EL DANDY~! Review-NJPW Dome Show 1.4.2000

-Hello to everyone out there on the internet and welcome to a first: Livingston does an entire show in Japanese! Yeah, you wish. Actually, this is my first full puroresu review. Before, I had done single matches and such, but this is a weirder task, as I must do an ENTIRE SHOW. Oh, it can be done. And if I suck, go read Campbell or Baisden. Notice I didn’t say SK? Everyone reads him anyways. HERE WE GO!!!

-This show is regarded as a show full of goodness. We shall see. It’s divided into two parts, but thanks to the wonderful people over at Golden Boy Tapes, I get both parts on ONE TAPE!!! These guys are great and get their stuff out fast. Great quality. Anything else? Oh yeah. Rob is a nice guy and he’s always there to take feedback if needed.

-Recorded at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2000.

-All the stars open up the broadcast saying stuff, but I give the best opening promo to Masahiro Chono, because he opens up by bitching out Keiji Mutoh and saying that Team 2000 rules and that he is INDEED Chono. I love this man.

-IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles-Shinjiro Ohtani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa © vs. Kendo KaShin and Minoru Tanaka-So it’s Team Dickheads vs. The Crossarmbreakers. This should work. Ohtani bows and tries to get a handshake, but no dice. Now, they die. Tanaka and Takaiwa start. Takaiwa gets an advantage and goes after the Death Valley Bomb early, but Tanaka comes back and dropkicks his lariat arm. Tanaka grabs a single leg and tries to work Takaiwa on the mat. Takaiwa turns a cross-armbreaker into a single crab, but then they both grab a kneebar. Tanaka gets an advantage as Takaiwa brings himself over and tags Ohtani. Ohtani wants KaShin, and he gets him. Ohtani tries to pin him down, but KaShin moves around to avoid him, and then Ohtani kips-up out of three fireman’s carries. SWANK! KaShin gets a rolling kneebar, but Ohtani gets to the ropes. KaShin with some Euro Uppers and some double chokes in the corner. Tanaka comes in and gets a dropkick for 2 segued into the cross-armbreaker, but Takaiwa breaks that up. Ohtani starts slapping Tanaka, who returns the favor, but there’s a tag to Takaiwa, and he chops Tanaka down to size, and then hits THE LARIATOOO! Tanaka comes back with the reverse kneebar but Takaiwa goes to the ropes. Tanaka with a kick rush ending in a spinning back kick. Tag KaShin, and they trade shots before KaShin wins and whips Takaiwa in, who reverses, but gets rolled up for 2 after KaShin ducks a lariat. Boston Crab gets turned into a Victory Roll for 2, and then a single leg gets turned into a school boy for 2. Takaiwa goes back to what he does best, and that’s whoop ass, and then tags in Ohtani, who puts his boot in KaShin’s face before getting pushed off. Tag Tanaka, and he wants a suplex, but Ohtani pushes him back so he can tag Takaiwa, so he can chop the skin off Tanaka’s chest. They start trading shots and Tanaka wins with a roundhouse to the head. Yep, that’ll work. Takaiwa is like…out. He’s glazed. Not even a reaction to a stomp or anything. Corner whip reversed, but he misses a lariat and gets caught in Tanaka’s ROLLING KNEEBAR! Takaiwa breaks. Tanaka kicks the leg, but one kick is caught and Tanaka gets lariated. Tag Ohtani, AND IT’S THE FACE SCRAPES!!! Now Takaiwa WHIPS OHTANI INTO ANOTHER FACE SCRAPE! My GAWD, Ohtani rules it. Ohtani gets the crowd into the match. Corner whip into the running high kick, and then the Springboard Dropkick for 2, as KaShin breaks, but then he gets a lariat from Takaiwa for doing it. Then the challengers bust out simultaneous Flying Crossarmbreaks and IT IS ON IN THE DOME!!! KaShin whips Ohtani into a Tanaka Spinning Wheel Kick, but Tanaka kicks his own man on the second try, only to get Ohtani on the rebound with a roundhouse to the head, so he can fire off another Flying Crossarmbreaker! Ohtani is way screwed but Takaiwa breaks it up. Corner whip reversed, and Tanaka flips backwards over Ohtani, but Ohtani ducks a right hand and tries a German, which Tanaka flips out of, so Ohtani ducks a spinning wheel kick from Tanaka and gets a spinning back kick in the mush. KaShin trips Ohtani coming off the ropes and then gets tagged in, and he works Ohtani over in the corner before whipping him in, but that’s reversed, so KaShin gets the feet up and hits a neckbreaker drop. He whips Ohtani in, who reverses, but KaShin hangs on, and still eats a spinning back kick. Takaiwa tags in and STEAMROLLS KaShin with a lariat. Ohtani takes care of Tanaka outside, and the champs look to finish with the Dropkick/Powerbomb Doomsday Device, but KaShin rolls Takaiwa up into a Cross-armbreaker to stop that, and Tanaka gets a hold of Ohtani. Takaiwa gets to the ropes. KaShin puts Takaiwa on top and looks for the SUPER Flying Crossarmbreaker, but Takaiwa comes off with a lariat and goes for the Triple Bomb/DVD combo, only to see KaShin cross-armbreaker out of THAT. So Takaiwa gets him into the DVD from that, and then hits the Lariat for 2. Tanaka broke it up, so Ohtani BREAKS HIS SKULL with a Springboard Dropkick to the back of his head. Takaiwa goes for the Triple Bomb/DVD combo again, only to see KaShin fall out on the third one, and then after some miscommunication, Takaiwa gets the TAKAIWA DRIVER (Fire Thunder) for the win to retain. Great opener and in a big crowd like the Tokyo Dome, who doesn’t really respond to the juniors that well, this was a great way to do so.

-Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Wild Pegasus-You read that right. Benoit is on this show. And he faces Tenzan, who was just finding that niche that took him from rising superstar to superstar status. Benoit is Chris Benoit before the jump and you know that he rules it in this match. Benoit starts out all choppy and stuff in the corner before Tenzan takes over on him. Ropes sequence ends with a Benoit droptoe hold/dropkick combo. Tenzan rolls outside, and Benoit baseball slides him, and then Benoit hits THE STIFFEST CHOP ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PACIFIC before rolling him in. THAT THING ECHOED AMONGST THE CROWD. Whip into the HEAD-RIPPING lariat for 2. Benoit starts ripping flesh again before Tenzan counters a chop with a Mongolian Chop and then another and Benoit is down. Tenzan just takes over on Benoit with chops and stomps and an eye rake. Tenzan grabs a leg and then Benoit enzuigiris him. Snap suplex gets 2. High angle backdrop gets 2. Backbreaker gets 2. Benoit argues. Chinlock procured segued into an abdominal stretch. That gets broken up and Tenzan goes back on the offense with a throat thrust, a slam, and a falling headbutt. To the corner, where he tries to outchop Benoit, but Benoit stops that and works him over with strikes into a short lariat. Back elbow gets 2. Benoit chops, Tenzan gets a Mongolian Chop to send him down, and then a headbutt downstairs. Tenzan with some more stuff and a spinning wheel kick for 2. Tenzan slam and he goes up top, but Benoit goes up and he gets the Superduperplex for 2. Tenzan reverses a whip but misses his lariat, so Benoit fires off the Rolling Germans and cuts the throat, meaning he’s gonna go up top. The Swandive Headbutt gets 2. Benoit goes for the Tombstone, but Tenzan counters into his own, but he misses the Moonsault. Tenzan’s lariat is countered into the CRIPPLER CROSSFACE, but Tenzan is in the ropes. Corner whip lariat follows, and ANOTHER HUGE CHOP. Corner whip, but Tenzan gets the boot up and then the Mountain Bomb for 2. Tenzan hits a Super Rana and then goes up top and hits the Swandive Headbutt for the win. THE WELTS ON TENZAN’S CHEST ARE WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION ALONE. Nice little match here. The welts on Tenzan’s chest are INSANE!

-Kenzo Suzuki vs. Manabu Nakanishi-Ah, great. We got “No chance in hell” Suzuki vs. “You damn right you have no chance in hell” Nakanishi. Hmmmm…squash anybody? Suzuki…is…RUNNING TO THE RING! He still doesn’t have a chance. Nakanishi just destroys Suzuki and then after a SPEAR/GORE/BIG OL’ TACKLE, he hooks in the Torture Rack (A lot better than Luger, might I add) and Suzuki has to give.

-Don Frye vs. Scott Norton-I swear to all that is holy. Do NOT watch this match. It goes like this. Stall, brawl. Crappy brawling, too. Then a chair gets involved, and the ref doesn’t care, and then there’s more chair usage and crappy brawling, and then Norton hits the powerbomb and FRYE BLOWS THE ENDING BY KICKING OUT. Nobody gives a damn how tough he is. That’s a bunch of crap right there. Stay away like the Plague…

-Randy Savage vs. Rick Steiner-How do I say this nicely…the last match was crap, but this was more like nuclear waste as opposed to crap. I mean, Savage comes out, stalls, stalls, stalls, yells at Masa Saito, and then stalls some more. Steiner gets the bulldog to end this crap. Saito slaps Savage afterwards. Savage goes roid ragin’ into the sunset. I say this as well. On all things that are holy…actually, forget it. Just don’t even bother with this match at all. Just see the above match for what you need to do with this match…

-Shinya Hashimoto and Takashi Iizuka vs. Naoya Ogawa and Kazunari Murakami-For this match, one must know some history. The real beef is between Ogawa and Hash. It started three years prior, when Hash was the number one guy in the promotion. Ogawa was one of Inoki’s favorites, and he was put over Hash on two different occasions, with the rematch being a heated battle, and the heat between the two competitors just kept building. A year prior to this show, at the 99 Tokyo Dome Show, Ogawa and Hashimoto had what most people are calling a “Worked shoot,” where Ogawa pretty much whooped Hash’s ass, and bloodied him, causing both the fans AND the boys in the back to wonder if it was worked or if it was real. Ten months later, at the press conference for this event, Hash got EXTREMELY pissed at Ogawa, going as far as to throw a table and get slapped by president Tatsumi Fujinami. Iizuka and Murakami were put into this match because they got into a little scuffle during the break-apart at the 99 Tokyo Dome.

So now the stage is set. Murakami just jumps Iizuka and kicks his ass, taking him down for ground and pound. Iizuka is in the ropes and Murakami keeps pushing Tiger Hattori away, but he keeps going until FINALLY they get broken apart, so Murakami says, “You’re staying down, punk!” and kicks him in the temple, knocking him silly. Hash comes in to take his place, but Hattori will have none of it without a tag, so Murakami takes the time to go outside and get a mike, where he basically talks trash about his opponents, I think saying that they are unworthy, so Hash starts brawling with him and Hash WHOOPS THAT ASS. Ogawa comes in and starts to scuffle, and things are just getting WAY out of hand. Hash and Ogawa are ready to get it on, but Ogawa takes a cheap shot at the already downed Iizuka, and as he and Hash scuffle, some of the wrestlers climb into the ring, and it’s a BIG OL’ PARTY in the ring or something. So this goes on as the fans pelt the ring with trash, and then Antonio Inoki comes in after Hash yells at him on the mike to do something. So he does: he restarts the match. Now the FUN part begins. Iizuka and Murakami go at it again and Murakami gets an advantage until Iizuka takes a punch and turns it into a cross-armbreaker as the crowd EXPLODES. Iizuka starts pounding away after the break and Murakami is IN TROUBLE until he gets in the guard and locks his legs around Iizuka’s head. He grabs a cross-armbreaker but Iizuka gets to the ropes quickly. They keep trading blows again until Iizuka gets Murakami on the ground and grabs a kneebar. Murakami gets to the ropes to break. TAG ASSKICKING ELVIS. Hash is in and he waits for Murakami to take Iizuka down before he gets KICKED TO DEATH. Murakami is like…done. I mean DONE. AND HE…WANTS…OGAWA. Ogawa looks a little tentative, and Hashimoto actually out-shoots the shooter for a while before Ogawa grabs a chancery. Each man gets in a good shot or two with some kicks before Hash goes in for the kill again, but again, they go up against the ropes, and then Hash gets a couple of HUGE shots and then starts raining down about Ogawa with right hands, and THE GLOVES ARE OFF. Well, one, at least. Ogawa is on the outside recovering, now. Back in, Hash keeps whoopin ass and taking names, but Ogawa quickly gets a front neck lock in, but Hash escapes. Ogawa decides to go to a SIDE HEADLOCK, but Hash HITS THE BACKDROP. Ogawa has just been punked again. The crowd is absolutely insanely into this. Ogawa rolls outside and he’s mega-pissed. Back in, Ogawa gets backed into the guard again, and he has a Triangle Choke in, so Hash gets to the ropes. Back to a standing position, and Hash with a HUGE shot to Ogawa’s leg. Ogawa comes back with the STO. Iizuka comes in, and he gets the same fate. Ogawa does it again to Hash. He kicks Iizuka away and then he starts grounding and pounding on Hash, but Iizuka dropkicks him off Hash and out of the ring. Murakami is now in and he takes Iizuka down as Hash puts a keylock in on Ogawa on the outside. Ogawa is MESSED UP! Inside, a headlock takeover gets turned into a REAR NAKED CHOKE BY IIZUKA AND MURAKAMI IS OUT!!! Because of this match, that move, whenever it is used by Iizuka, is one of his most over moves. Iizuka gets dumped by Ogawa after the match as the NJPW guys celebrate, and Ogawa and Hash get into it again before they are broken apart. Hash then charges Ogawa but gets pulled away as Ogawa leaves the ring and the NJPW wrestlers are left to celebrate in the ring. Ogawa, ever the sportsman, talks more shit before he leaves the ring, so Iizuka talks shit back to him. This entire brawl/fight/match…whatever you wanna call it, is absolutely great. It’s stiff, it’s spirited, and it’s absolutely INSANE from the crowd’s perspective. Every time the NJPW wrestlers get a move in on the shooters, the crowd goes ballistic. See it not because it’s a wrestling match, but see it because it’s a fight and a damned good one, too. The angle is absolutely top-drawer.

-Shiro Koshinaki vs. Satoshi Kojima-Kojima is one of Japan’s best wrestlers today, and soon after this match, he and Tenzan would hook up and be one of NJPW’s greatest tag teams in history. Koshinaki uses his ass more than his head. I shit you not. His main attack? The ass attack. They call it a hip attack, but the man leads with his ass. C’mon! Koji attacks after he’s announced, but Kosh absorbs a lariat and looks for the ass attack, but Koji moves to the side and gets the LARIATOOO. Kosh rolls out and Kojima hits a SICK Tope Suicida that’s Shocker-sized. Running Flip Senton and then he rolls Kosh in to stomp away. Another running flip senton, and then Kosh gets up and hits his patented knee strikes to the head. Kojima comes back with a kick to the head and then his own knee strike. Chinlock, and into the headscissors. Kosh gets out and hits a Russian Leg Sweep, and into a half crab, segued into a deathlock. They trade chops before Kojima rocks him with an elbow, and he looks for his own half crab, but goes to a front Indian Deathlock. Kosh tries to headbutt out, but he can’t, so he goes to the ropes. Kojima whips him in and gets an inverted Atomic Drop. Kojima works the knee but Kosh breaks. Kosh with a headlock takeover, but Kojima turns it into a backdrop for 2. They fight over a suplex and Kojima gets it for 2. Chinlock again and Kojima starts nailing Kosh, but Kosh uses FIGHTING SPIRIT to absorb the blows and hits THE ASS ATTACK! Backbreaker gets 2, into a chinlock. Kojima jawbreaks out and goes back to work. Chops in the corner, and then he whips Kosh in for that jumping elbow/diving elbowdrop combo for 2. Up top again, but the rolling senton misses. Kosh gets the SUPER ASS ATTACK and then a German Suplex Hold for 2. Kosh is perched and hits a Missile Dropkick for 2. ASS ATTACK is countered with the KOJI KUTTER. Kosh ducks the LARIATO and gets an abdominal stretch roll up for 2. KOJIMA LARIATOOO gets 2. LARIATO and then a Fisherman Buster for 2. Koji Kutter reversed into a Reverse DDT, and then a Powerbomb gets the job done. Fun match. Kojima showed he has the skills.

-IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title-Jysuhin “Thunder” Lyger © vs. Koji Kanemoto-It all started with a tequila bottle. Zuh? Yep. You guys remember back on Nitro back in 1999 when Lyger made an appearance to defend his title against Juventud Guerrera while Guerrera was LWOing it up? Yeah, well, Guerrera knocked him over the head with a tequila bottle (© All Rights Reserved, Vincent Russo) to win the belt. Funny thing is, he couldn’t even defend it and Psicosis had to step in and take his place. Lyger wins back said belt, and now he gets back to Japan, and Riki Chosyu is all like, “Lyger, beat EVERYBODY in the Jr. Division and you get a shot at my student Kensuske Sasaki for the HEAVYWEIGHT Title.” That whole storyline buried the junior division for a LONG time before people like Minoru Tanaka and Tiger Mask livened it up again. Kanemoto is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lyger LOVES the Shotei in this match. He doesn’t even sell any of Kanemoto’s offense. Super German, Lygerbomb, Brainbuster. Done. Kanemoto got treated like a fucking jobber (excuse the french). That was a disgrace of a match, knowing what those two are capable of doing in the ring together.

-Kazuo Yamakazi Retirement Match-Kazuo Yamakazi vs. Yuji Nagata-Yamazaki was a former shoot-style great who did a lot in the eighties with the UWF and in the nineties with UWF-I, along with his dealings in NJPW, where he had a lot of great matches with the likes of Lyger, Steve Williams, and many others. Nagata and him work very similar styles, so it’s very fitting that in his last match, Yamazaki would choose to fight Nagata. They feel each other out before Nagat catches a kick and goes behind, but Yamakazi goes into a kneebar, which Nagata turns into a crossarmbreaker, but as Yamakazi gets out, Nagata goes to another kneebar/ankle pick. Yamazaki goes to his own and they end up in a standing position. Yuji kicks away, but Yamazaki catches one and locks in the Achilles Hold, pulls Nagata back, and goes to a reverse kneebar. Nagata rolls out as Yamakazi teases a pescado. Nagata grabs a single leg and they trade headlocks until Nagata gets an armbar into a keylock. He tries the cross-armbreaker, but Yamakazi gets out. Yamakazi goes behind into a snapmare, and kicks Nagata in the back. Nagata with some elbows, but he can’t whip Yamakazi in, so he kicks him down. He whips him in looking for a roundhose, but Yamakazi holds on and goes for a Spinning Wheel Kick, which misses, so Nagata gets a belly-to-belly. He waits for him to get up and he kicks him down again. Once more he kicks him down. Yamakazi falls out of a backdrop and looks for the cross-armbreaker, but Nagata counters it right away. Nice psychology right there. Spinning wheel kick, and then the BACKDROP HOLD for 2. Nagata says that it’s over, and he puts it away with another Backdrop Hold. This was a great little story, as anything Yamakazi tried, Nagata was able to do better. A very nice ceremony for Yamakazi occurs afterwards, with his good friends giving him bouqets, Yamakazi makes a speech to the crowd, and they spotlight him inside the ring and do a 10-ring salute. Afterwards, they toss him up and down in the air playfully. That’s a very nice way to go out, even though he lost the match. That sort of retirement should happen for most wrestlers.

-Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Kimo-Kimo comes to the ring carrying a crucifix. OK. This is a shoot match. At least shoot-style. I’m not really big on shoots. I did like this one. It’s kinda weird to review a shoot, I think, so I’m gonna do what I can. Fujita soon went on to actually capture the IWGP Heavyweight Title in 2001, and Kimo is known for his bouts in the MMA world, particularly against Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, if I remember right. This is pretty much all Fujita before he takes Kimo to the corner and starts striking him, but a knee strike heads a bit low on him and Fujita gets disqualified. It was clearly low, however. I don’t really like the ending of that match. Good action though. Kimo’s MMA buddies take him to the back as Fujita and Nagata stand in the ring as if to say…”What?”

-Black Summit-Masahiro Chono vs. Keiji Mutoh-Well, if the clips are anything, Chono beat Mutoh in a tag match to establish his secondary submission hold, the Butterfly Lock, as a viable threat. Mutoh submits to give Chono an edge. Then, on 12/1, Mutoh gets jumped by Chono’s Team 2000 comrades and he gets beaten to a bloody pulp, leading to Mutoh wanting to fight Chono again. Mutoh leads nWo Japan and Chono leads Team 2000, so it’s called a “Black Summit” because of both person’s respective affinities to black. Oh yeah, and both men have been rivals for like the last decade or so. Also, if I remember correctly, the winner of this bout gets control of both Team 2000 and nWo Japan. Mutoh’s jacket sez “Natural Born Master.” Chono is the only wrestler who makes a cummerbund WORK. These guys just take it to the MAT and go reversal for reversal. No specific body part picked out for either man. They hit the ropes and Chono controls, hiptossing into an armbar. He whips in Mutoh, who rolls underneath and tries a dropkick to the knee, but Chono avoids it. Mutoh wins a knucklelock sequence and goes to the headlock. Mutoh with a tackle and then the oh-so-famous snapmare/POWER DRIVE ELBOW combo to pop the crowd, and then he moves to a short armscissors. Team 2000 members Don Frye and AKIRA look on from the outside. Corner whip, but Mutoh misses the handspring elbow, and so Chono takes the time to hit a Mountain Bomb that nearly drops Mutoh directly on his head, setting up the neck psychology to go towards…you guessed it, the Butterfly Lock. Mutoh snaps off a Frankensteiner, but lands on the neck so he can’t capitalize, then Chono hits the Cradle Piledriver and LOCKS IN THE BUTTERFLY LOCK, and he finally locks the hands to apply it correctly. Mutoh is too close to the ropes. Chono with a Yakuza Kick for 2. Chono tries another, but Mutoh catches it looking for a Dragon Screw, so Chono stands still and Mutoh falls down, so he can grab the Cross-armbreaker! SWEET reversal sequence. He takes a piledriver and turns it into the Butterfly Lock again and Mutoh is in MAJOR trouble. He gets to the ropes and rolls outside. Chono goes to the top rope and hits the diving shoulder block to knock Mutoh off the apron. Chono takes Mutoh to the tables at ringside and looks for the piledriver, but Mutoh Dragon Screws his KICKING leg off the table. Right there, Chono can no longer use a Yakuza Kick effectively. Dropkick to the right knee again. Another Dragon Screw. This is some sound psychology right here. It’s so simple yet so great. Mutoh springs to the top and hits a missile dropkick. Mutoh with another dropkick to the knee. He puts Chono on top and hits a Super Rana. Mutoh is still feeling the effects of Chono’s earlier attacks as he dropkicks the knee again, hits another dragon screw, and the figure four ON THE RIGHT LEG EVEN. Man this match is making me happy. Chono can’t reverse it so he pulls himself to the ropes instead. Another dropkick to the knee. Mutoh is turning Chono’s knee into MUSH. Chono tries to fight back but Mutoh just keeps attacking that knee to death. Another Dragon Screw. He tries another one but Chono grabs him and rolls backwards into the Butterfly Lock! This is SWEET! Mutoh eventually gets to the ropes. Chono collapses in the corner because of his knee, and Mutoh is looking kinda wobbly there. He gets a dropkick to the knee, and another Dragon Screw, and then the Figure-Four in the middle of the ring, but Chono pulls himself to the ropes. Mutoh comes off the ropes, but Chono hits a SPINNING WHEEL KICK!!?! WHOA! MUTOH HITS A BACKFLIP GIRI! Where did these moves come from? They are definitely kicking it up a notch! Rib breaker! MOONSAULT! ONLY GETS 2! Figure-four…NO! Chono rolls it into the Butterfly Lock! Mutoh gets to the ropes. MUTOH WITH A FRANKENSTEINER! A cross-armbreaker? O…K. Chono gets to the ropes. Rib Breaker, but Chono gets the knees up on the moonsault, and it’s the STF! Mutoh is so screwed, but he gets to the ropes, so Chono brings him back and locks in the DEATH LOCK STF!!! Well, if I know anything, a step-up in the STF is surely death, and indeed it is, as Mutoh taps, and that’s the ballgame. This was an absolutely superb match from the psychology side of things. A little slow at times, but still for two guys entering the twilights of their respective careers, a great, great match. Defnitely a must-see. Not a MOTYC for 2000 or anything, in my opinion, but definitely a match that is worthy of the Chono/Mutoh rivalry.

IWGP Heavyweight Title-Genichiro Tenryu © vs. Kensuke Sasaki-Tenryu defeated Sasaki at the “Final Dome” show in October of 99, and then because of that, Tenryu got a shot at Keiji Mutoh’s IWGP Title and defeated him in December. So now, Sasaki wants a chance to gain revenge and get the belt, as well. To make it worse, Tenryu went over him with the staple of Sasaki’s wrestling being: The Northern Lights Bomb, a move that is not only big-time over with himself, but also over with his wife, joshi legend Akira Hokuto. Simple, yet effective storyline. Sasaki brings a combo of spirit and power. Tenryu brings experience and that Jumbo Tsuruta surliness that I just thoroughly mark out for because it’s such a great tactic. Tenryu busts out the gates with a lariat, but Sasaki absorbs antoher one, and they start trading big-time chops, and Sasaki wins that fight, whips him in, and gets a bulldog. Lockup, a break. Another one, and they runs the ropes with Sasaki getting a tackle. Sasaki headlock, which Tenryu backdrops out of, and Sasaki no-sells so he can lariat Tenryu. They battle outside before coming in to see Sasaki control with the headlock. To the corner, where Tenryu lays in the stiff fright and chops, so Sasaki responds with a left and a few rights, and now it’s a stiff ass brawl going on, with both combatants trading HUGE shots to the face, and it’s Tenryu who goes down. Tenryu comes back with those big chops and then drops an elbow, into the chinlock. Tenryu gets an elbow, but then Sasaki comes back with some more stiff-as-hell punches, and some chops, before Tenryu blocks a chop, nails some punches, and sends him down with a chop. This is just stiff as all hell and I LOVE IT. Tenryu wants a suplex, but now both fight over one, and Sasaki eventually gets it. Sasaki with the LARIATOOOOOOOOOO! And then he locks in Strangle Hold Beta! It’s either that or a ground Strangle Hold Gamma, but either way, Tenryu gets tot he ropes. Another lariat, and then the Sasukegatime (Sharpshooter, Scorpian Deathlock…whatever) but Tenryu gets to the ropes, and goes back to stiffing the hell out of Sasaki. I love it. Tenryu just rains down upon Sasaki with more punches and chops in the corner, but Sasaki gets up and shows his spirit. Now it’s a chopfest and a slapfest, which Tenryu ends with his eznuigiri. Corner whip clothesline, and then a corner enzuigiri. That’s neato. Tenryu puts Sasaki on top and hits a SPIDER SUPLEX (hanging Super German Suplex) and then hits the BACK DIVING ELBOW for 2. He’s 50, guys!!! Tenryu calls for the end and goes for the powerbomb, and it gets 2. They hit simultaneous lariats, and Sasaki is weaker so Tenryu drops him with the Northern Lights Bomb! It only gets 2! Ah, so Sasaki HAS learned from his past! Tenryu puts Sasaki on the top, and LOOKS FOR A SUPER RANA! BLOCKED! SUPERBOMB! This is NUTS! These guys hardly bust moves like this! Sasaki lariats Tenryu to the corner and HE hits a Super Rana! So Sasaki turned into a worker…when? Sasaki gets the Ippon Seionage (Over the shoulder throw) and then Tenryu blocks a lariat with one of his own, and then it’s a slapfest and Sasaki wins and then hits a lariat, but then Tenryu comes back with an enzuigiri, and tries for the NLB again, but Sasaki blocks and hits his own! Sasaki signals for the end and hits another Northern Lights! 1…2…3! SHIN CHAMPION! Surly…stiff…great moves from those who are not known to normally bust them out. This is a great match. It’s about on the same level as the Black Summit match in terms of enjoyment. This was probably Sasaki’s greatest singles match until his match with Kawada in the Dome on 10/9 later that year. He’d lose that match, while merely 2 Ѕ weeks later, TENRYU would go on to win the Triple Crown in AJPW, becoming the only man in history to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Title and the Triple Crown in the same calendar year. Oh, and as far as completing that circle, the man Tenryu defeated? Toshiaki Kawada. Great end to a great dome show.

Final Thoughts: Many people has dubbed this as the greatest 1/4 Dome Show in history. I’ve only seen tidbits of the other one to hold that same moniker, the 96 Dome Show. It is in your best interest to track this show down, because even though there is some total crap on this show (and I mean TOTAL…crap), the stuff that makes this show good is absolutely great, and it’s worth seeing. I’d definitely recommend that you pick this show up, and that you go pick it up from Golden Boy Tapes quickly.