[1997-08-10-NJPW] El Samurai vs Shinjiro Otani

[SirEdger]

I was told a few times that El Samurai had a fantastic 1997 but for me, the highlight of this match was Shinjiro Otani. Throughout the match, he displays so much emotion after every nearfall, like he's desperate to get that pinfall and capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. I also believe that El Samurai was J-Crown champion entering this match but I can't confirm 100%. Nonetheless, really good match with a great pace and both men showing great chemistry.

[dawho5]

I really liked this one for a couple of reasons.

1. They didn't do that "spend 7-10 minutes on the mat" opening that NJ juniors always seem to do to prove they can mat wrestle.  It's great that they can, but it very rarely has anything at all to do with the finish.  Or the story leading to the finish.

2. What they did instead was get right to Samurai stealing some of the very key Ohtani spots, tree of woe and face washing to be particular.  Clearly there has been some buildup that has some spice to it as Samurai is a guy who gets that way in response, not as the instigator.

3. After Samurai rips off the face washes, Ohtani does not try to respond in kind.  He tries to hit bigger stuff to advance the purpose of winning the match.  He's not just trying to get his shit in.  He is trying to play to the story being told in the match.

4. The finishing sequence is not overblown like the previous matches Samurai had with Takaiwa and Kanemoto.  It builds the moves up in a much more logical order with a lot more struggle to hit big moves in sequence.

Overall, really good match that has to be one of the better NJ juniors matches as far as showing some restraint and staying within the established story of the match.