[1994-06-14-Kitao Pro] Yuji Yasuraoka vs Masaaki Mochizuki

[Jetlag]

AND – this was one of the best rookie vs. Rookie opening matches I've ever seen – and really the perfect opening match for this kind of fed: fast, short, brutal, to the point, and with purpose – as the audience was dying to see young Mochi make a dent and topple the slightly more experienced Yasuraoka. This match also shows how good Yasuraoka could be when he wasn't stuck in a spotfest with Lance fucking Storm, simply by not backing down from reckless kicker Mochizuki. Yasuraoka absorbing Mochi's opening barrage, creating an opening with a big headbutt and then downing Mochi with a huge slap was such a simple, but badass sequence. Both guys came across as aggressive, fast moving, and willing to bite a face off when necessary. Neither of them were afraid to get nuked with huge suplexes either, and did I mention Mochi recklessly kicks the shit out of Yasuraoka anyways? This was a bonafide sub 5 minute war.

[GOTNW]

There is a lot to process here-the match is basically three minute thunderstorm. It seemed a little messy at first, but I instantly gave it a rewatch and I concluded it's more the good kind of wild chaotic than the messy kind you find in many modern spotfests and brawls. You have a clear focus on Mochizuki kicking the hell out of Yasuraoka, but it is a very action packed match with more focus on content than form, and it works because every transition perfectly fulfiils its role. Mochizuki's kicks looked cool, but the grounded kicks and knees he used to escape the guard and the WAR special felt like the most important ones just because of how rare something so logical and useful it is in most matches. Yasuraoka's big slap was almost shockingly cinematic-could've easily become a legendary visual had it been done by famous workers on a big show, and his classic WAR lumpy style contemplated Mochizuki's karate combos nicely. Lovely and creative finish with Mochizuki headkicking Yasuraoka who managed to block kicks to which Mochizuki reacts by making him drop his guard with a low kick and then almost kicking through his head. ***1/2