Takao Omori

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[BillThompson]

Not sure if there's enough old man Omori for him to make my list. I haven't seen a lot of his earlier stuff, but what I have seen in no way measures up to his later output.

[GOTNW]

He's got plenty of good matches under his banner. What I found really interesting about him is how he never seemed out of place against opponents held in higher esteem. On the contrary-he totally looked like he belonged. But there's a pretty big gap in his career between him leaving NOAH and his resurgance in All Japan. And while he does have some qualities I'd say he relies more on his opponent to bring the match structure and such, which is why you'll never see him make something from nothing like Ishii, Akiyama etc.

[Ma Stump Puller]

I can get why people would think he'd be a good fit, but for me, I feel like he got really good way too late: it didn't help with the fact that NO FEAR, by far his biggest thing he's known for, quickly fell apart as Asako retired after his traumatic neck injury and Takayama was being pushed elsewhere, literally too big for the group anymore. He was just sorta stuck in limbo afterwards, floating around in lesser promotions, occasionally showing up here and there but mostly in nothing matches. 

His pre-breakout stuff is pretty eh as well: Omori as a bland babyface with zero flavour does him nothing with the crowd and while he does have some good matches on the AJPW circuit, he's mostly just the fall guy/the one that bumps a lot, especially when working with older guys. I can appreciate that fact as the function of a good hand, but still, he's JUST a good hand. Kobashi seems to be the only one that gets anything out of him in singles for the longest time. He's a good tag specialist and can play the hot babyface leading the charge or the dirty heel that'll do anything to get ahead, best used alongside stronger acts workrate wise. Omori is a good brawler but he needs a greater opponent to bounce off of in the ring, and he's kinda middling in anything that's not a scrappy brawl or stiff striking. 

If I could make a comparison, he's basically in the role of Akitoshi Saito: loyal workhouse, good in tags, can be brought to something truly great with the right man leading, but he's a lot more underwhelming than you'd expect from someone with the rich history he has. Even his TC run, as short as it was, was incredibly forgetful. It would take a revelation for him to even get a whiff of the top 100.

 

[TheBean]

Sharing some recommendations for posterity. I have watched a good bit of 2000-2010's Omori and he's awesome. But I think he's probably someone you have to "get into" and understand his journey/history to fully appreciate. But it's not some big task to do that. Tag partner to Akiyama, tag partner to Takayama, challenges Kobashi in Champion Carnival before the NOAH exodus, exiled from NOAH, goes to Zero One for awhile, returns "home" to AJPW as a vet etc. His 2010 has depth beyond that arc especially once Akiyama & co. come into AJPW.

Will update this periodically:

• Jun Akiyama vs Takao Omori (09/04/99): If you are a fan of either guy then, damn man, you need to watch this!! Knees, lariats, armbars, attacks off the top rope, man! Why did people thing AJ sucked in '99? It has a big match feel, it has a nice early focus on grappling then, organically transitions to big moves but no MKII finishers which was refreshing. This is very similar to 2012-2015 actually Great match!

• Takao Omori & Mohammed Yone vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Takashi Sugiura (05/26/02 NOAH): A little bit earlier there's a schism in No Fear. Akiyama calls Omori out saying Takayama is using him...during the match Takayama wants to decimate Akiyama with double team moves (they do) but Omori says enough is enough and hit his partner with the Ax Bomber and splits. That looks to be on the 05/09 show. That sets up this match. Anyways...this was some great hateful hard hitting wrestling. It boils down to two parts 1) Takayama getting his ass kicked 2) Omori getting his ass kicked. Yone & Sugiura were very secondary in their roles. Yone was especially stiff with Takayama...I've got to see more of his NOAH work. I would have liked a little bit better of a finishing segment but, we get 20 minutes of potatoes so I can't gripe too much. If you're interested in watching this then, you should!

• Takao Omori & Manabu Soya vs Seiya Sanada & KAI - RWTL (11/26/11 AJPW): Omori & Soya have teamed up here as Wild Hearts. The thing is Sanada & Soya were tag partners just a few months ago. Not sure who wanted the split but, they square off right at the bell. Seiya goes for speed and shocks Soya. KAI's in there and they go for the double team. These two young guns look dynamic as all get out!They are fighting in the stands now. Old man Omori's out there choking Sanada with a child's parasol! Hahahaha! Back on inside the ring and KAI's trying Soya but, come on dude! Manabu is a freaking caveman...and not the Fred Flintstone type either.Omori gets in there and wisely slows things down with KAI. The K man eventually finds an opening to get Seiya, the fire plug, going. Omori's had enough and puts big Soy sauce in there. Hey, deadlift suplex a motherfucker, Soya! This is a real back and forth match. Omori's trying to Axe Guillotine Driver KAI off the top now. Great! erase his head from existence! Just tons of double team destruction but, surprisingly never goes into bonkers territory. Both teams were very impressive. This was a great match.

• Go Shiozaki & Jun Akiyama vs SUWAMA & Takao Omori (07/28/13 AJPW 2/3 falls match): Here we have one of the few reminents from Muto AJPW, ace SUWAMA and a cast off from Misawa's AJPW exodus in Omori up against NOAH's ace and Kobashi/Misawa pupil Shiozaki and Jun Akiyama. Let's all remember that Akiyama is former tag partners, champs and friends with Omori. Akiyama got to ride the NOAH wave in the 2000's while Omori was surfing relatively low tide in Zero-1 and washed up back in AJPW like driftwood. This was a battle for a lot. Omori had remade himself in partnership with Manabu Soya however. He was not someone to be kicked around anymore. This was Omori's home, AJPW had been through alot in that time and SUWAMA had been there and is still there. This isn't just his home, it's his kingdom. He had outlasted them all. Akiyama wants back in? Akiyama had been gone for 13 years. Ok that's fine but he has to earn it. Shiozaki on the other hand has no place in AJ. He's an outsider through and through. This was a battle. A beautifully long match that harkened back to the classics of AJPW '92-'96. The grappling, striking, layout and pacing were conservative. Therfore, the contest was more organic in its story progression and the escalation of aggression. The 2/3 falls usage was brillant and perhaps is what made it so damn good. It provided the wrestlers the framework to bring the level of excitement up and down, to be able to rest the fans energy only to build it back double fold. Classic Match.