[1996-01-04-NJPW-Wrestling World 1996] Hiroshi Hase vs Kensuke Sasaki

[soup23]

On a show filled with a lot of shoot stuff and charismatic matches with run ins and fighting factions, this was the perfect match to center in the middle of the show overall. Hase was done as a full time worker after this and would only have one more match the entire year. The match features some great wrestling and control from Sasaki that is earned by him winning some brutal strike exchanges to keep the crowd heat up. I also thought the finale with the suplexes being thrown in were done tastefully. Overall, this 1996 1/4 show only has one match I would rank as great but the card was very well thought out and it is a ton of fun to watch front to back. This match being the anchor was a wise choice. ***3/4 (7.3)