[1989-08-31-NJPW] Naoki Sano vs Akira Nogami

[Superstar Sleeze]

IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion Naoki Sano vs Akira Nogami - NJPW 8/31/89

 

Before AKIRA got a personality transplant he was just simply Akira Nogami in black trunks. Akira was a distant third all year to Liger & Sano, but the story is that he is out to prove himself. From the opening, he slaps Sano hard and never really lets up. He is constantly offensively minded. He makes up for his blandness with his relentless onslaught. Like anyone who passed through the NJPW dojo, he is a very sound worker. He was great on the mat and thought he had a really nice legdrop. The other story of the match was that Sano was the ultimate counter-wrestler always one step ahead of Akira and that's why he is champion. Akira is perched on top, dropkick. Akira goes for dropkick, he holds onto ropes. Akira goes for a kick, he catches it and turns it into an enziguiri. There are a lot of examples of Akira getting a quick advantage off a highspot but when he follows it up with another highspot he gets burned. He has not learned how to capitalize on a highspot and then maintain his advantage. Sano shows us that. After the enziguiri he goes for piledriver and then figure-4s the head. A sound, veteran mentality from a young lion. Sano puts on a great Boston Crab at one point and when Akira tries the same thing Sano breaks. I love how Sano is clearly the better wrestler from kayfabe perspective, but because Akira is so damn relentless he has a chance. On a superplex, Akira shifts his weight, this is his best chance, but gets two. There is a series of nearfalls including a German bridge by Akira that looks good. He is putting himself in position to win. He goes up top and Sano crushes him out of the sky with a dropkick. AWESOME! Plays right into the counterwrestler thread they had going. That gets two, but a fisherman suplex gets Sano the win.

 

Tight match, with lots of energy and little down time. It is New Japan so the execution is great and the everything is snug. The narrative of hungry challenger constantly getting thwarted by smart champion was great. I loved the payoff with the dropkick by Sano with Akira coming off the top. Really played into Sano's counterwrestling and being one step ahead of Akira dynamic. Excellent, well thought out juniors match. Sano is on a roll, definitely want to see more from him. ****