[2001-04-20-NJPW-Strong Energy] Minoru Tanaka vs Takehiro Murahama

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znbz6HUNbss

[Superstar Sleeze]

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Minoru Tanaka vs Takehiro Murahama - NJPW 4/20/01

This match did not disappoint given my high expectations after seeing them square off in the December trios match between New Japan and Osaka Pro. I was very excited when I found out they had a match nominated for this project. The way this match builds is really why it stands out as one of the better matches I have seen so far. It begins fast and furious with each man trying to find a hold that will weaken the other man. It is not mindless grappling. It really feels like they are looking to pick something a leg, arm, anything they can get their hands on and then wrench it. Murahama went for the cross armbreaker early but Minoru powerbombed out of it. From there, they just ramped up their intensity on the mat. Minoru is able to pop off a quick back drop driver, but Murahama powders before he can press his advantage. Murahama comes in and hits a huge flash kick to the head, which was treated like a KO shot and got a big reaction, but only got two. I like how everything is so quick in this match. Blink and you miss something crucial. Murahama works over the arm and then applies the cross armbreaker this was the best presentation of the cross armbreaker I have ever seen. From the announcer, to the crowd to Minoru's wriggling and selling, it felt so frantic and I could actually feel myself becoming anxious given the confluences of all these reactions. Minoru makes the ropes and powders. So Murahama dives on top of him. Sweet! Great way to press the advantage and have a nice highspot. Now Muraham goes for the crossface chickenwing, but never quite gets his fingers locked and there is such a great struggle here. Murahama coming off the ropes eats a dropkick to the knee and crowd pops because they know the heel hook is coming. Minoru keeps pulling Murahama back on the heel hook, but cant wrangle the submission. I liked how they whiff on big kicks. It was very believable how they absorbed a kick and kept going on. I have seen enough MMA to know that not every kick or punch to the head is a knockout shot. Minoru finally catches Murahama with a kick to the head and heads to the top. Murahama follows and there is a great struggle atop the turnbuckle with Minoru throwing headbutts that actually bust himself open. Eventually, Minoru hits a missile dropkick and when he fires up you see the blood covering the right side of his face. What a war! Huge release German and a kick only get two. Minoru wastes no time and applies the cross armbreaker for the finish. This was a great blend of the en vogue MMA-styles at the time. Even the typical pro wrestling spots like the dive to outside or missile dropkick made total sense in the scheme of the match. Everything in this match was so quick they were looking for a flash KO or flash submission, but still everything built. I loved the frenetic feel during that cross-armbreaker attempt by Murahama just so perfectly executed. The finish stretch was great at putting over Minoru's fighting spirit and of course his deadly cross armbreaker. ****1/4

[dawho5]

This match was holy shit kinds of awesome. Until right before the end when Murahama completely nosells the leg and kicks out at 1 after a high kick he ran into. But besides that, this match was so fucking awesome. The early parts were easily the best worked shootstyle juniors match you could ask for. The Tanaka heat segment was so very, very incredible. Especially the selling of the armbar on the way to the ropes. Then when Tanaka puts on the leg submission (you know the one I mean), Murahama is freaking out trying to make the ropes and keeps getting pulled back by Tanaka. Man, if this isn't the juniors match of the decade there's some really good stuff coming up. This should make top 30 for sure.

[Graham Crackers]

I wouldn't call this shoot-style. There are elements of it here and there but they're all things you can find in tons of other NJPW matches. If you want to see an even better IWGP Jr title match that resembles shoot style then check out the Kanemoto vs Rutten from 2002.

 

This was good in it's own right though. Tthe grappling was a nice change of pace from some of the spottier junior stuff from the last decade and with the length being shorter than 15 minutes in never overstays it's welcome.

[Codysseus]

Probably one of my favorite matches. I just rewatched it for the first time in a good 8 years or so and held up quite well. Tanaka at this time was one of the few best juniors around and Murahama brought *it* in this match. My favorite part was how patiently and gradually they ramped up the intensity. Neither could really get much of an advantage on the mat or with strikes at first, then each of them were able to force a couple of ropebreaks. Tanaka scores first with the big backdrop suplex, but wants Murahama in the middle of the ring and lets him recover. The big turning point (and probably highlight of the entire match) was Murahama's surprise high kick just as they're fingers touch as it looks they're about to go head back to the mat or exchange strikes. Minoru drops dead, the crowd pops, and they get a great nearfall before any real damage has been done. Great stuff. From there, Tanaka's in serious trouble battling out of cross armbars, kicking out of german suplexes, getting kicked in the head, and getting dived on while trying to get some space outside - Murahama refuses to be as patient as Tanaka was minutes before.

Great stuff.

[superkix]

Murahama had a pretty damn good debut year in 2000 Osaka Pro and by the following year, he's challenging the dreamy new Japan junior ace for the the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. This was a really good match and a culmination of everything Murahama had picked up on during his rookie year, with some solid groundwork. For the most part, the early goings are evenly-matched and Minoru's got his working boots laced tight for this, with a little extra salsa thrown into his kicks. At one point, they're both struggling over a leglock, slapping each other in the face, until Murahama smartens up, ducks, and tries to take control of the leg but Minoru ends up taking him to the ropes. And then he proceeds to throw him with an awesomely scary Saito suplex. Loved Murahama's surprise high kick to the head when he re-enters the ring. The crowd was super into the nearfalls in the backhalf of the match and Minoru surprisingly busts himself open off a headbutt. A great showing from Murahama and an impressive performance from Minoru.

[Laz]

Early 2000s puro is a major blind spot for me. I binged through the major Four Pillars matches early on in my internet days and was still firmly stuck in my ECW-inspired "good wrestling needs plunder" phase.

 

I was 14. Leave me be.

 

I'm sorry that I didn't watch more earlier on, because the opening moments alone hooked me. Murahama and Tanaka trading kicks, keeping their distance from one another and feeling each other out. That's enough to get my attention when the workers doing it clearly know what to do, and both men obviously do.

 

Even little things like Murahama snapping off a one hand bulldog, a Jericho staple that I always thought looked poor, is done with an extra oomph to make it look more believable. Part of it is definitely how Murahama carries himself, a smaller dog with a great fight in him, and another part is how little down time there is.

 

I mentioned once before that my favorite style of wrestling will always be garbage brawls, and while that's still true I also need to say that this kind of wrestling is my favorite non-gimmicked style. The strikes were swift and snug but not recklessly stiff, the submission holds were treated with respect and admiration (leading to several convincing false finishes), and the blending of a realistic fight feel with the storytelling pageantry of pro wrestling makes this a wonderful watch.

 

I love that spots which were even common when the match occurred seemed like bigger deals than most insane spots do now. The Saito suplex from Tanaka leading to Murahama bailing out, Tanaka finally nailing the missile dropkick, the finishing roundhouse kick...all beautiful.

 

8/10, ****

[ohtani's jacket]

One thing that's been missing from 2001 has been a steady stream of Osaka Pro on our screens. Minoru Tanaka has never been a favorite of mine, and this was very much a Minoru Tanaka bout, but at least it was a chance to see Murahama have a solid match and for that I'm grateful. Some nice moments here and there. A couple of nice "near falls" off submissions. It was a short match but they managed to main what I would call a "competitive pace" without too much back and forth. Murahama didn't really shine but it's hard to do that as the outsider. At least it was a good match. I'll take that in 2001. 

[dawho5]

On rewatch I loved this just as much as I did the first time.  They respect the submissions enough to sell them big.  I did like Murahama forcefully demonstrating why real fighters don't go for greco-roman finger locks at the 9 minute mark.  A quasi-shootstyle/juniors promotion would have kept me watching wrestling if these guys were in it.