[2001-08-12-NJPW-G1 Climax] Keiji Muto vs Yuji Nagata

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Keiji Mutoh vs Yuji Nagata - Sumo Hall 08/12/01 G-1 Climax Final

The objective of the match was to get over Yuji Nagata as a hybrid MMA/pro-style wrestler through submission-style counter-wrestling, which was en vogue at the time. However, the match became so focused on Nagata's counter-wrestling that it seemed like he did not have any offense of his own. This whole match was run through Mutoh, which is a problem in fact in 2001 running a match through Mutoh is sensible especially since Nagata was just beginning his ascent up the card. However, Mutoh did not really fight from underneath rather he would string some moves together and Nagata would counter into submission. Nagata's offense never strung together combinations, but let Mutoh dictate the match. I am not trying to damn the style of counter-wrestler just that Nagata was miscast. We all know that Inoki was trying to force shoot-style/MMA-style down the audience's throats with Fujita as IWGP champion and his Bom-Ba-Ye. That all being said, I think they had a very strong match and the best match they possibly could have given the environment. Mutoh was compelling on offense, sold well for Nagata and they built to a helluva finish run. Nagata for his part did the best he could some of his submissions looked lame and some looked good. Once the more "pro-wrestling" finish kicked in, he looked way more comfortable.

The opening chain sequence ended with Mutoh in a guillotine choke. Mutoh begged off into the corner and took a powder. It established Nagata as the "superior" ground wrestler and that Mutoh is now wary of mixing it up on the ground with Nagata. Mutoh gets in the ring, slaps Nagata and tries a double leg takedown. I like Mutoh trying to distract him with the quick slap. Mutoh goes for his handspring elbow, but Nagata counters into a crippler crossface. After a rope break, Mutoh executes a dragon leg screw after catching a kick. Mutoh may have been unprepared for the ground game, but he has countering the kicks all match and finally now is ready to execute Mutoh v.2001 Strategy. However, he goes for the figure-4 too soon and gets caught in a triangle choke. Imagine Dusty putting Flair in a triangle choke that would have been awesome. They stand back up and there is a really intense struggle as Nagata is trying to kick Mutoh;s legs and Mutoh keeps trying to wrangle his knee and finally hits a dropkick to the knee. Now the standard Mutoh leg work kicks in and he applies the figure-4. They do the sequence again and again, but when Mutoh goes for the figure-4 a third time Nagata connects with a kick to head and a weak-looking heel hook. Back up, Mutoh hits a frankensteiner into a cross-armbreaker and poorly reversed into Nagata's version of the figure-4. So far, guillotine choke, crossface, triangle choke, a heel hook and now a figure-4, but everything feels so isolated and no submission holding is having any consequence on the match. Whereas, Mutoh's work has been tight, connected and he has sold well for Nagata's stuff (Mutoh sold his figure-4 better than Nagata sold his). The finish stretch was the best part of the match for me. Mutoh hit his top rope frankensteiner followed up with a moonsault. He goes for a cross-armbreaker and this time Nagata has to get to the ropes because Mutoh finally has punished him so much. Mutoh goes for the Shining Wizard in the corner, but Nagata dodges. He hits a nasty German that folds Mutoh up like an accordion and then gives him the wrist-clutch exploder; only for Mutoh to pop up and hit the Shining Wizard. The place goes fuckin' nuts for that. They were sitting on their hands for the most part until that sweet sequence. Then they exchange some of wicked shitty kicks (why was Nagata given a shoot-style gimmick). He blocks the Shining Wizard and applies the crippler crossface to win the 2001 G-1 Climax. ***1/2

Nagata came off as so reactionary in this match. Mutoh was constantly moving forward and had a clear game plan. Mutoh was going to counter the kicks and use his knee psychology to win. Nagata just countered and never followed-up. I have not watched enough Nagata, but I don't think that was inexperience on the big stage as much as it was having a style foisted on him that did not suit him. It is actually a testament to both men that this match is so great given how far outside their comfort zone this was. I enjoyed Mutoh's performance a lot. He got Nagata over as a submission specialist while still making himself look strong. I liked the flash submission stuff as first, but I was hoping it would go somewhere. Like I said above, the finish sequence was great. It is not up with Mutoh's best stuff from the year, but it does demonstrate the year Mutoh was having: winning the Champion's Carnival, Triple Crown, Runner-Up in the G-1 Climax and headlining the Dome in October. He is right up there with Akiyama as hottest commodity in puroresu in 2001.

[dawho5]

I didn't care for this match much. Mutoh and Nagata both ignored the massive amount of work done to the legs midmatch right after it happened. Mutoh nosold an exploder 98 to do a delayed sell after a SW? Really, the wrist clutch variation and you're popping right up? Yeah, I don't see this making it past 75 if it makes it at all.

[Graham Crackers]

I guess this could have been worse but it was still pretty bad. Mutoh is broken down and Nagata just isn't a consistent enough worker to get anything good out of him. The same way we get frustrated with a wrestler getting bogged down by Triple H's formula, a lot of guys get caught up in Mutoh's formula and Nagata just isn't the kind of wrestler who can make that work.

[superkix]

This had some cool moments but as a whole, it didn't quite feel cohesive enough to be a truly great match. I did like the extended feeling out process to open, with Mutoh trying to catch a kick and Nagata almost amusing him on the mat. When Mutoh finally snags the leg, Nagata cinches in the front necklock and forces him to the ropes, which Mutoh sells really well as he exits the ring. When he returns, the match gets a little messy. I like how Mutoh's usual legwork strategy keeps getting thwarted and Nagata has some clunky but effective counters. But  you know, eventually Mutoh gets it and goes to town on the knee. Other than a few kicks, Nagata's strikes look shitty. And I agree, Mutoh no selling the German suplex>wrist-clutch Exploder combo to hit a Shining Wizard was dumb. Not a bad match, not a great match, but a match. 

[Tenese Sarwieh]

Started off fine with decent mat work with both trying to get the advantage, which really should've been condensed to show Nagata is superior than Mutoh in the grappling department. Later on Mutoh did his standard leg work and had brief period of combating that working on Mutoh's leg himself. After Mutoh no selling the exploder and hitting a Shining Wizard they a great finishing sequence that the crowd bought leading to Nagata getting the win. This match had some elements that clicked and some that didn't, still this was a good match. 

[fxnj]

I think I liked this just a tad more than others. Not a serious MOTYC, but I'd call it a great match. Between the quasi shoot-style grappling and the white ring, it had a similar feel to a PRIDE fight, which I'm guessing is what NJPW was going for here. I'd agree that both guys looked a lot more comfortable doing pro wrestling moves than working shoot submissions, but I think they kind of faked it till they made it. Even with some sloppiness, they sold the hell out of all their submissions as potential match enders and kept a good pace moving from hold to hold, so it worked for me. Seems the crowd also bought into it pretty well. The customary Muto legwork was pretty good, highlight being the dropkick he did on Nagata's knee while he was still sitting on the mat. The figure-four probably went a bit long, though, given the more urgent/realistic approach to submissions they were going for. I liked Nagata's Akiyama shout-outs with the early-match guillotine and late-match wrist-clutch exploder. Muto no-selling the exploder didn't bother me since it wasn't a regular move for Nagata and the shining wizard setup that followed looked neat. I took this match as a bit of a coda to the Akiyama/Misawa match from July that Akiyama brought Nagata out to watch, with it now being Nagata's turn to win the big one.