Post by superstarsleeze on Feb 16, 2019 23:23:04 GMT -5
Amazing 90s workrate match from four not associated with the 90s workrate movement. It felt as if the New Japan boys would keep up with All Japan for the rest of decade.
IWGP Tag Team Champions Masa Chono & Keiji Mutoh vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki - NJPW 11/1/90
So I watched this a long time ago and I loved it. Watched it last night it took my breathe away but it was so fast I couldnt keep up so I am doing a review where I write and watch it at the same time. This reminds me so much of the first Four Corners Tag in June of 1993.
90s Workrate baby! This is an All Japan tag before All Japan tags were even invented. They set the tone early with tons of rope running and big explosive spots. Thats really what characterizes 90s work rate in my mind it is movement and explosiveness. It is not cool moves but a lot of well-executed high impact moves. Chono hits a big shouldertackle then Sasaki follows suit with a powerslam. Nothing fancy but it is the speed and the intensity that make it compelling. Mutoh and Hase slow it down. There is no sense of hatred from the 1990 bloodbath indicating that Keiji Mutoh and Great Muta are considered two separate entities. Mutoh and Hase work the more traditional strong style opening focusing on wristlocks and single leg pickups. Sasaki & Hase were a young and upcoming team. Hase just graduated from the juniors and Sasaki was very wet behind the ears. Mutoh works the headlock to ground the explosive Sasaki. Sasaki throws him off the headlock and nails a dropkick. I love wrecking ball Sasaki. He tags out to Hase so we get our fourth unique pairing. Hase is such a charismatic wrestler. We get the first sense this is a tag team match as Chono bullies him into the corner and they double team him with a quick tag and double shouldertackle. Chono tags back in and Hase takes him to the ground, which is his forte. Chono again brings him over to their corner and they double team him. I LOVED Mutoh's back drop into his power drive elbow. It looked so good. I like they are establishing the champions as the better team. They are not heels. They are just better at the tag team strategy than the younger challengers. Hase gets an amazing submission out of nothing basically and grabs an armbar. Hase is being controlled without getting owned so he is not dying. I like that sort of struggle and energy. Clear leader, but it is not a blowout. Chono works his way into deathlock and tags Mutoh back in. It is not that Chono or Mutoh is better than Hase they are just better tag wrestlers. Mutoh works his deathlock gimmick including the bridge. Sasaki finally saves Hase with a big elbow to the bridging Mutoh. I love any spot that involves dropping body weight on a bridging opponent. The action is fast & furious, but everything makes sense and is well-executed. Chono looks like a million bucks that neck injury really did him in. Hase immediately tags out! Awesome tag psychology. No fucking dawdling like you will see in America. Hase is being honest with himself and needs to get Sasaki in there. Sasaki dominates Chono with strikes good selling and a nice bump there by Chono. I dont love Sasaki getting all Scotty Steiner loving his own work and telling his opponent to get up. He makes for it with a big Oklahoma Slam and WOW WHAT AN ELBOW DROP! Sasaki brings Chono over to his corner and Hase gets some of his frustrations out on Chono's chest. Sidewalk slam gets two and Hase is thinking Scorpion Deathlock, but Chono gets a inside cradle. They continue to work Chono over in their corner with Sasaki holding the hair as Hase slaps the chest and now a double clothesline on Chono, but the ref wont count the cover. I love old school reffing like that. Now the challengers are throwing good tag psychology back in the champs' faces. Sasaki crashes and burns on a dropkick as Chono holds the ropes. Chono does not tag out. Seems like a mistake but he hits a Yakuza kick to the side of Sasaki's head. He signals for another and then tags out and collaspes. Mutoh immediately hits his back handspring elbow, extra explosive. He throws Sasaki to the floor and Chono whips him into the railing. The champions are escalating the action and the challengers are responding. They hit a Doomsday Device like move and Chono locks in his finish the STF and Mutoh hits a dropkick on Hase, but Hase is able to get past Mutoh to knock Chono off, but Mutoh throws Hase out. Chono reapplies the STF, but Sasaki makes the ropes. High drama! Mutoh hits the kneecrusher. Chono & Mutoh are working on a clinic on the rookie Kensuke Sasaki as Mutoh now applies a figure-4. Sasaki is showing a lot of fighting spirit making the ropes. Chono attacks him in a neutral corner, which seems like a mistake. Sasaki hulks up and THROWS CHONO DOWN! Tags out to Hase who immediately hits his twisting urnage and applies a Scorpion Deathlock. Mutoh casually walks in to break this up to a chorus of boos. Hase tags out to Sasaki. Was it too soon? Sasaki sets up for superplex and hits it. Hase illegally comes off the top rope with a splash, but the ref counts it for two. Chono looks to be in real trouble. Sasaki locks in the Scorpion Deathlock. Mutoh comes into break it up but takes a lot more kicks and Sasaki beats the shit out of Mutoh and they throw him out. Sasaki hits a big dropkick in the corner and then a big German Suplex for two. Hase cant believe it is not three! He comes off the apron to contest the count. I love it! Mutoh is cheering on Chono. Chono hits the Yakuza Kick and falls into a tag. Mutoh comes out hot! Surprisingly, he is able to his back handspring elbow (very rare to be able to hit the same spot twice), but he screws up and dropkicks in Sasaki towards his corner allowing the fresh man, Hase to come in, but Mutoh meets him at the pass and hits a backdrop driver. Mutoh slows it down and feels more in control hits a bulldog then takes him over with a Dragon Suplex. Chono hits a missile dropkick on Sasaki as he was trying to break it up. Mutoh hits his backbreaker/moonsault combo but Hase kicks out at 2! Mutoh is incredulous. Sasaki hits a monster lariat on Mutoh as he is contesting the count. Chono comes in and POWERSLAM! Hase hits a Northern Lights Suplex...BRIDGE...1-2-3!
Wow! They pack so much in here without it feeling like overkill too much. There was no waiting for people to be ready. No intricate spots. It was all high impact moves that were well-executed and done with a great sense of urgency that is what defines 90s workrate. I thought this told a great story of the Champions beating the challengers in a tag match by using quick tags and double teams. Chono and Mutoh looked amazing this match and looked like they would be massive workrate stars of the 90s. Sasaki was just a bulldozer and Hase is so damn good on the mat. I like how the challengers won not by cheating per se but bending the rules. Saving is more lax in Japan, but Sasaki coming in trucking Mutoh during an argument with a ref is pretty cheap so it is protects the Champs, but also is an exciting finish. It was just chaos towards the end with bodies flying everywhere. Every bit as good as anything All Japan produced in 1990. It wouldnt be until later that gulf widened. ****1/2
IWGP Tag Team Champions Masa Chono & Keiji Mutoh vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki - NJPW 11/1/90
So I watched this a long time ago and I loved it. Watched it last night it took my breathe away but it was so fast I couldnt keep up so I am doing a review where I write and watch it at the same time. This reminds me so much of the first Four Corners Tag in June of 1993.
90s Workrate baby! This is an All Japan tag before All Japan tags were even invented. They set the tone early with tons of rope running and big explosive spots. Thats really what characterizes 90s work rate in my mind it is movement and explosiveness. It is not cool moves but a lot of well-executed high impact moves. Chono hits a big shouldertackle then Sasaki follows suit with a powerslam. Nothing fancy but it is the speed and the intensity that make it compelling. Mutoh and Hase slow it down. There is no sense of hatred from the 1990 bloodbath indicating that Keiji Mutoh and Great Muta are considered two separate entities. Mutoh and Hase work the more traditional strong style opening focusing on wristlocks and single leg pickups. Sasaki & Hase were a young and upcoming team. Hase just graduated from the juniors and Sasaki was very wet behind the ears. Mutoh works the headlock to ground the explosive Sasaki. Sasaki throws him off the headlock and nails a dropkick. I love wrecking ball Sasaki. He tags out to Hase so we get our fourth unique pairing. Hase is such a charismatic wrestler. We get the first sense this is a tag team match as Chono bullies him into the corner and they double team him with a quick tag and double shouldertackle. Chono tags back in and Hase takes him to the ground, which is his forte. Chono again brings him over to their corner and they double team him. I LOVED Mutoh's back drop into his power drive elbow. It looked so good. I like they are establishing the champions as the better team. They are not heels. They are just better at the tag team strategy than the younger challengers. Hase gets an amazing submission out of nothing basically and grabs an armbar. Hase is being controlled without getting owned so he is not dying. I like that sort of struggle and energy. Clear leader, but it is not a blowout. Chono works his way into deathlock and tags Mutoh back in. It is not that Chono or Mutoh is better than Hase they are just better tag wrestlers. Mutoh works his deathlock gimmick including the bridge. Sasaki finally saves Hase with a big elbow to the bridging Mutoh. I love any spot that involves dropping body weight on a bridging opponent. The action is fast & furious, but everything makes sense and is well-executed. Chono looks like a million bucks that neck injury really did him in. Hase immediately tags out! Awesome tag psychology. No fucking dawdling like you will see in America. Hase is being honest with himself and needs to get Sasaki in there. Sasaki dominates Chono with strikes good selling and a nice bump there by Chono. I dont love Sasaki getting all Scotty Steiner loving his own work and telling his opponent to get up. He makes for it with a big Oklahoma Slam and WOW WHAT AN ELBOW DROP! Sasaki brings Chono over to his corner and Hase gets some of his frustrations out on Chono's chest. Sidewalk slam gets two and Hase is thinking Scorpion Deathlock, but Chono gets a inside cradle. They continue to work Chono over in their corner with Sasaki holding the hair as Hase slaps the chest and now a double clothesline on Chono, but the ref wont count the cover. I love old school reffing like that. Now the challengers are throwing good tag psychology back in the champs' faces. Sasaki crashes and burns on a dropkick as Chono holds the ropes. Chono does not tag out. Seems like a mistake but he hits a Yakuza kick to the side of Sasaki's head. He signals for another and then tags out and collaspes. Mutoh immediately hits his back handspring elbow, extra explosive. He throws Sasaki to the floor and Chono whips him into the railing. The champions are escalating the action and the challengers are responding. They hit a Doomsday Device like move and Chono locks in his finish the STF and Mutoh hits a dropkick on Hase, but Hase is able to get past Mutoh to knock Chono off, but Mutoh throws Hase out. Chono reapplies the STF, but Sasaki makes the ropes. High drama! Mutoh hits the kneecrusher. Chono & Mutoh are working on a clinic on the rookie Kensuke Sasaki as Mutoh now applies a figure-4. Sasaki is showing a lot of fighting spirit making the ropes. Chono attacks him in a neutral corner, which seems like a mistake. Sasaki hulks up and THROWS CHONO DOWN! Tags out to Hase who immediately hits his twisting urnage and applies a Scorpion Deathlock. Mutoh casually walks in to break this up to a chorus of boos. Hase tags out to Sasaki. Was it too soon? Sasaki sets up for superplex and hits it. Hase illegally comes off the top rope with a splash, but the ref counts it for two. Chono looks to be in real trouble. Sasaki locks in the Scorpion Deathlock. Mutoh comes into break it up but takes a lot more kicks and Sasaki beats the shit out of Mutoh and they throw him out. Sasaki hits a big dropkick in the corner and then a big German Suplex for two. Hase cant believe it is not three! He comes off the apron to contest the count. I love it! Mutoh is cheering on Chono. Chono hits the Yakuza Kick and falls into a tag. Mutoh comes out hot! Surprisingly, he is able to his back handspring elbow (very rare to be able to hit the same spot twice), but he screws up and dropkicks in Sasaki towards his corner allowing the fresh man, Hase to come in, but Mutoh meets him at the pass and hits a backdrop driver. Mutoh slows it down and feels more in control hits a bulldog then takes him over with a Dragon Suplex. Chono hits a missile dropkick on Sasaki as he was trying to break it up. Mutoh hits his backbreaker/moonsault combo but Hase kicks out at 2! Mutoh is incredulous. Sasaki hits a monster lariat on Mutoh as he is contesting the count. Chono comes in and POWERSLAM! Hase hits a Northern Lights Suplex...BRIDGE...1-2-3!
Wow! They pack so much in here without it feeling like overkill too much. There was no waiting for people to be ready. No intricate spots. It was all high impact moves that were well-executed and done with a great sense of urgency that is what defines 90s workrate. I thought this told a great story of the Champions beating the challengers in a tag match by using quick tags and double teams. Chono and Mutoh looked amazing this match and looked like they would be massive workrate stars of the 90s. Sasaki was just a bulldozer and Hase is so damn good on the mat. I like how the challengers won not by cheating per se but bending the rules. Saving is more lax in Japan, but Sasaki coming in trucking Mutoh during an argument with a ref is pretty cheap so it is protects the Champs, but also is an exciting finish. It was just chaos towards the end with bodies flying everywhere. Every bit as good as anything All Japan produced in 1990. It wouldnt be until later that gulf widened. ****1/2
