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Post by elliott on Jan 9, 2018 18:10:39 GMT -5
Tatsumi Fujinami vs Riki Choshu (NJPW - 4/21/1983)
Another match from this classic rivalry. This finished 17th overall on the DVDVR 80s NJPW Voting. I would be unlikely to vote for this one compared to the one earlier in the month, but I think this is one of those feuds where people should really watch all of the matches and decide for themselves which one is the best. All of these matches are great and any of them would be worthy contenders for the list. This is a cool match with Choshu trying to get at Fujinami before the match with the ref desperately trying to hold him back. Fujinami has an injured knee and needs to keep Choshu off him and so Fujinami gets Choshu in the figure 4 right at the start of the match. It is an extended spot worked really well by both guys. Eventually Choshu gets out of the hold and goes about trying to maim Fujinami with super stiff strikes and submissions before finally going after Fujinami's injured knee. Excellent match to no surprise.
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Post by microstatistics on Jan 15, 2018 17:04:03 GMT -5
Pretty easily the best of their singles series. Fujinami rules in this: the urgency, the intensity, the knee selling. A great tale of pride and honor. Amazing postmatch.
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Post by mvz on May 27, 2021 4:17:30 GMT -5
I happened upon this and will happily watch the other matches in this rivalry. Everything between these two was so intense. I loved the strategy by Fujinami to wrap it up early, but I always had the sense he was doomed. Chisholm was nasty throughout but when he slapped Fujinami during the struggle over the scorpion in felt warranted. Fujinami’s selling and desperation brought this to a high level. I was surprised by the finish but can see how it would keep the fire lit.
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Post by mrjmml on Jul 21, 2023 15:54:39 GMT -5
This is the second match of the Riki Choshu vs Tatsumi Fujinami trilogy of 1983, you can see the review of the first one, that I did yesterday if you want to check it out, it will help you understand why this match is so important for the rivalry going forward and also why this match is pivotal for Tatsumi Fujinami, if you haven’t read that here’s a brief summary of the match. Riki Choshu just manhandled Fujinami, he was just unstoppable and Tatsumi couldn’t do anything about it, the pioneer of the sharpshooter had the performance of a lifetime against the wrestler I’m making the case for, Fujinami’s selling was outstanding, he made Choshu look great.
Fujinami was incredibly unselfish and did the job perfectly, Choshu won but the crowd was always in Fujinami’s side throughout the contest and with that out of the way let’s go to today’s match, it happened just 18 days after the last one so everyone has the match previously mentioned in mind, we have a much more aggressive Fujinami trying to overwhelm his opponent with a flurry of offense including a sharpshooter that he couldn’t execute successfully, after that Riki Choshu could regain his balance and keep the match in control with very few exceptions, Fujinami tried it all but he couldn’t put him in trouble at any point since then, Riki Choshu’s style got the better of Fujinami, Choshu battered the man who had conquered the junior division in the past and he made it look easy, if the previous match was a star-making performance this one is showed the world that his dominant victory weeks earlier wasn’t a fluke, in fact, it was the first of many he would have during his career in New Japan and All Japan in the 1980’s, a great performance by wrestling’s hottest heel at the time.
If you enjoyed the first encounter between these two watch it, if you weren’t able to watch the first one because of the video quality please give this match a chance.
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