Super-Force Group Declaration '01
review by Kevin Wilson

Date: June 6th, 2001
Location: Tokyo Nippon Budokan
Announced Attendance: 13,200

Ah, promotional wars, what could possibly be more fun? After Misawa and almost everyone else left All Japan in the summer of 2000, the future looked very bleak for All Japan. Who would have thought that their long time rival New Japan would help lead their revival? Their feud started in the fall of 2000, but this was the first show where the majority of the matches were New Japan vs. All Japan. Here they would battle in a series of five, and two days later they would have another war in All Japan's ring. The main event saw Nagata challenge Fujita, who was developing a successful MMA career and was seemingly unbeatable in the squared circle. Finally, Mutoh would battle a mystery opponent who I didn't spoil below since it wasn't announced beforehand. Here is the full line-up:

- Kenzo Suzuki and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinya Makabe and Katsuyori Shibata
- New Japan vs. All Japan: El Samurai vs. Masanobu Fuchi
- New Japan vs. All Japan: Minoru Tanaka vs. Masahito Kakihara
- New Japan vs. All Japan: Takashi Iizuka vs. Mitsuya Nagai
- New Japan vs. All Japan: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Mike Barton
- New Japan vs. All Japan: Satoshi Kojima vs. Toshiaki Kawada
- Jushin Thunder Liger, Taiyo Kea, and Shinzaki vs. Masahiro Chono, Tenzan, and AKIRA
- Keiji Mutoh vs. X
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuyuki Fujita vs.Yuji Nagata

Let's get started!

Kenzo Suzuki and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinya Makabe and Katsuyori Shibata
A little young lion action to kick off the show. Tanahashi and Shibata start things off. Fireman's carry takedown by Tanahashi but Shibata applies a waistlock. Reversed by Tanahashi but Shibata applies a wristlock and takes Tanahashi to the mat. Side headlock by Shibata and he applies a headscissors, but Tanahashi flips out of it and tags in Suzuki. Suzuki knocks Shibata to the mat, Irish whip by Suzuki and he delivers a back elbow. Front facelock by Shibata and he makes the tag to Makabe. Makabe and Suzuki circle each other, tie-up, Suzuki pushes Makabe into the ropes but he gives a clean break. Tie-up again, elbows by Makabe but Suzuki chops Makabe against the ropes. Irish whip by Suzuki and he hits a back elbow. Suzuki tags in Tanahashi, wristlock by Tanahashi to Makabe but Makabe reverses it. Takedown by Tanahashi but Makabe applies a headscissors and tags in Shibata. Shibata kicks Tanahashi in the back and stomach, he picks him up and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Ankle lock by Shibata but Tanahashi makes it to the ropes. Uppercut by Shibata but Tanahashi fights back as the two trade blows. Scoop slam by Tanahashi and he tags in Suzuki. Double Irish whip to Shibata and they hit a double shoulderblock. Suzuki delivers a spear to Shibata and applies a crab hold, but Shibata makes it to the ropes and tags in Makabe. Tanahashi is tagged in, but Makabe elbows him and slams Tanahashi to the mat. Makabe tags in Shibata, uppercuts by Shibata in the corner and he hits a snap suplex. Shibata goes for the cross armbreaker but Tanahashi gets out of it and applies a single leg crab hold. Shibata quickly gets to the ropes to break it up, but Tanahashi elbows him into the corner. Irish whip by Tanahashi and he delivers a dropkick in the corner followed by a half hatch suplex. Tanahashi drags Shibata up and goes for a suplex, but Shibata elbows out of it and hits an overhead kick. Dropkick by Shibata and he tags in Makabe. Slap by Makabe to Tanahashi, he picks him up and slaps him again. This time Tanahashi returns fire but Shibata gets the better of it. Makabe goes off the ropes but Tanahashi catches him with a jumping elbow smash. Tanahashi tags in Suzuki, who knocks down Makabe with a jumping knee. Vertical suplex by Suzuki, cover, but it gets a two count. Suzuki goes for a backdrop suplex but Makabe elbows out of it and Shibata runs in with a heel kick. Spear by Makabe to Suzuki, cover, but it gets two. Makabe picks up Suzuki and delivers a pair of German suplexes, holding the second one for the three count! Your winners: Shinya Makabe and Katsuyori Shibata

Match Thoughts: If I was watching this back in 2001 I'd think something like "hmm these guys are pretty good, New Japan has a solid future ahead of them." And I would have been partially correct, as Makabe and Tanahashi have proven to be worth something and Shibata would have been if he didn't turn loony. There were a few small miscommunications that happen in young lion matches but in general the action was very crisp and you could tell they had progressed past the dojo days (Makabe had the most experience of the group since he debuted in 1997). Solid opener. Score: 5.5

El Samurai vs. Masanobu Fuchi
This is a New Japan vs. All Japan match. Tie-up to start and Fuchi hits a quick backdrop suplex for a two count cover. Fuchi picks up El Samurai but El Samurai goes around his back and delivers a Reverse DDT. Chickenwing armlock by El Samurai but Fuchi gets into the ropes to force a break. Fuchi rolls out of the ring but El Samurai promptly sails out onto him with a pescado. El Samurai throws Fuchi back into the ring, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. El Samurai goes for the cross armbreaker but Fuchi blocks it and drives his elbow into El Samurai's head. Fuchi picks up El Samurai, arm takedown and he applies a headscissors. El Samurai gets out of it but Fuchi quickly gets the headscissors re-applied. Fuchi drags El Samurai's head around the ring while keeping the hold applied, but El Samurai eventually rolls into the ropes to force a break. Both wrestlers return to their feet, tie-up, takedown by El Samurai and he applies a crossface. Reverse chinlock by El Samurai and he stomps Fuchi in the back. El Samurai picks up Fuchi, snapmare, and he elbows Fuchi in the face before re-applying the reverse chinlock. Fuchi gets out of it looking annoyed and he begins twisting on El Samurai's legs as he stretches them out in extremely painful looking fashion. El Samurai manages to get a hand on the ropes to get out of it, but Fuchi kicks El Samurai back to the mat. Fuchi picks up El Samurai but El Samurai delivers a vertical suplex. El Samurai hits a tornado DDT, cover, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by El Samurai, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Fuchi avoids the diving headbutt. Fuchi picks up El Samurai and goes for a backdrop suplex, but El Samurai grabs the ropes to block it. Enzigieri by Fuchi, he grabs El Samurai and this time nails the backdrop suplex. He picks up El Samurai again and hits a second one, cover, but El Samurai gets a shoulder up and returns to his feet fired up. Kick to the stomach by Fuchi and he drops El Samurai with a third backdrop suplex, he picks El Samurai back up and plants him with a fourth. Cover, but El Samurai barely kicks out. El Samurai tries to fight back with kicks but Fuchi grabs him and delivers another backdrop suplex. A sixth backdrop suplex by Fuchi, he pulls El Samurai to his feet and delivers a final one for the three count cover. Your winner: Masanobu Fuchi

Match Thoughts: Poor El Samurai, he never really had a chance here. This was about as clear a victory as one wrestler can get, as El Samurai was never able to mount any sort of comeback in the last several minutes of the match. Fuchi likes doing lots of backdrop suplexes, if you haven't seen many of his matches before, but he makes the move look good so its not the cheap ones that some wrestlers use. Besides feeling bad for El Samurai this was a good match, I liked that they didn't waste any time and went right after each other, that is how it should be in shorter matches like this. There is also a little deeper meaning to this match, with Fuchi being the long time All Japan wrestler taking it to a New Japan wrestler in a New Japan ring, and he had that crazy look in his eyes that showed he was enjoying it. A fun start to the New Japan vs. All Japan series. Score: 6.5

Minoru Tanaka vs. Masahito Kakihara
This is a New Japan vs. All Japan match. They trade kick attempts to start the match, takedown by Kakihara but Tanaka rolls out of it. Waistlock by Tanaka and he gets Kakihara to the mat, they jockey for position but neither can get a clear advantage and they return to their feet. A high kick by Kakihara sends Tanaka crashing to the mat, cover, but Tanaka is too close to the ropes and grabs one for the save. Tanaka slowly returns to this feet, they trade kicks but this time Tanaka gets the better of it. He applies the cross armbreaker but Kakihara quickly gets to the ropes to force a break. Ankle lock by Tanaka as he pulls Kakihara back to the middle of the ring, but Kakihara reaches the ropes. Both wrestlers slowly get up but Kakihara knocks down Tanaka with a palm strike. Irish whip by Kakihara and he delivers a kick to Tanaka's chest. Kakihara covers Tanaka but it gets a two count. Kakihara picks up Tanaka and drops him with a release German suplex, cover, but again it gets two. Back up, Kakihara goes for a suplex but Tanaka blocks it and hits a cross armbreaker takedown. Kakihara gets the move locked in but Kakihara squirms to the ropes to force a break. Tanaka goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick followed by a release German suplex. Tanaka kicks Kakihara in the head as he is kneeling on the mat, cover, but Kakihara kicks out. Back up Tanaka goes for high kicks but Kakihara blocks the first few before catching one and applying an ankle lock. Tanaka gets to the ropes to force a break, Kakihara picks him up and hits a tornado DDT. Cover by Kakihara but it only gets a two count. Kakihara picks up Tanaka and delivers a series of slaps, but Tanaka applies a backslide for a two count. Kakihara comes out of the backslide with a Fujiwara Armbar into a cross armbreaker, but Tanaka gets to the ropes. Kakihara picks up Tanaka and applies the Cobra Clutch, he then spins Tanaka around and drops him with the Kaki Cutter for the three count! Your winner: Masahito Kakihara

Match Thoughts: At the time this was an upset as Tanaka was the reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. I am not a big fan of shoot-style, but keeping the matches short does help me stay into it. Kakihara seemed fired up and the crowd reacted really strongly to the match, but it seemed to be pretty random in that they didn't appear to be really targeting any particular body part. For example, in the last minute of the match Kakihara did strikes, a tornado DDT, an ankle lock, and a cross armbreaker before winning with a Kaki Cutter which isn't really related to any of those (maybe the Tornado DDT, but that spot seemed out of place anyway). The kicks and submissions looked good, but they seemed to be doing them just for the hell of it as they weren't building towards anything. But it wasn't bad, I liked the intensity, and they were pretty fluid together. Score: 4.5

Takashi Iizuka vs. Mitsuya Nagai
This is a New Japan vs. All Japan match. They circle each other to start, they struggle down to the mat but neither can get a clear advantage. Takedown by Nagai and he applies an arm submission hold, he goes for the cross armbreaker but Iizuka keeps his hands locked to block it. Nagai gets them loose after a moment but Iizuka is too close to the ropes and he forces a break. Back up, takedown by Iizuka, Nagai gains the advantage but Iizuka applies a knee lock until Nagai gets to the ropes. Stomps to the leg by Iizuka, he picks up Nagai and drops him in the middle of the ring so he can continue twisting on his ankle. Nagai eventually makes it to the ropes but Iizuka continues kicking on his leg. The referee gets Iizuka back as Nagai returns to his feet, Iizuka gets Nagai into the corner but Nagai reverses positions with him. Kicks to the chest by Nagai and he knocks Iizuka out with a knee right to the face. Iizuka looks groggy as the referee gets Nagai back, but Nagai knees Iizuka in the head again. Nagai picks up Iizuka and kicks him in the chest, sending Iizuka back to the mat. Back up, Nagai delivers a backdrop suplex for a two count cover. Cross armbreaker attempt by Nagai but Iizuka is too close to the ropes and gets the break. Nagai picks up Iizuka and knees him into the corner, kicks to the chest by Nagai and a final kick across the chin sends Iizuka limp to the mat. The referee checks on Iizuka and he calls for the bell! Your winner: Mitsuya Nagai

Match Thoughts: Iizuka legitimately got KTFO, and he missed a year and a half of action after this match. I am not sure if it was the original knee (which looked worse and kept Iizuka on the mat for the next several minutes) or the last barrage, but regardless Nagai destroyed the New Japan representative. Not necessarily a bad thing (except for Iizuka) as the match was plodding along before it happened... this match was similar to the last in that it had a variety of strikes and submissions but none that were (intentionally) meaningful until Nagai decided he didn't like how Iizuka's face was arranged. But at least that made the match interesting and memorable. All Japan has now officially won the series as this is their third win out of five matches. Not sure what the planned finish of this match was, but it put one hell of an exclamation point that All Japan came to win. Score: 6.0

Manabu Nakanishi vs. Mike Barton
This is a New Japan vs. All Japan match. Spear by Nakanishi to start the match followed by a second one, and he applies a bulldog headlock. Barton gets back to this feet and hits a backdrop suplex before knocking Nakanishi out of the ring. Barton taunts Nakanishi from the top turnbuckle until he returns, elbows by Barton in the corner and the two trade chops. Wristlock by Nakanishi and he hits an armbreaker followed by a series of chops. Barton comes back with chops of his own, and Barton gets the better of the dual. Nakanishi quickly gets back up however and gets Barton into the Argentine Backbreaker before dropping him to the mat. Cover by Nakanishi but it gets a two count. Nakanishi picks up Barton but Barton punches him hard in the stomach to knock him back. Another punch to the stomach by Barton and he delivers a delayed vertical suplex. Barton goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the diving elbow drop, cover, but it gets a two count. Elbows by Barton, he goes off the ropes but Nakanishi catches him with a spear. Nakanishi goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, Barton gets back up but Nakanishi hits a second one for a two count. Nakanishi waits for Barton to get up and goes for another one, but Barton ducks it and delivers the Burton Cutter. Cover, but Nakanishi kicks out at two. Barton picks up Nakanishi and goes for a knockout punch, but Nakanishi ducks it and applies the bulldog headlock. Barton tries to backdrop suplex his way out of it but Nakanishi keeps the hold applied and nails a bulldog, cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Manabu Nakanishi

Match Thoughts: Again, shortness is appreciated, I know I sometimes complain about short matches but sometimes matches need to be short otherwise they are going to suck. This match didn't suck specifically because it was short, as these two weren't going to have a classic so its best to let them throw some bombs before ending it. Oddly even though the match was under five minutes both wrestlers got some key moves and nearfalls, although the ending move was a bit unusual as it should take more then a bulldog to keep Barton down for three. It wasn't great, of course, but it was perfectly watchable and inoffensive... they didn't do any silly mat work and each move was done with the purpose of ending the match. They had the best match they probably could have, and I can't fault them for that. Score: 5.0

Satoshi Kojima vs. Toshiaki Kawada
This is a New Japan vs. All Japan match. Tie-up to start, but they break cleanly. Tie-up again, side headlock by Kojima, Kawada Irish whips out of it but Kojima shoulderblocks him down. Kick to the chest by Kojima, he picks up Kawada and slams him to the mat. Rolling senton by Kojima, he goes out to the ramp and sails back into the ring with another rolling senton. Kojima imitates Kawada's stretch, which no doubt annoys Kawada. They circle each other, kicks to the chest by Kawada and Kojima falls to the mat. Kawada picks up Kojima and promptly kicks him in the head again. Back up, more kicks but Kawada but Kojima catches his leg and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Dropkick to the knee by Kojima and he drops an elbow onto Kawada's leg. Kawada gouges Kojima's eyes to try to get out of a leglock, and it works as Kawada applies a modified sleeper hold. Kojima gets a foot on the ropes to break it up, but Kawada kicks him rapidly in the face. Kicks to the chest by Kawada, he goes off the ropes but Kojima catches his leg and hits another dragon screw leg whip. Kojima goes off the ropes and dropkicks Kawada in the leg. Kojima applies the figure four leglock, but Kawada reverses it. They eventually roll into the ropes, and Kojima throws Kawada into the corner. Chops by Kojima but Kawada fires back with an elbow and chops. Back kick by Kawada, he picks up Kojima and puts his head over the top rope before hitting a scissors kick. Kawada then runs up the ramp before charging back and delivering a big boot to Kojima's head. Cover by Kawada but it gets a two count. Kawada applies a reverse chinlock but Kojima gets out of it with a jawbreaker. Kojima throws Kawada into the corner, Irish whip, and he hits a jumping elbow strike followed by a top rope elbow drop. Cover, but Kawada kicks out. Kojima picks up Kawada but Kawada elbows him and the two trade blows. A dropkick by Kojima sends Kawada reeling, Kojima picks him up, Irish whip, and he delivers the Rydeen Bomb for a two count cover. Kojima goes to pick up Kawada but Kawada kicks him back. Kojima goes off the ropes but Kawada catches him with a boot, but Kojima blocks the enzigieri. Waistlock by Kawada, reversed by Kojima but Kawada hits the enzigieri. Running boot by Kawada in the corner, he goes off the ropes and levels Kojima with a lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kawada applies the Stretch Plum, he picks up Kojima and goes for the backdrop driver, but Kojima grabs the ropes to block it. Kick by Kawada, he grabs Kojima again and this time nails a snap backdrop driver. Kawada picks up Kojima and goes for a second one, but Kojima elbows him off. Kawada goes off the ropes but Kojima catches him with a Koji Cutter. Kojima is up first, he puts Kawada up on the top turnbuckle and delivers an avalanche Koji Cutter for a two count cover. Kojima picks up Kawada and nails the a sit-down CCD, and he removes his elbow pad to prepare for the lariat. Kojima goes off the ropes but Kawada kicks him in the arm, lariat by Kawada but Kojima blocks the next one. Kojima goes off the ropes and delivers the lariat, cover, but Kawada kicks out at two. Kojima goes off the ropes again but Kawada kicks him back and hits a enzigieri followed by a backdrop driver. Back up, elbow by Kawada, Kojima comes back with a quick lariat but Kawada returns with a kick. Kawada grabs Kojima and delivers a powerbomb, cover, but Kojima kicks out. Kojima slowly gets up, but Kawada immediately levels him with a Gamengiri and picks up the three count! Your winner: Toshiaki Kawada

Match Thoughts: A great match and the first All Japan vs. New Japan encounter that really felt like an even hard-fought battle from start to finish. Kojima really steps it up in big matches and he didn't do any of his usual stalling that he normally does in matches. Kawada was still wrestling at a high level at this point as well and what came together was a memorable clash between two titans of their promotion. The match was very back and forth as both men struggled to get the advantage, and everything in the match seemed to be building to something. Kojima's early leg work didn't impact the match but he only did a handful of moves to the leg so it wasn't the real focal point... it just came across as him trying to down Kawada, not necessarily win by attacking the leg. I could nitpick but really this was a fine heavyweight battle that kept the crowd into it and finished at what was the perfect time. Score: 8.0

Jushin Thunder Liger, Taiyo Kea, and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Masahiro Chono, Tenzan, and AKIRA
Weird teams. They brawl to start the match, and Chono rips at Liger's mask as they remain in the ring. Piledriver by Chono to Liger and he goes for the mask again, but Liger pushes him off. Chono goes off the ropes but Liger catches him with a shotei. Shinzaki then comes flying in the ring with a diving chop to the head, then Kea drops Chono with a jumping heel kick. Liger throws Chono out of the ring, Liger goes off the far ropes and hits a baseball slide. Chono rolls back in the ring and Liger tags in Kea. Kick to the chest by Kea and he punches Chono into the corner. Scoop slam by Kea, he goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse splash for a one count cover. Kea applies a reverse chinlock and tags in Shinzaki. Shinzaki kicks Chono in the leg, snapmare, and he applies an arm submission hold. Shinzaki tags in Liger, who stomps Chono in the stomach and then hits a Mongolian Chop while pointing to Tenzan. Liger hits another one, then holds Chono for Kea so Kea can hit a Mongolian Chop. Liger tells Shinzaki to get in the ring, he does, and Shinzaki hits a throat thrust. Cover by Kea but it gets a two count. Kea goes for a dropkick but Chono moves out of the way and delivers a Yakuza Kick. Chono tags in AKIRA, but Kea knees him in the stomach. Irish whip by AKIRA but Kea shoulderblocks him down. Kea goes off the ropes again but AKIRA catches him with a dropkick. Kea falls out of the ring, AKIRA goes to do a dive but rebounds back into the ring. Kea returns after a moment, side headlock by AKIRA, Kea Irish whips out of it and he hits an armdrag. AKIRA falls out of the ring and he runs away when Liger acts like he is going to dive down onto him. AKIRA tags in Tenzan, tie-up, but Tenzan pushes Kea away. Tie-up again, Kea pushes Tenzan into the corner but Tenzan hits an elbow and throws him back. Kea tags in Shinzaki, tie-up, headbutts but Tenzan and he delivers a Mongolian Chop. Throat chop by Tenzan and he rakes Shinzaki in the eyes. Back up, more Mongolian Chops by Tenzan but Shinzaki blocks one, he goes off the ropes but Tenzan rams him in the stomach. Tenzan goes off the ropes but Shinzaki catches him with a dropkick. Shinzaki grabs Tenzan's arm, he goes to walk up the ropes but Chono clubs him from behind, knocking Shinzaki to the floor. Shinzaki gets back on the apron, Tenzan tries to punch him but Shinzaki catches his arm and does the rope walk halfway around the ring before coming down with the chop. Shinzaki tags in Liger, Liger throws Tenzan into the corner and hits the shotei. Liger goes for a powerbomb but Tenzan back bodydrops out of it. Knees by Liger but Tenzan throws him down. Headbutt and Mongolian Chops by Tenzan but Liger catches one and hits a Mongolian Chop of his own before tagging in Kea.

Irish whip by Kea and he hits a back elbow for a two count cover. Kea chops Tenzan into the corner, Irish whip, but Tenzan avoids the jumping knee. Tenzan tags in AKIRA, eye rake by AKIRA and he elbows Kea in the knee. AKIRA tags in Chono, and Chono stomps Kea in the back. Chono picks up Kea and dropkicks him in the knee. Chono stomps Kea in the corner, he pulls him out and knees him in the leg. AKIRA helps with the leg attack from the apron, Chono picks up Kea and tags in Tenzan. Mongolian Chops by Tenzan, Kea fights back but Tenzan stomps him in the leg. Scoop slam by Tenzan, Kea hits a few chops but Tenzan beats him down and throws him into the corner. Irish whip by Tenzan but Kea kicks him back when he charges and delivers a heel kick. Kea goes for a kick, Tenzan catches it, Kea goes for an enzigieri but Tenzan ducks it. Irish whip by Tenzan but Kea hits the tornado DDT and makes the tag to Liger. Shotei by Liger, he goes off the ropes and hits a second one. Tenzan falls out of the ring, Liger goes up to the top turnbuckle and sails out onto Tenzan with a plancha. Liger rolls Tenzan back into the ring and he nails a powerbomb, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving body press for a two count. Liger picks up Tenzan and hits a brainbuster, cover, but it is broken up. Liger goes off the ropes but Tenzan has recovered and hits a heel kick. Mongolian Chop by Tenzan, scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Liger avoids the diving headbutt and tags in Shinzaki as Tenzan tags in AKIRA. Irish whip by AKIRA to Shinzaki, reversed, but AKIRA hits a diving lariat. Irish whip by AKIRA to the corner, Yakuza Kick by Chono, and AKIRA delivers the Musasabi Press. Cover, but Shinzaki barely gets a shoulder up. AKIRA picks up Shinzaki and goes for the Dragon Suplex, but Shinzaki elbows him off and hits a backflip kick. Liger comes in the ring with a diving headbutt, Shinzaki then goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails one of his own. Kea then goes up top and he hits a diving body press onto AKIRA. Cover by Shinzaki but AKIRA kicks out. Shinzaki picks up AKIRA and hits the Nenbutsu Bomb, but Tenzan breaks up the pin attempt. Shinzaki goes off the ropes but AKIRA catches him with a hurricanrana for a two count. Back up, Shinzaki hits the Mandara Twist before applying the Goku-raku gatame. His partners are too busy at ringside and AKIRA has no choice but to submit! Your winners: Jushin Thunder Liger, Taiyo Kea, and Jinsei Shinzaki

Match Thoughts: Decent enough, but too flat in parts to be considered a match worth seeing. The beginning and end were great but the middle really dragged, especially the section with Tenzan and Kea. Tenzan is just not that great in controlling the beat-down segments of a match and it showed here, as the crowd grew pretty quiet until Liger and Chono got involved in the match again. The ending was solid with the fast paced action and the crowd was hot for the final few minutes. So a bit of a mixed bag, even though it was fun to see Shinzaki back in New Japan. Score: 5.5

Keiji Mutoh vs. Hiroshi Hase
This would be Mutoh and Hase's first singles match since Hase left New Japan in early 1996. They circle each other to start, front facelock by Mutoh but Hase rolls out of it. They jockey for position, front facelock by Hase and he shifts to the back. Mutoh applies a bulldog headlock, Hase struggles to his feet and regains the advantage. Hase takes Mutoh to the mat and rolls up Mutoh, but it gets a one count. Both wrestlers return to their feet and go into a Test of Strength, which Hase gets the better of and he drop toeholds Mutoh to the mat. Hase begins working on the leg as he applies a modified leg lock. Mutoh reaches the ropes to get a break and both wrestlers return to their feet, full nelson by Mutoh, he takes Hase to the mat by his arm but Hase quickly rolls out of it and tries to pin Mutoh to the mat. Mutoh gets out of that and they return to their feet, side headlock by Hase, Mutoh Irish whips out of it but Hase shoulderblocks him down. Hase goes off the ropes and both wrestlers go for dropkicks with neither connecting. Hase goes for Mutoh's arm but Mutoh pushes Hase into the ropes. Shoulder tackle by Mutoh and they trade chops, snapmare by Mutoh and he delivers the Flash Elbow. Cover by Mutoh but Hase quickly gets a shoulder up. Mutoh goes for Hase's arm and applies an armlock, but Hase gets out of it and jumps down onto Mutoh's leg while it is resting on the second rope. Hase goes for Mutoh's leg again but Mutoh is too close to the ropes and gets the break. Mutoh goes for Hase's arm and tries for the cross armbreaker, but Hase blocks it. They jockey for position, bodyscissors by Mutoh but they roll into the ropes. Back up, side headlock by Hase, takedown by Mutoh and he applies a headscissors, side headlock by Mutoh, Hase Irish whips out of it but Hase shoulderblocks him down. Mutoh avoids an Hase dropkick attempt and dropkicks Hase in the back of the knee as he is getting up. Dropkick to the knee by Mutoh and he hits a dragon screw leg whip. Mutoh waits for Hase to get up and hits another dragon screw leg whip before applying the figure four leg lock. Hase eventually rolls to the ropes to force a break, but Mutoh dropkicks him again in the back of the knee. Another dropkick to the knee by Mutoh, Hase goes for a kick but Mutoh catches his leg and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Mutoh re-applies the figure four but again Hase makes it to the ropes. Mutoh dropkicks Hase in the knee and delivers a dragon screw leg whip, he goes for the figure four but Hase rolls him up for a two count. Now Hase dropkicks Mutoh twice in the knee, he puts Mutoh in the Tree of Woe and hits a pair of dropkicks to his knee. Figure four leg lock by Hase but Mutoh gets to the ropes to break the hold.

Hase grabs Mutoh as he tries to get away and applies the Scorpion Deathlock but Mutoh quickly gets to the ropes. Kick to the leg by Hase and Mutoh rolls to the apron, but Hase boots Mutoh down to the floor. Mutoh gets up but Hase flies out onto him with a pescado. Hase rolls Mutoh back into the ring, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. Kip-up by Hase but Mutoh snaps off a hurricanrana and applies the cross armbreaker. Hase gets out of it but Mutoh begins dropkicking him in the leg. He goes for the cross armbreaker again but Hase blocks it. Mutoh picks up Hase, backbreaker, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Hase recovers and joins him up top. Uranage by Hase from the top turnbuckle to the mat, he picks up Mutoh and plants him with another uranage. Hase drags Mutoh to his feet and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Back up, full nelson by Hase and he nails the Dragon Suplex hold for another two count. Hase is running out of tricks, but he still has the Northern Lights Suplex. Hase picks up Mutoh and drops him with a piledriver for a two count cover. Hase goes for a boot but Mutoh catches his leg and hits a dragon screw leg whip. He then hops up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a dropkick to Hase's knee. Another dragon screw by Mutoh, he goes up to the top turnbuckle again and hits a missile dropkick. Mutoh punches Hase in the corner, he puts Hase on the top turnbuckle but Hase reverses the Frankensteiner attempt with an avalanche powerbomb for a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by Hase, but Mutoh barely gets a shoulder up. Uranage by Hase, he drags Mutoh to his feet and plants him with another one. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hase goes up to the top turnbuckle but Mutoh rolls out of the way of the diving knee drop. Dropkick to the knee by Mutoh, and he dropkicks Hase in the knee again. Dragon screw leg whip by Mutoh and he quickly slaps on the figure four leg lock. Hase makes it to the ropes, Mutoh grabs him but Hase kicks him back. Hase picks up Mutoh and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Hase picks up Mutoh and delivers an uranage, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving knee drop. Cover, but Mutoh gets a shoulder up. Hase picks up Mutoh and hits a Northern Lights Suplex, but he still can't get the three count. Hase drags Mutoh up and goes for a second one, but Mutoh knees out of it and hits an overhead kick. Another overhead kick by Mutoh, he waits for Hase to get to one knee and nails him with a Shining Wizard. Cover, and Mutoh picks up the three count! Your winner: Keiji Mutoh

Match Thoughts: Well, this was quite the match. Suffice to say if you don't like Mutoh you probably won't like this match, but that obviously isn't an issue with me. To say they took a very slow and technical/scientific approach to this match would be an understatement, but this is really Mutoh in his element as I think all his matches would be structured like this if he had the choice. Everything was done with a purpose... sure, there were a lot of dragon screws but why would Mutoh mix it up when what he was doing worked? The only real problem I had with the match was Hase's selling, I think he blew off the first set of Mutoh's leg work way too easily. Mutoh worked his leg over for a good 5 to 7 minutes but as soon as Hase was in control again he showed no lingering effects whatsoever. On the flip side Mutoh was great at selling Hase's moves, especially the uranages. The only other minor complaint I had was Hase really did every move he has to Mutoh... at least twice... while all along Mutoh still had the Shining Wizard and Moonsault in his back pocket. It became pretty clear that Mutoh was winning (not that there was much doubt anyway) after he kicked out of the avalanche uranage, the numerous regular uranages, and two Northern Lights Suplexes. Still, I enjoyed the match, I can't watch a card full of matches like this but it is a good change of pace and this is really Mutoh at his best, putting on long technical and logical matches to slowly put his opponent away. Score: 7.5

(c) Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Yuji Nagata
This match is for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Fujita goes for a takedown but Nagata blocks it, they go for waistlocks but neither can get an advantage. Kicks to the leg by Nagata and he gets Fujita to the mat. Nagata goes for a choke but Fujita gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Takedown by Fujita but they land in the ropes and the referee forces a break. Nagata pushes Fujita into the ropes and hits a heel kick, he picks up Fujita and drops him with a backdrop suplex hold for a two count. Nagata picks up Fujita but Fujita punches him in the stomach and rolls out of the ring to re-group. Fujita returns after a moment, Nagata grabs him but Fujita takes him to the mat. They end up in the ropes so the referee separates them, Nagata hits a belly to belly suplex and goes for the cross armbreaker but Fujita blocks it. Knees by Fujita and Nagata falls out of the ring. Nagata eventually rolls back into the ring, knees by Nagata and he applies a grounded front facelock. Nagata gets in the mount but Fujita quickly gets out of it and applies a choke sleeper. Bodyscissors by Fujita but Nagata gets out of it and kicks Fujita in the leg. High kick by Nagata, cover, but it gets a two count. Nagata applies a sleeperhold but Fujita gets a foot on the ropes. German suplex by Nagata but Fujita pops up and delivers a spinebuster. Fujita applies a side choke but Nagata gets a foot on the ropes. Back up, punches by Nagata but Fujita ends him to the mat with a hard right. Knees by Fujita but Nagata returns to his feet and tries to right back. Fujita gets Nagata to the mat again in a front facelock position and knees Nagata repeatedly in the head until the referee stops the match! Your winner and still champion: Kazuyuki Fujita

Match Thoughts: As soon as the match ended, Inoki left to go change his pants, as he no doubt had ruined them after Nagata and Fujita had the exact type of match he had envisioned as the new direction for New Japan. Like it or not, these quasi-shoot style/MMA style matches was Inoki's vision for New Japan from 2001 to 2004 and these two did it about as good as can possibly done. Fujita obviously has the upper hand in any type of MMA match but Nagata more then held his own. I didn't like the no-sell spot as Nagata never got a chance to return the favor but that's not an unusual occurrence in a match like this. A fun match, unfortunately most future matches this style wouldn't be as good as this one. Score: 6.5

Final Thoughts:

Top to bottom a solid card. There were three shoot-style/MMA-style matches which aren't my personal preference, but they all were kept relatively short and were at least moderately entertaining. The New Japan vs. All Japan matches were generally just average, but Kawada vs. Kojima delivered. I personally thought the Mutoh vs. Hase match was entertaining but just understand going in what type of match you will be watching. Overall I'd recommend it, it wasn't great or must-see in general but there were some fun matches spread throughout and these matches were still really fresh as before 2000 All Japan and New Japan didn't cooperate so many of these pairings had never happened before.

Recommended


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review completed on 4/27/09