[1996-12-01-NJPW-Final Battle] Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs Riki Choshu & Kensuke Sasaki

[PeteF3]

Very nice 'bridge' between Hashimoto in the G-1 and the 1/4/97 Dome show. Hashimoto & Hirata were a reliable team, Hash vs Choshu is a reliable matchup, there ya go.

 

[PeteF3]

Hirata gets tortured quite a bit here, but the real focus is Choshu gunning for Hashimoto as he prepares for an IWGP title shot on 1/4. Gotta love old man Choshu throwing dropkicks at Hash standing on the ring apron. We get more good chop-down-the-tree stuff at the end, too. Another nice short cozy tag, though not as great as the AJPW sprint from the day before.