Maeda/Takada vs Mutoh/Koshinaka (NJPW - 3/20/1987)
Nov 13, 2021 15:53:49 GMT -5
Post by Control21 on Nov 13, 2021 15:53:49 GMT -5
IWGP Tag Team Title League Final Match
I this this match gets some unfair criticism today. It's not a complete epic like some of the matches we got in AJPW or NOAH, but I think it still holds up extremely well. Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada of course wrestle like you would expect as the main representives of the UWF vision. Keiji Mutoh and Shiro Koshinaka on the other hand, represent the rising new generation of NJPW stars from the junior heavyweight division, and they wrestle like they have something to prove as well. This match had wall-to-wall action and some nice exchanges in particular between Akira Maeda and Shiro Koshinaka. The pacing was excellent, and when you have four guys with excellent ring awareness and command involved in a tag match, the result is a solid match structure with a sense of urgency throughout. I think you get the whole package here, and the finishing stretch with a boiling hot crowd is the cherry on top. I still feel this is one of my favorite tag matches of all time, especially from NJPW. *****
I this this match gets some unfair criticism today. It's not a complete epic like some of the matches we got in AJPW or NOAH, but I think it still holds up extremely well. Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada of course wrestle like you would expect as the main representives of the UWF vision. Keiji Mutoh and Shiro Koshinaka on the other hand, represent the rising new generation of NJPW stars from the junior heavyweight division, and they wrestle like they have something to prove as well. This match had wall-to-wall action and some nice exchanges in particular between Akira Maeda and Shiro Koshinaka. The pacing was excellent, and when you have four guys with excellent ring awareness and command involved in a tag match, the result is a solid match structure with a sense of urgency throughout. I think you get the whole package here, and the finishing stretch with a boiling hot crowd is the cherry on top. I still feel this is one of my favorite tag matches of all time, especially from NJPW. *****
