[1998-03-10-WAR] Tomohiro Ishii vs Keisuke Yamada

[Jetlag]

See the problem with 1998 WAR is that there's so little of it. This was realy clipped, showing 8 minutes out of 13, however what was shown was some insanely violent, pissed-off scrappy pro wrestling. 1998 Ishii is just as brutal as during his more famous New Japan run, but in 98 he didn't do any overly long strike exchanges and was slightly more athletic, hitting a beautiful dropkick. Yamada always looks good giving and taking a beating, he is a deathmatch guy so he can totally do savage headbutt trading and has creativity for huge but not overly elaborate spots. He sure gives Ishii the business in this one, busting his nose with a spin kick, dropping some mad DDTs and just killing him with one of the most dastardly kneedrops ever caught on film. He was also not having Ishii's macho bullshit, shoving a chair in his neck when he tried blowing off a chairshot. Not a mindblowing match by any means, but I always get a kick out of a savage violent spectacle like this.

[corwo]

Many consider this one of Ishii’s first great matches and for a good reason. Yamada comes to us from IWA Japan, whereas Ishii represents WAR.

From the outset, Ishii and Yamada’s disdain for each other is palpable. It seeps through the screen as they potato their opposition with slaps to the face and crunchy strikes. The action spills to the outside, and Ishii flings Yamada five rows deep into a pile of chairs. They briefly return to the ring, but Yamada takes Ishii back outside and sends him into the post, seemingly busting open his mouth. Yamada continues his attack by placing a chair on the apron and DDTing Ishii onto it.

Ishii just about knocks off Yamada’s head with a lariat as they move into the bomb-throwing portion of the match. But it feels earned, and when they’re laying in their offense this hard, it’s difficult to complain. Yamada gets overzealous by going to the top rope, and there’s a delightful sequence where Ishii gets knocked down a few times and frantically scrambles to land a superplex. After a few jumping Enziguris, Yamada is able to regain his composure and hit a gnarly guillotine knee drop off the top, landing on Ishii’s back. Yamada won with a wicked avalanche DDT shortly thereafter.

The only real issue I have with the match is the clipping. Out of the thirteen-minute and nine-second runtime, about seven minutes airs. Still, what’s shown is remarkably violent and mean-spirited. If we had the whole match, I’m not sure it wouldn’t be a bona fide classic. Regardless, there’s a lot of value to be found in watching this, and plenty of that sweet, sweet interpromotional hatred.