[2010-08-15-NJPW-G-1 Climax] Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Satoshi Kojima

[Superstar Sleeze]

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Satoshi Kojima - NJPW 8/15/10

It is a huge testament to Tanahashi that he rebuilt New Japan with very little support outside of his contemporary Nakamura and Yuji Nagata of the previous generation. The Three Musketeers has Inoki, Choshu, Fujinami to prop their cards. For Tanahashi He had no Musketeers and Sasaki & Kojima had left. Obviously he didn’t wrestle himself but as far as one person carries his wrestling company back from he brink of bankruptcy this right up there with Stone Cold in 1998.

Heres the return of one of those Prodigal Sons That New Japan lost when Mutoh defected to All Japan. I don’t think Kojima would have been a game changer for New Japan in fact his time away made him for valuable for this return. They got a G-1 Climax Final and a Tokyo Dome Main Event our of him. That’s a lot of mileage out of a B-player.

Kojima has the ability to surprise me. He is better than Tenzan but less consistent than Nagata. He has had great matches with Hashimoto and Tenryu but has a hard time rising to the occasion. He doesn’t have that unique quality that sets him apart well besides his ginger dyed hair.

This has to be the most unique Tanahashi match I’ve ever seen. He does NOT work the leg at all! He hits one dropkick to the knee but that is to set a Dragon Screw ARMwhip. You see Kojima had a bandaged elbow and on top of that he kept blasting Tanahashi with lariats from his good arm so Tanahashi decided to try rip off both arms. That made for an interesting wrinkle. The beginning of the match was dueling limb work. Kojima worked the leg (never came back to it) and Tanahashi worked the arm. Tanahashi did a better job and it was a thread throughout the match. Kojima sold it well especially verbally.

I enjoyed that part but I really thought the finishing stretch was well executed. They really built their bombs up well. It all starts with Tanahashi somersaulting off the apron and never really lets up. Tanahashi wants Sling Blade to bring his finish run but  Kojima delivers Spine On The Pine. Kojima loves his 90s tributes, I mean don’t we all, they recreate 7/29/93 with Kojima blasting Tanahashi off the top with a lariat. Island Driver gets two. Tanahashi uses that dropkick to the knee and starts wrenching the Lariat arm. Then dropkicks the bandaged arm as Kojima cries out in anguish. HIGH FLY FLOW ears knees! This is great! I forgot how much Kojima loves the Lariat! I always associated him with the Ace Crusher. Tanahashi ends up hitting High Fly Flow to the back but crashes & burn on the second one. Kojima musters up the strength for the Axe Bombah and hits a Brainbuster but only two. He needs the Ace Crusher! Capture suplex gets two for Tanahashi but when he goes for the Dragon Suplex, ACE CRUSHER! I popped because I was right and I was annoyed when Tanahashi still hit the Dragon Suplex anyways. Respect the Ace Crusher. That was Tanahashi’s big nearfall. A barrage of big ass Lariats the last one really smoked him takes him down. Perfect booking to set up the return match at the Dome. Tanahashi did not work the leg and didn’t hit High Fly Flow properly so there are two weapons he can bust out in the Dome to change the narrative. Whereas Kojima has established the Lariat as a lethal weapon and he is the man to beat at the Dome.

As far as Japanese finish runs go in the 2010s this is one of my favorites efficient, logical and the drama really built. Another great Kojima match who knew! ****1/4