[1999-09-23-CAPTURE] Ichiro Yaguchi vs Ni Hao

[corwo]

Yaguchi is a sleazy brawler whose sole objective is to wreak as much havoc as possible, whereas Ni Hao is the new hotness, a Kitahara protege poised for bigger and better things. Yaguchi recklessly throws knee lifts and headbutts, forcing Ni Hao to outstrike and outwrestle him. But kicks, no matter how hard they are, are only so effective when the man across the ring is willing to sacrifice his noggin' for the pure love of the game.

This is a match of momentum shifts. Yaguchi's backing of Ni Hao into the barricade and the latter's subsequent triumph in knocking him down a peg is a moment of pure elation. The frenetic and unpredictable nature of Yaguchi rears its head, though, and he goads Ni Hao into brief firefights. Bloodied and battered, Ni Hao again manages to dump Yaguchi on his head, which only angers the man more.

The finish, which sees Yaguchi headbutt Ni Hao so hard that he spills into the crowd and the referee calls off the match, is simultaneously anticlimactic and poetic. While I'd have liked Ni Hao to have one final rally, the referee having to save him from himself so he could live to fight another day was apropos.