[2007-07-16-ZERO1-MAX] Kazunari Murakami vs Shinjiro Otani

[Ma Stump Puller]

Murakami's first Fire Festival match for this year....and also his last, because this is the match that gave him legitimate brain damage, wish I was kidding. This goes exactly how you would imagine: immediate Korakuen Hall brawling by the pair, Mura doing Mura things with crazy stiff shots and the occasional throw into chairs. Otani tries to brave it out but he isn't really in control at all here. Mura throws shots and Otani eats them up Fujiwara-style until he's ready to jump on the guy with a stiff headbutt and running slap. We get a horrific spot as Otani brings out a chair and whacks Mura with it: the first shot is relatively safe despite it being a head-shot, Otani noticeably pulls back a bit. The second is when shit just goes wrong as the chair is busted on his head with the second shot, immediately slicing the side of Mura's head open: it's pretty nasty. Otani buys for time with the facewash spot but it's clear that Mura is hurting given his vacant stare when the ref checks on him.

Otani shows his support by placing the chair on his face while he's out of it and then punting the thing lol. Otani buys for more time with vicious shots to the back and you almost feel sorry for Mura as he's just pissing blood all over the place and stumbling around....until of course he ambushes Otani by spitting in his face and landing just ridiculous amounts of punches in the corner. Otani responds with another really hard chop to the face to at least give himself some breathing room. Mura dodges a punt and goes into a Nishimura-style backslide for a near fall before Otani sells awesomely for a punch after his kick is caught, which gives Otani a nosebleed. 

The two exchange strikes but Mura is done and can't keep up, so Otani hits a big German that his opponent can barely get up to no sell into a PK. Mura's face after Otani's Dragon Suplex is truly terrifying, he's basically half-conscious at this point but his old habits keep him working out of essentially raw instinct. Dub spot, Mura rakes the eyes and dumps Otani outside. The two exchange some shots but are too tired to get in, meaning this ends in a double count out (not sure if this was improvised because Mura at this point literally couldn't stand, but I'm inclined to say so) Mura has to be physically carried to the back (literally on someone's back in this case) and he'll spend the next three years recovering. Which is a shame, because this match is fantastic for what it is: a brutal brawl between two guys who have done this dance before, only Otani is much more prepared. The shots are wild, the suplexes are stiff, the tension is tremendous: Mura has some great selling where he's still in character despite having literal brain damage, and he incorporates the fact that he's almost the babyface here with some last-ditch attempts to take back control before Otani recovers and dumps him on his head again, it's a complete role-reversal. It's a brutal watch and certainly a experience.....but I don't want to see this style EVER get popular again for the same exact reason. That said, by far one of the best matches these two ever had.