Hiroshi Hase

[Jetlag]

If you want to go all the way with your list, you'd also have to note that Hase did 3 neckbreakers, 2 guillotine attacks, several of those chinbreakers etc. Mostly in a row. And yes, between those moves there was nothing happening except for Hase picking up Chono to do the next move. That's lazy wrestling in my eyes. Hey Hase, you just gave him 2 neckbreakers. Why are you picking him up to do a third? This is something 1st year wrestling rookies are advised not to do and someone like Hase doing it irks me. Especially as throwaway spots in the opening minutes of the match.

 

As far as the "freezing" thing goes: I think there is an art to controlling an opponent and being on the receiving end of offense all while making everything look like a struggle. It's what makes the fine difference between a wrestling match looking like a fight or looking like a string of glued together wrestling moves. This doesn't mean being an uncooperative sack. In the case of this match, I just find it particularily jarring that Hase, clearly a skilled wrestler, suddenly finds himself unable to do anything as soon as Chono puts him in a dreadful leglock. Especially after Hase had easily kicked Chono's butt for several minutes before that. All he had to do was reach forward like you see so many other wrestlers in the same situation and grab a chinlock, because, you know, he had just spent minutes working over Chono's very neck that was now on display before him.

[JerryvonKramer]

I feel like you could go through any number of AJPW classics and make these same criticisms Jetlag is making now.

[Jetlag]

I'd like to know which AJPW classics you are actually talking about. The main reason why the AJ guys are so good is because they are experts at controlling a guy for ~10 minutes without the match getting boring and repetitive, aswell as struggling for dear life against the other guys offense. And just to make this clear, hitting 3 neckbreakers in a row isn't the same as hitting 3 chops to the neck in a row.

[JerryvonKramer]

I need to watch that opening ten mins again cos I can only recall one neck breaker, hit shortly after the stunner.

[WingedEagle]

Not about to get into discussing the merits of this versus All Japan as while I have strong opinions, I fully admit I'm in the bag for Baba's boys. There's a reason 3 will be in my top 10 and a 4th not much lower, if at all. The Chono G1 was very similar though in that it didn't waste 6-8 minutes or more with aimless matwork that went nowhere. I just don't find Hase & especially Chono at the same level as those who would've done it for Mr. Baba.

 

What Parv's review and thoughts did make me think about though is just how I'd weigh Hase vs. Hashimoto. I'd have to look back on and think about the volume and depth of Hashimoto's top matches, but do find it interesting that on just about every occasion I walk away from a Hase match thinking it exceeded my expectations whereas with Hash almost the exact opposite is true, save perhaps for some of the early Ogawa stuff. Just don't see him as a peer of the elites from that era.

[JerryvonKramer]

I fully believe that if Hase had worked his exact same career in NWA / WCW, people would think about him in the same sort of bracket as Barry Windham or Arn Anderson.

 

And with Hase, I actually find it really easy to imagine him in that setting because he works so much in that style and NJPW always sent him over for the tag tournaments.

[Microstatistics]

1992-1993 Hiroshi Hase was a miracle worker. He got MOTYCs out of Mutoh AND Chono. That alone is Top 50 worthy.

[Boss Rock]

Hase is probably a top 50 contender for me as well. Great junior worker who eventually became a great heavyweight worker.

[Makai Club #1]

Top 50 Contender for me as well. He had great chemistry with everyone (Hashimoto, Chono, Mutoh, Koshinaka). He helped Kensuke Sasaki grow as a wrestler in the tag team from green as grass to solid with potential. He had enough charisma to be champion and while that didn't happen for him, he was still in memorable spots constantly. I think his only disappointments were the Inoki match where he lost easily and the All Japan run that is either loved or hated by most. 

The match with Chono is one of the greatest G1 matches of all time. That alone really puts his case over for me. 

[Boss Rock]

I haven't seen his entire AJPW run but count me as one who enjoyed it. Especially the Kobashi match.

[fxnj]

I've currently got him at 26 on my draft. There's still a lot I haven't seen, so he could change, but for now something that I'm certain of is that he has the "it" factor for me. Even with how he constantly got jobbed out in NJPW and AJPW, he has that ability to make you buy into him against anyone he's in the ring with. I currently see him as the best of the NJPW's 90's heavies and a huge blessing for AJPW after he jumped. Compared to his contemporaries, he was the best by far on the mat, had charisma out the ass, and could trade open handed strikes as good as anyone. Hash peaked higher and got more opportunities, but Hase blows him away for consistency/variety. He's done quite well for me just watching random NJPW matches with stuff like somehow pulling a good match out of Tadao Yasuda's debut or the aforementioned 93 G1 Chono miracle match. But I see his run from after the AJPW jump as the point where he leaves no doubt of himself as an elite level performer, and I think it deserves some in-depth talk here. So, here's some recommendations from that period as supplement to Loss's list from earlier. Lots of stuff I haven't seen even just from this period but should be enough for a starting point.

w/ Misawa & Kawada vs. Taue, Akiyama & Kobashi 9/15/1997 - Awesome 60 minute 6-man that recaptures the energy of the Jumbo 6-mans while still feeling fresh thanks to Hase's role as the odd man.

vs. Kikuchi 1/3/1998 - Some of the most tricked out matwork you'll find from 90's AJPW, made even more awesome by Kikuchi's trademark underdog selling.

vs. Akiyama 5/1/1998 - First of Hase's AJPW Dome show epics and one of the greatest meat stick measuring matches. Two wrestling jocks from the same college going hard flexing their mat wrestling and then dropping each other on their heads.

vs. Kawada 5/2/1999 - Second of Hase's AJPW Dome show epics and not far behind the Akiyama match in quality. Perfect combination of bodypart focused grappling, hot strike exchanges, and incredibly nasty head drops.

vs. Vader 8/30/1999 - Great 11 minute quasi-squash that feels right at home as a sequel to their tags from earlier in the decade. Hase sells his ass off and gets the crowd huge into it.

vs. Taue 9/4/1999 - Have only seen the JIP NTV version, but looks like a hella fun bomb throwing match adapted nicely to the size difference and both guys' unique movesets.

w/ Izumada & Momota vs. Akiyama, Eigen, & Honda  9/18/1999- Again have only seen the JIP version, but way better than it looks on paper. Hase gels really well with Eigen mixing workrate wrestling and old man comedy spots.

vs. Misawa 1/9/2000 - Already discussed extensively but well worth a watch if you haven't seen it. Impressive feat from these guys having a great match in the year 2000 that's almost 25 minutes of various Hase armlocks.

vs. Fuchi 1/2/2001 - Basically the AJPW equivalent to a lucha maestros match. Great matwork and loads of fun moments from both guys. Watch the GAORA broadcast for the first 5 minutes then switch to the New Year Giant Series comm for the last 9 minutes.

vs. Muto 6/6/2001 - Incredible matwork in the first 20 minutes or so. Muto gasses out and they have to switch to more straightforward bomb throwing, but still well worth a watch.

vs. Tenryu 8/30/2002 - Awesome striking-based match that works for how careful both guys are in selling damage and varying their attacks as needed. Feels like a match that dudes working soulless forearms exchanges should study.

vs. Kojima 10/27/2002 - First half is Hase gobbling up Kojima on the mat and it's glorious. Second half is fun bomb throwing with a passing of the torch feel.