Puroresu Love: Strong Style Evolution In Osaka Dome

STRONG STYLE EVOLUTION IN OSAKA DOME
MAY 3rd 1997

The Battle Formation show is over, but New Japan lives on. Ogawa’s win over Hashimoto earned him a rematch, with the IWGP Title at stake. The alliance between Ohtani and Kaientai leads to a ten man two out of three falls tag match. Inoki made it past Sayama in his retirement road, and now they form a team. The father/son team of Chosyu and Sasaki make their first defense, against two hungry young wrestlers, Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi Kojima. Finally, the rivalry between Chono and Mutoh over Chono forming of nWo Japan, comes to a head with a WCW and New Japan vs nWo six man tag match.

PART 1

SHIRO KOSHINAKA vs KENGO KIMURA
This is about as dull and meandering as it can get. Kimura and Koshinaka are both getting up there in years, so that plays a role, but there isn’t an excuse why they couldn’t just find a focal point for the match and stick with it. They first try for the spirited brawl type, but they keep tiring out too fast and have to rush back to rest holds. Kimura starts to make it seem interesting by going after Koshinaka’s leg, including a swank looking figure four, but five minutes later and Koshinaka can’t be bothered to sell it. Koshinaka and Kimura trade some pretty hard slaps to accentuate brutality, but there just isn’t anything there. Both of them employ a similar powerbomb finisher, and neither can score the pin right away. Its actually Kimura who first learns that he can get the pin, if he can hit a big move of his to set it up, such as his jumping leg lariat. But its Koshinaka and the hip attack that strike the first blow, and go on to win the match. *1/2.

TADAO YASUDA/TAKASHI IIZUKA vs SYXX/nWo Sting
nWo Sting would later be known as Super J, and Syxx of course, is best known as X-Punk. This match in proof that its possible for one person to bump for four. Syxx almost single handedly makes the whole match, by just bumping and overselling everything. Tadao Yasuda was, and will probably always be worthless as a worker, but Syxx makes his ridiculous sumo slaps and his mediocre Tiger driver look like potential killers. Iizuka and Syxx have the best exchanges with Syxx taking every form of suplex Iizuka can dish out, and looking like he’s near death. It’s a shame that Iizuka didn’t take it more to the mat, as I’d have loved to see how Syxx would have vocally sold some wacky submissions. Syxx isn’t just all about getting killed though, he also plays the pesky heel, hiding behind Sting, and hitting the cheap shot spinning kicks, whenever it looks like Sting will be in trouble. Syxx’s spin kick off the top is pretty impressive looking, and the Northern Lights that finishes off Iizuka was the complete opposite of the ending that everyone was expecting. A whole lot of fun, with a ton of potential be a hell of a lot worse. ***.

LEX LUGER/THE GIANT vs SCOTT NORTON/MARCUS BAGWELL
Speaking of potential to be really bad. The first half of this isn’t so much “bad” as it is “frustrating”. Its mostly Buff Bagwell trying to get heat by posing all the time, except he doesn’t get much heat for it, and he’s actually drawing applause and cheers from the fans. Instead of just doing something to get heat, Bagwell keeps posing. The Giant is almost unrecognizable with all that hair on his head. He does a few half assed looking athletic moves and pops the crowd. But once you get past the stalling and seven foot nip ups, its just filler. None of the four are terribly interested in actually working the match, so they half ass it, and then do comedy spots to keep the crowd interested. Norton managed to totally shit on Luger’s Torture Rack. He just lays in it, like he’s laying in his bed. No thrashing around, or any sort of way to put over that he may be finished, even though he’s in the guy’s big move. The Tenzan and Hiro Saito interference is just another tactic to do nothing while keeping the fans into it. Norton even scores the pin after a simple elbow. Ten minutes of the bare minimum. **.

HALL/NASH/CHONO vs R. STEINER/S. STEINER/MUTOH
This match runs along two separate wavelengths and unlike All Japan, where they could weave months worth of storylines and years worth of psychology into one match, it starts out seeming related, but then just tapers off altogether. The forefront is obviously Chono vs Mutoh, especially with how their match at the Tokyo Dome the month before went. In WCW at this time, the Steiner Brothers were feuding with Hall and Nash too, so it’s a simple enough idea, two feuds, in one match. Chono and Mutoh have a bit of a brawl to start capping off with a fight on the ramp, and Mutoh doing the bulldog as well as hitting a lariat with a good fifty foot head start. The focus then shifts over to the Steiners vs Hall and Nash, in terms of the simple but usually effective, heel beat down, and hot tag formula. Its usually effective, but not here, because its in Japan, and the Japanese fans probably don’t really care about their rivalry. The nWo get some heat by doing triple beat downs, and even causing Rick to lose his headgear, but they mostly just sit on their hands. There is a bit of comedy when Rick and Scott do the dog house pose, and then Mutoh jumps in next to Rick and starts to scratch his head like a dog. For the most part though its just Hall and Nash kicking and punching at Scott or Rick. The Steiners have really regressed by now, and Hall and Nash were never world class wrestlers in the first place, so it was the safest thing for them to do. The end run has some fun to it, with everyone making saves and hitting finishers, save one, Mutoh. He saves Rick after on Outsider Edge, and manages to hit a spin kick to take care of Chono, but doesn’t do anything to maybe help Rick overcome the odds, or save him from Nash’s powerbomb. After the nWo finish their clean sweep, they start to beat down and Norton holds Mutoh, but Chono tells him to just let go. A little hint of Mutoh’s future perhaps. The match had a fun start, a slow meandering middle, and then picked up again at the end. **3/4.

After the match, Scott Norton gets on the microphone and announces that Tenzan and Hiro Saito are the newest members of the nWo. That’s one problem with NJPW messing with the match order on the commercial tape. It would have made infinite more sense to show the previous tag match after this, with the Hiro and Tenzan interference.

ANTONIO INOKI/TIGER KING vs YOSHIAKI FUJIWARA/JYUSHIN “THUNDER” LYGER
This is like the Sayama vs Inoki singles match, only with the extended dance re-mix treatment. The same match, but a few new spots and sequences to play off. Lyger and Sayama are the excitement in this match. Whenever they’re paired off, the action ensues and the fans eat it up. Then when Inoki and Fujiwara get in, it goes right to the mat. Unlike Inoki’s last match, this time its everything about Inoki I can’t stand. Matwork, just for the sake of being on the mat. Then when the crowd starts to get bored, we get another tag so that Lyger and Tiger King can get them into a frenzy. There is only one occurrence of a junior and a heavyweight being paired off together, when its Tiger King vs Fujiwara and it lasts all of a minute.

Tiger and Lyger go to a stalemate, as neither of them were able to keep the other one down for a sufficient time. Although the most dangerous thing Lyger pulled out of his arsenal was the brain buster, so he still had the Lygerbomb up his sleeve. Sayama went all out with the Tombstone and headbutt, and couldn’t put Lyger away. The only thing Tiger hadn’t pulled out was the Tiger suplex. The match was decided by the heavyweights and when one side has Antonio Inoki, and the match is on the mat, the result isn’t too shocking. A fun match to be sure, even with its odd pacing. **3/4.

PART 2

KANEMOTO/OHTANI/TOGO/HANZOH/TEIOH vs SASUKE/SAMURAI/HAMADA/HONAGA/DELFIN
This of course stems from the Ohtani and Kaientai alliance formed after Ohtani and Samurai’s singles match at the Battle Formation show. Kanemoto and Ohtani have always been buddies, so he’s thrown in there too. This is the best out of three falls, and the babyfaces don’t stand a chance in hell. Kaientai on their own are dangerous and bad ass enough, let alone putting them with Ohtani and Kanemoto. The first fall is really when the heel team blows their load, so to speak. They do nearly all of their good stuff very early. The KDX trademark triple team moves get two more added to them, such as with the multiple sentons and the camel clutch dropkicks, although Kanemoto uses his trademark stiff shots to the chest. Even the baseball slide dropkick gets pulled out, along with the Ohtani boot scrapes. Kanemoto spends most of the time in the match. The others are just there to hit a few spots. Sasuke does a bang up sell job on Koji’s slaps, as he falls down like he’s dead. The faces are helpless and it isn’t long before Kanemoto can put away Delfin.

The second fall suffers from the heels using all their big stuff early. Samurai and Ohtani have the best exchanges, which is better than anything they did in their singles match. Ohtani does almost an undersell on the brain buster though. Not selling it like he’s dead, but more like it really hurt. Ohtani and Samurai have an interesting neckbreaker sequence as well. Samurai hits a neck breaker, no sold! A second neckbreaker, no sold! A third, sold! Sasuke runs through his quebrada and cartwheel sequences with Teioh, but a good bit of the fall is meandering and almost pointless. The faces briefly look threatening when they can trap Ohtani in their corner, and when Kanemoto comes to the rescue, he gets the same treatment. But then out of nowhere, the ring starts to empty as they’re all jumping on one another, and amid the confusion, Togo drops the senton bomb onto Honaga to complete the shut out. The booking seems a bit odd, but was probably due to the faces needing Lyger to lead them to victory and the whole angle and feud was called off not too long after this. The first fall was great fun, but the second suffered from not being able to live up to the first. ***1/2 for the whole deal.

KAZUO YAMAZAKI vs KENDO KA SHIN
This was actually Ka Shin’s debut match with New Japan. Tokomitzu Ishizawa had been with New Japan for years, but was sent on a learning excursion, where he came up with the masked identity and the name Kendo Ka Shin. By this time, Ka Shin hadn’t really developed his loose cannon type personality that he’s famous for. This is worked shoot style which is to be expected and in fact, Ka Shin starts early trying for the Juji-gatame, which is a strategy he’d beat into the ground over the course of his career. But after a couple failed attempts, he just gives it up and goes to striking. Which is odd, because looking in hindsight, Ka Shin was never big on strikes, but its his debut match so we aren’t supposed to know that. Yamazaki mostly uses his round house kicks on offense, while Ka Shin keeps getting him to the ground and trying to mount and punch him. Somewhere along the way Yamazaki takes a legit shot and his eye swells shut. It looks to happen on the floor, since he points it out to the ref, while he’s being counted out. Ka Shin just won’t quit with trying the mount and punch strategy and even though it wasn’t planned, with Yamazaki getting hurt, it would seem like the perfect time to go for the Juji-gatame again, but Ka Shin makes the mistake, and Yamazaki learns his lesson, and escapes the mount and cinches in a choke for the win. It was a fun match, but a bit repetitive thanks to Ka Shin. **1/2.

HIROYOSHI TENZAN vs TATSUMI FUJINAMI
Tenzan’s domination early in the match, is almost too dominating. Sure, he’s Chono’s disciple and the newest member of the nWo, but Tenzan by himself is still almost nothing. At first this would come off as Fujinami trying to help put over Tenzan, and when a legend is selling and visibly trying to help elevate a young guy, its always a good thing. The fact that Fujinami can make his comeback with two simple slaps to the face is a little odd. Tenzan spent a good five minutes working him over, and then Fujinami hits two slaps and knocks him down. Its strange, but can’t be blamed on Fujinami totally, Tenzan was the one who went flying off the slap. So it was actually Fujinami putting over Tenzan, and then Tenzan making himself look weak. This meanders for most of the match, with Tenzan dishing out his chops, and Fujinami trying to work holds. It picks up after Tenzan misses the moonsault, and Fujinami simply can’t put him away. The Dragon suplex and Dragon sleeper, both of which have given him much success, don’t do it, which is a big way that Fujinami helps make Tenzan look good. The Abdominal Stretch cradle, is what finally does the trick. A good beginning, and a fun home stretch, but the middle portion left a lot to be desired. **1/2

KENSUKE SASAKI/RIKI CHOSYU © vs SATOSHI KOJIMA/MANABU NAKANISHI (IWGP Tag Team Titles)
This comes off at first, like its going to be a big squash, and there isn’t any reason why it wouldn’t be. Chosyu is the living legend, and Kensuke is his underling, its like Superman and Superboy holding the IWGP Tag Titles. A fairly big chunk of this match is made up of Chosyu and Kensuke pounding the hell out of Kojima and Nakanishi. Its enjoyable to watch because the young guns are just taking a beating, and you can tell the champion are enjoying themselves, but after awhile the buzz is gone, and the concept has been beaten into the ground. After awhile you’re watching it, and just thinking “okay, we get that Chosyu and Kensuke are tougher than these guys, why don’t they do something else?”. The comeback isn’t really believable, Chosyu has gone through the best that New Japan had to offer, with the Riki Lariat. It begs the question of who the hell does Satoshi Kojima think he is, to just jump back up and drop Chosyu with lariat of his own? The challengers don’t get any sort of near falls, or do anything to really show that its their time, and that if Chosyu won’t give them the ball, then they’ll just take it. Kojima’s use of the Dragon sleeper in the end run is also a bit odd, its not a move he was known to use, and he never really adopted it as a finisher, even after it won him his first ever title. Nakanishi’s Muscle Breaker was a far better choice, if the young guys had to go over with a submission. The fans pop for the ending, but they never saw it coming either. The early portion beating was fun to watch, but the comeback and subsequent victory was way out of left field, and had nothing in the way of build up or anticipation. **1/2

NAOYA OGAWA vs SHINYA HASHIMOTO © (IWGP Heavyweight Title)
Ogawa beat Hashimoto in a non title match at the last big show, so he gets a rematch with the gold at stake. Its simple and its effective. The booking doesn’t always have to be so over contrived and filled with angles. The early portion is a little dull, because Ogawa still hasn’t learned the proper way to work submissions. He’ll make an attempt and Hashimoto will block it, but Ogawa doesn’t do anything to show he’s really trying to overpower Hashimoto and prevail with the hold. Ogawa almost doesn’t know what he should be doing. Being the stranger in New Japan, he should probably be trying to help the fans rally behind the champion, and the guy defending the Tokon sprit. But then, he’s being endorsed by Inoki, the man who started New Japan. They run through the same sequence that ended their last match, with Ogawa turning the DDT attempt into the STO, and then cinching in the choke, but this time Hashimoto is smart enough to get the ropes and save the title. Ogawa is finished now, he figured what beat Hashimoto before, would do it again. Now that the champion has taken the throw and the choke and is still standing he’s clueless. Hashimoto takes advantage of his bewilderment and levels him with a kick to the leg, to take him down, and then hits a roundhouse to the head, Satoru Sayama throws in the towel before Ogawa gets seriously hurt. This wasn’t as fun or as good as their previous encounter. Partly because Hashimoto wasn’t holding Ogawa’s hand the whole way through, and he was letting him try on his own, and it dragged the match down in some places. ***

Conclusion: Some fun stuff to be sure. But a good majority of the card is disappointing and could have been a lot better. I have to say thumbs down on this one. Recommendation to avoid Strong Style Evolution In Osaka Dome.