HARASHIMA

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

From Quentin:

"The face of DDT, best worker in company history  and still arguably the best worker in the company. One of the best and most consistent wrestlers in Japan for at least 10-11 years that we have proof of. In the top tier of title match workers of the last decade along with fitting in great in any situation you want to plug him in to. Whether that’s having to be adept at comedy stuff, working young, spot heavier guys like Endo and Speedball, grappling with Sakaguchi and Shinya Aoki, or carrying someone like Soma Takao to a career match and at 46, shows no strong signs of slowing down. Didn’t get nominated last time but someone I had pegged for my 100 before realizing he didn’t have a thread."

[Makai Club #1]

The comments above covered HARASHIMA perfectly. Outstanding wrestler. There isn't many things better than HARASHIMA kicking someone brutally in the chest while he is smiling so brightly. HARASHIMA can come off as bland at first (I'm fairly certain his gimmick is a smiling babyface with a heart of gold which totally works in a very meta way), but the more you watch him, the more that charm he has comes out to compliment his excellent work. I can watch HARASHIMA all day every day, and I can't say that about most wrestlers. 

[simon]

Absolute yes. I don't know where, but one of a few wrestlers from the last decade who I cannot imagine making a list without. 

 

He's one of the best territorial Aces of the last generation (combine this with his early lack of footage as he's great as soon as like 2006-7, and he's basically your japanese indie Bockwinkel or Rose or whomever), great in every role he's been tasked with, great at everything mechanically, and with a hell of a resume. The list of wrestlers who've had their career matches with HARASHIMA is basically the entire DDT roster sans Akiyama. One of the more endearing and naturally wholesome babyfaces of the last twenty years, but capable of being incredibly vicious as well. A wrestler who rarely ever has matches of any note that aren't great, and on the rare occasions in which that's incorrect, there's still usually an exceptional HARASHIMA performance in the match itself. He's forty six and still one of the best in the world, and I can only imagine the resume growing over the next five.

 

And the pants also whip ass. 

 

[Makai Club #1]

Recently, HARASHIMA had a six minute match with Yukio Sakaguchi (Seiji Sakaguchi's son for those who recognise the name) on the 2021 Judgement Show and it was excellent. Even seemingly nothing matches on the eye have the potential to be gems. 

[Clayton Jones]

I've liked HARASHIMA back to the HERO days and have always found him to be one of the brightest spots of any DDT show I check out over the years. Still I hadn't considered him for my ballot until reading the above comments and then I felt like he more than deserved some consideration. My first round of HARASHIMA viewing had some interesting twists and turns.

HARASHIMA/Masaharu Tsuchihashi VS Yukio Sakaguchi/Takatoshi Mastumoto - DDT Hard Hit 12/21/2014

This was some real DDT weirdness but in the grappling subgenre. Hold for hold HARASHIMA is some of my favorite of his stuff and as such he was by far the best thing about this match. Every time he's in it he commands your attention and he throws one shoot german suplex that is especially impressive and convincing. Nothing great but more than entertaining thanks to HARASHIMA (and Sakaguchi).

Kazusada Higuchi/Shigihero Irie (c) VS HARASHIMA/Naomichi Marufuji - DDT KO-D Tag Team Championship 8/20/2017

Ironically this was my least favorite of this batch of matches even though it was the one I was probably most looking forward to. I'm a big fan of Higuchi and Irie and they both look great here. Marufuji is someone I have a complicated opinion of but overall I like him more than I don't (and have to figure out what to do with him re GWE as well). I thought a team with him and HARASHIMA had some real Ace potential. Unfortunately there was no chemistry between them besides nicely matching shiny pants. I don't know if this was a case of HARASHIMA being more accustomed to the 1A role instead of 1B in a team, or if this match was just designed to be something different than what I was looking for. But it was just alright.

HARASHIMA VS Shigihero Irie - DDT King Of DDT Semifinals 6/25/2017

This plays off a long rivalry between the two and Irie looking for his first win in their series of matches. It has a shotgun start and a nice little story to it. Nothing ground breaking but it keeps with the theme of HARASHIMA always weaving little storylines and reasons to get invested into his matches no matter what the circumstance.

HARASHIMA VS Konosuke Takeshita - DDT Title VS Title 11/3/2019

Well I had to include one of these. This is big match HARASHIMA doing big match HARASHIMA things. Takeshita to his credit feels like a real disciple of the groundwork HARASHIMA has laid in DDT for this type of main event and one of the best possible dance partners he could have. This was great, among the best matches I've watched for GWE, and really everything you could want if this sounds appealing to you on paper. A deliberate build, smart selling, amazing spots, clear hierarchy, a huge crescendo of a finish. HARASHIMA has had more of these matches over the years than many of his more celebrated contemporaries and he's better than almost any of them at it.

Smile Squash VS Kazusada Higuchi/Kouki Iwasaki - DDT Beer Garden Fight 7/30/2017

So here we have HARASHIMA back in the 1A role in his tag and this match thrives as a result. It's built largely around the supporting characters as Takao and Iwasaki really shine here. But the captains of their teams also look great as well and this fits the reoccurring theme of HARASHIMA matches that don't have huge stakes going in that still feel essential by the end.

My closing thoughts after this round of HARASHIMA viewing are he's someone that's always trying to push younger talent forward, teach them, learn from them, and never stays stagnant in his Ace role. This is something I really value especially when it's a promotion like DDT that isn't necessarily thought of as having a highly competitive main event scene with clear tiers and breakout stars. But it very much is the case and that's mostly thanks to HARASHIMA's contributions over the decades. He's the type of wrestler that holds up to a high level of scrutiny but is also easy to pick up and watch and enjoy no matter what your starting point. I'm high on his chances of making my ballot after my first round of viewing.

[CheapPop1999]

HARASHIMA is amazing. With more exposure and "big" matches, I think he'd be an easy top 15 for me based on how much I love him. He's the best Japanese ace figure I have ever watched, in that he constantly makes the entire roster better in his interactions with them. Pair him with someone who often capsizes on themselves when given too much leash, like a Kota Ibushi or Takeshita or Tanahashi or Mike Bailey, and he makes a masterpiece with them. Pair him with someone who already knows how to work fast and in his style like a Dick Togo or Shigehiro Irie and you've got a stone-cold classic. His matches all make sense as logical and athletic contests, he combines junior pacing with heavyweight psychology and was the champion of a sub-20 minute physically narrative main event style. He rules. For me, he's a 20-30 ranked guy, similar to Taue.

[EnviousStupid]

I've come to view HARASHIMA as a litmus test for his opponents. The dude is great in a reliable sense, where his style of match stays relatively grounded, compact, focused, with intelligible psychology and satisfying climaxes. Think of it like a formula that you could place any wrestler into, regardless of size or speed, and see something that in theory should deliver. If he can get a great match with you, it's a good sign. If for some reason he can't, it's probably not HARASHIMA's fault.