[2001-04-19-NJPW] Katsuyori Shibata vs Minoru Tanaka

[superkix]

Shibata's been wrestling for less than 2 years at this point and Minoru is a day away from defending the jr. title against Murahama. Decent match with a fun little finishing stretch. Shibata shows off what submission holds he knows early on before Minoru snaps him over with a suplex and starts working the arm. He lays into him with stiff kicks and Shibata shows off that classic tenacity, asking for more. Shibata's still rough around the edges but toward the end, he gets a nice transition from the kneebar into the STF. The finish was cool asMinoru re-applies the kneebar after a swanky takedown and keeps pulling Shibata away from the ropes until he taps out.