[2006-07-17-NJPW] Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Giant Bernard

[Superstar Sleeze]

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Giant Bernard - NJPW 7/17/06 Vacant IWGP Champion

To answer my question from 12-13 years ago, this is the match for the Vacant IWGP Championship. The resurrection of New Japan to MOTYC juggernaut begins here with Albert and Tomko lol. Antonio Inoki and Brock Lesnar have been ousted and New Japan abandons Inoki-ism and Shooters and guys with legit credentials opts to go the Sports Entertainment/WWE route. In a way, this was the route All Japan was currently practicing with the Voodoo Murders and relying on older native stars like Mutoh, Sasaki, Kawada and Tenryu. NOAH was still doing the All Japan Kings Road style turned to 11. I would say the key difference between New Japan and All Japan is New Japan had the youth movement with Tanahashi and Nakamura. Even Nagata and Tenzan didnt feel quite as old as the All Japan main eventers. 
 

This is a very WWE-ified New Japan match. In a way I guess it is fitting that Giant Bernard is in the match. Tomko trips up Tanahashi twice in the beginning and gets thrown out by the ref. There’s a ref bump and a visual pin by Tanahashi. This was smart because in America that is the death knell for the babyface if a babyface gets a visual pin in a match theres no way he is winning the title. A steel chair gets involved Tanahashi smashes it back in Bernard’s face and then has to fight off Bernard’s goon. Then wins with a barrage of Sling Blades. New Japan didnt become the darling of internet until 2012-ish again when they went for a modern take on 90s New Japan but it seems funny to trade in Inoki-ism for Vince-ism. I don’t know what the reaction was to this. I liked the bloody Nagata/Makabe match next year but that also feels American and the Tanahashi/Nagata story from 2007-08 is a bit more Japanese-style. It is a combo of WWE and more traditional puroresu I would say. Also I am really glad that Tanahashi added the High Fly Flow as a finisher as a barrage of Sling Blades is just anti-climatic. 
 

As for the body of the match I really enjoyed it. They had a match in June a month before this where Bernard bloodied Tanahashi but was hoisted on his own petard smashing his face into the exposed turnbuckle and Sling Blade Tanahashi wins. Bernard establishes his size advantage Bur Tanahashi gets on a run. His fast break offense overwhelms Bernard as I mentioned Tomko trips up Tanahashi twice and gets thrown out. I really liked the transition to heat. Bernard wiggles the top rope and Tanahashi falls on his nuts. Big Pump Kick sends him careening to the floor! I thought Bernard was going to try to bust him open again but opts for shoulder neck work on the post. He escalates to an F-5 which Tanahashi kicks out of which I am sure was a shot at Inoki/Brock as Brock still had their title and it would get reunified when Brock dropped his version to Angle and Angle lost to Nagata. Tanahashi kicks out of the Baldo Bomb, the Vader Bomb and the Last Ride. Bernard just using a smattering of famous super heavyweight finishers and Tanahashi kicking out of them was a neat idea. Tanahashi did dropkick the knee for a hope spot but Albert quashed that quickly. So no leg/knee work from Tanahashi who is still evolving. It was a lot of Sling Blades and fighting spirit. The finish was covered up. I thought it was a very entertaining David vs Goliath nothing earth-shattering but a solid addition to the genre. Trading in Inoki-ism for Vince-ism while strange, it was also a clear hard reset that New Japan desperately needed. Strap up the hot new young babyface that is polar opposite of Inoki-ism against a gaijin is a throwback to traditional puroresu while being very fresh in the context of rebelling against Inoki-ism. It would pay off as Tanahashi/Nakamura, Tanahashi/Nagata and Nagata/Makabe were all highly acclaimed IWGP championship matches. A very good start to rebuilding New Japan. *** 3/4