[2000-01-23-AJPW-New Year's Giant Series] Mitsuharu Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa vs Steve Williams & 2 Cold Scorpio

[soup23]

A weird start here where it looks like Doc is going to shoot in on Misawa. Every one clears out and away we go. I liked Doc taking a cheap shot at Ogawa on the apron. Scorpio and Misawa have a pretty basic wrestling sequence. Doc is really the spark here being a complete dick to Ogawa on the outside. It is nice to see Doc this motivated in 2000 as he does an impressive press slam to Ogawa lifting him up multiple times. It is really neat to see sleazy Ogawa at this point in time as sympathetic FIP. Scorpio’s flashy moves are also working in this environment against Misawa. Misawa ends up getting worked over a good bit here and we have a double heat sequence in this tag. Scorpio gets too flashy on a twisting legdrop and Ogawa is tagged back in. Scorpio is able to hit a huge moonsault that Misawa is forced to break up the pin with. All four guys are going after it now. Misawa and Ogawa start working together and make their comeback and it feels well earned. Scorpio kicks out of Ogawa’s back suplex but falls to the Tiger Driver and back suplex combo. I really dug this one and may be overrating it but it really displayed the short tag structure with a cohesive storyline element. Afterwards, Doc and Scorp fire away again. This is the best Doc has looked in years. ****

[Loss]

Doc was spectacular here. I had no idea he still had anything left this late, based on his disappointing late 90s runs in the WWF and WCW. Their loss, as he's a monster here, immediately going after Misawa like he's going to shoot on him before the bell even rings and instigating a rare post-match brawl after the match. But it's what he does during the match that's most impressive. I don't know that athletically, he's the Dr. Death of old, but he can still bring it in certain spots and he knows how to make the most of what he can do. I love how he uses his left hook as the great equalizer -- against Misawa, but even moreso against Ogawa anytime he begins to mount a comeback of any kind. I thought Ogawa's performance here was a little uninspired (how many jawbreakers does one guy really need to do in a single match?) but everyone else was pretty on point. I got a kick out of Dr. Death applauding 2 Cold Scorpio's dancing. This succeeded in making me want to see Misawa vs Doc (in 2000!) and also in making me want to see these teams rematched, thanks to a strong match and an inspired post-match brawl. Those things work really well when they are done as sparingly as they are in All Japan. ***3/4

[Laney]

Solid tag team wrestling here with Doc and Scorpio working over Ogawa. I thought Scorpio was very impressive in this one and seemed like the glue that held this all together. Doc was very motivated as well and had a lot to add to this match. Ogawa on the other hand was just kind of there and Misawa has looked better than this as well. The most annoying thing in this match was Misawa taking a bit of a beating, making a comeback, and then just nonchalantly walking over to make the tag to Ogawa. If there are hot tags, then I guess you would call this a cold tag.

 

All-in-all a good fun match with Scorpio and Doc bringing the goods.

 

***1/2

[Childs]

Doc teasing a pre-bell takedown attempt made for an odd opening, but I enjoyed him and Misawa working the opening minutes like they were renewing acquaintances. Doc certainly did not look done, though he was notably less explosive than he'd been in the mid-'90s. I popped both times he stopped Ogawa dead in his tracks with straight rights. And I also dug the way he and Misawa kept fighting after the bell. That felt like something ripped from '80s All Japan. The crowd also seemed pretty into Scorpio, which was nice to see. Overall, this was a collection of interesting parts more than a coherent example of great wrestling. But I was more intrigued by it than say, the 1/17/00 Kobashi-Kawada, which was a better match. Matches like this speak to the value of casting such a wide net with the project.

[Moonsault Marvin]

After looking washed up in the U.S., Dr. Death is completely reenergized in Japan. Williams puts in a nice performance as the aggressor in this match. His gorilla press and his punches are awesome. Ogawa does a good job of taking his usual beating and it was good to see him get a win. Misawa continues to look off in these matches. Good match and fun post-match brawl.

[Tim Evans]

Doc and Scorpio looked like they had something to prove after the past couple years in the US. Doc was just killing poor Ogawa with shots and was trying to motivate Misawa. He's not what he once was sure but he was better than he was in 98 and 99. Good to see Scorpio shining as things to come when he joined NOAH. Fun match.

[KB8]

I'll agree with the general sentiment that Doc looked waaaay better here than he did in the previous couple years. He was super fun in this and brought a ton of energy, which went a ways to making up for the lack of prime Doc explosiveness as mentioned. The general manhandling of Ogawa but in particular the jabs to shut him down, the way he teased the backdrop, how fired up he was even on the apron, etc. Scorpio's offence is so unlike what we're used to in All Japan that you can't help but get a kick out of it. I didn't think Misawa was phoning it in, but for the most part he seemed content to hit his notes and move along. Still, Misawa hitting his notes and moving along can be pretty enjoyable. Definitely looking forward to seeing more motivated Doc.

[aethelred]

Doc was fired up in this one and really steals the show. Good to see him and Scorpio rebound after lame WWF tenures. Ogawa was less than impressive though and those weak back suplexes did not make for a very convincing finish.

[ohtani's jacket]

This had a pretty intense opening. Williams appeared hellbent on proving he had something left. Unfortunately, the match lost steam as it went along and turned into a regular-sort of tag match instead of something special.