and the strikes looked very stiff. Very much a MOTYC.

[Laney]

This match is great. Hashimoto really brought the goods in this one. It's full of intense hatred and chaos, but it's the subtle things that Hashimoto does that really stands out to me. The staredowns and taking off the gloves just intensifies things even more. Love the finish too where Iizuka refuses to relinquish the choke.

 

****1/2

[cramerjason87]

It had been a while since I had seen this and I was so impressed. Murakami especially has such great heel charisma. This hits that sweet spot of cooperation and the aura of non-cooperation that is necessary for it to work. Loved the finish too.

[Karl]

This is glorious in every single way. It has the biggest of big match feels. Such intensity, such hatred and a lovely finish. Utterly brilliant. ****1/2

[KB8]

I absolutely love this match. My thoughts on it haven't changed since my last watch, so I'll just c&p what I said then:

 

Awesome, wild, chaotic spectacle. I know the Hash/Ogawa feud is generally considered to be a colossal fuck up, but holy shit did the crowd lose their mind for every interaction they had together. They're completely nuclear for this whole thing, and a big Dome crowd like that will always put a smile on my face. Even from the intros this feels huge. Match winds up getting thrown out after a few minutes because it's basically turned into a full blown riot, so Inoki gets in the ring wearing a white tracksuit and wielding a kendo stick (I think). He gets on the mic and hell if I know what he says but I'll assume it's something along the lines of "THE SHOW MUST GO FUCKING ON." And so it does. Everything in this is brutally stiff. I don't think Murakami ever properly learned how to throw a worked strike, but here he's just full force cracking Iizuka in the face with punches and knees like a reckless headcase. Hashimoto is utterly spectacular in this. After the restart he tags in for the first time, but Marakami continues fighting with Iizuka. He has the mount on Iizuka and isn't really paying attention to Hash. Maybe he doesn't care that Hash is the legal man. Hash kind of stands there at first, like a school teacher waiting for the kids at the back to be quiet. Then he loses patience and fucking smashes Murakami in the spleen. Crowd reaction to him telling Ogawa to get in the ring is amazing, and really, this match is a perfect example of why Hash is so great. His energy is just off the charts. It's impossible not to get invested in what he's doing, and his presence alone turns something that'd already be big into something that feels truly momentous. The Hash/Ogawa exchanges are what you want them to be, and Hash winning strike exchanges really feels like the moment in a movie where the hero is able to start cracking the Big Bad's armour. The crowd start believing as well, and the louder they get the more fired up Hash gets. Incredible moment where he rips off his boxing glove and starts laying into Ogawa with overhand chops. Incredible moment #2 when he can't be bothered with rope breaks and just headbutts Ogawa in the cheek. Honestly, it cannot be stresses enough how unbelievably fucking boss Shinya Hashimoto is in this match. Finish is totally sick as well. Hash is on the floor trying to snap Ogawa's arm (after Ogawa runs through folks with killer STOs), while in the ring it looks like Murakami is having his way with Iizuka. Iizuka has heart and has the entire Dome crowd behind him, but Murakami is a stone cold fucking psychopath and seems literally incapable of doing anything that doesn't hurt you. He takes Iizuka down and starts unloading fists, but Iizuka manages to escape and lock in a disgusting rear naked choke for the stoppage. Crowd goes utterly batshit insane, the ring fills up with people in tracksuits, and then Hashimoto tries to get at Ogawa some more. This was several thousand levels of great.

[WingedEagle]

I was really excited to check this out again after seeing a lot of recent feedback on this match. This is definitely the best, hottest blend of shoot style and pro wrestling that I've seen. Arguably the best Tokyo Dome crowd ever makes it feel like you're watching a classic before there's any action. The atmosphere and energy really carry this further than the match on its own would, as you're almost watching in awe of what might happen and how this may break down into something spectacular and unfamiliar. There are very few matches where the anticipation literally continues from bell to bell but that was very much accomplished here.

 

It still boggles my mind that Ogawa didn't become the ultimate heel around whom the promotion was built with Murakami as the gatekeeper, as it really felt like they had something uniquely hot and broad in their pocket had they not gone so far down the MMA hole. Either way this is as compelling a watch as it gets. I can't really rate it any higher as a match, but this was very much more than that in how it was presented, and I'm not sure they could'e achieved as much had they attempted any more traditional pro wrestling.

 

****1/4

[Childs]

I don't have much to add but it was my No. 4 match of 2000 and No. 26 match overall in the Ditch 2000s project.

[soup23]

Curious as to what your top three were?