[2008-04-29-ZERO1-MAX Ichii Senshin] Masahiro Chono & Tadao Yasuda vs Shinjiro Otani & Takao Omori

[Ma Stump Puller]

This was expected quality: Chono and Yasuda were not fully out of their depth here workrate wise, but neither are particularly well adjusted for a huge workrate-style sprint. To disguise this....and in usual ZERO1 inter-promotional fashion this quickly turns into a outside brawl. Chono and co quickly realise that their opponents are somewhat beyond their capabilities, so they use a lot of dirty antics to become de-facto heels here. Yasuda in particular was really great, shouting at the ref, crude low blows, having chop contests with Omori, just solid shtick on display. The middle section has the babyfaces get their big comeback with Yasuda mostly throwing himself all over the place for the both of them with some great big man bumps before getting back into things with running shoulder tackles. They continue their control segment by working over Otani's bandaged shoulder, with classic Chono trash talk and Yasuda scummy antics, egging him on to throw strikes with said shitty shoulder before knocking him back down. Good spot with Otani clinging onto the ropes to try to stay alive as Chono cranks his arm to punish the guy for it. Huge Otani chants, we get some teases at a comeback but nothing.

Chono lands a decent top rope shoulder charge at his age which was majorly surprising. Omori is just about able to stop a STF after getting past Yasuda but nothing else, he's stuck on the apron. Big range of finisher spam to finish up, Chono does a Shining Kenka Kick only for Omori to hit his Axe Bomber. Yasuda eats a signature Otani top rope dropkick to the back of the head for a near fall before a spinning kick/Axe Bomber x2 with a Dragon Suplex seals the deal. This was a fairly by the numbers inter-promotional match, but both Chono and Yasuda are smart vets that know how to milk such a interaction for everything that it's worth, I would also say that Chono was surprisingly game on his end to work with his buddies and we really see that here given how much he was tangibly doing, even in his prime you'd see Chono do way less than this when he wasn't bothered lol. Otani and Omori don't really do much outside of the norm, however said norm is solid enough alongside a game crowd to really enhance the experience. Yasuda being a stooging giant continues to be one of the more entertaining parts of these kind of heat-focused matches, dude is solid despite his limited moveset. Probably one of the better late-career Chono performances.