[2002-01-06-ZERO-ONE-Vast Energy] Shinya Hashimoto vs Nathan Jones

[Jetlag]

VAST ENERGY. This match was a total freakshow, but had far too many great moments not to love it. After working a lithany of martial artists in the 90s and being the king of the Tokyo Dome, Hashimoto has retired to his own remote island to live out his vision of what pro wrestling is supposed to be – some weird combination of Memphis and RINGS. Broken down 2000s Hashimoto is still a seriously great pro wrestler, and him destroying this freak of nature here was damn impressive. Jones really laid into Hashimoto who sold the beating huge. This also included Jones working an iron claw that Hashimoto sold like his skull was about to get crushed, Hashimoto and Jones working 70s Mighty Inoue/Andre spots, bearhug etc. Jones was a mixture of wooden and awkward and impressively athletic, he had this huge elbow drop, flies over the top rope, impressive leaping clothesline etc. And Hashimoto really lays into him too, hitting every part of the body with a thud, trying to find the weak spot. Hash chopping the shoulder while Jones was trying to hit lariats was pretty awesome, other great moments include: Jones powering out of Hashimotos armhold attempts, Hashimoto chopping away at the throat as well as his body shot combo, Hashimoto coming up with a bloody lip, a borderline exhausted Hashimoto locking in a basic leglock that ends up inescapable for Jones etc.

[KB8]

Yeah, our boy Nathan isn't great or anything but he's strong as an ox, impressively agile and clearly looks imposing. I mean Hashimoto isn't a small man but he's dwarfed by Jones. It's easy to see why McMahon wanted to do something with him. Maybe his WWE run even underrated him a little (I am in no way committed to that) because he at least had the physical tools. Either way he had a couple awesome Cesaro-ish strength spots, that suplex from the apron inside being super impressive because it didn't look like Hash jumped into it at all. The slingshot clothesline, the ode to World Class with the claw, etc. were all fun. He even managed to sell the toll Hashimoto's chops were taking over the course of the match. Early on he was asking for more, then by the end he either needed to connect with one of those lariats or Hash was for chopping his arm off. Hashimoto selling for the bearhug is yet more evidence of his greatness, largely because as soon as he found himself in it he immediately started cracking Jones in the neck and ear. There were a few moments where Jones looked a bit lost and unsure where to go next, but you expect that and if nothing else the way Hash sold for him made him look as dangerous as he did confused. 

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Shinya Hashimoto vs Nathan Jones - Zero-One 1/6/02

I have been absent for a few days but you will have to excuse me because I got ENGAGED LAST THURSDAY!!! Lots of partying and planning. Hopefully I can still maintain a presence here. 

I didnt like this match as much as Jetlag and I wish I did but I just couldnt quite see the match through that prism. It is not horrible, but it is not good either. I know I must have seen Nathan Jones in 2003 but I had no recollection just how fucking massive he is. I thought he was a musclebound bodybuilder who was like 6'2 or something. The dude is wicked tall and built like a brick shithouse. Vince would have been a fool not to do something with him. Great look. His offense was not bad per se. Like other reviewers mentioned his elbow drop and shoulder tackle looked good. As KB8 said, he just had no clue what to do in between his moves nor did he have a clue how to feed. It led to a lot of stilted moments. Hashimoto mostly used strikes to try to set things up. I appreciated trying to chop Jones down and kick Jones as he ran by. He started working some arm locks and trying to break down Jones that way. Ultimately he just dropped him on his head of a ton of DDTs. Also the finish was weird because after all those DDTs, he did a Inoki/Mutoh style leglock and then hit an Enziguiri to win. Felt anti-climatic. 

It is tough to be Nathan Jones. His size necessitates being in the main event immediately, but unless you are a natural (which he clearly isnt) you get exposed immediately. My only remedy would be to put him under a hood for a year or two and let him get his reps that way and when he unmasks you can do something with him. I also wonder if Hashimoto was planning to use the NWA World Title as his main title in Zero-One until TNA screwed up those plans. Japanese promotions care more about lineage than Americans do who will invent titles. It took NOAH a while to establish  GHC and Zero-One did not ever really get a major singles title during Hashimoto's run. I wonder if that was the original vision before TNA came along. Hashimoto & Ogawa in TNA during the weekly PPVs definitely would have been something!