Puroresu Central

New Japan Tokyo Dome Show 1994

The Date: January 4th, 1994
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 62,000

Ah, the yearly New Japan Tokyo Dome Show. Sometimes its a great show, sometimes not, but it always does a good job at showing what direction New Japan's booking will be going in the new year. 1991 to 1997 were New Japan's best years, so I have somewhat high expectations for this card. Course, Hogan is on the card which means that Beefcake will be on the card... is that a fair trade? The Steiners have a match as well and there are a number of American stars here for the big event. Here is the full card:

- Shiro Koshinaka, Great Kabuki, Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, and Michiyoshi Ohara vs. Osamu Kido, El Samurai, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi, and Yuji Nagata
- Masashi Aoyagi and Akitoshi Saito vs. Takayuki Iizuka and Akira Nogami
- Black Cat vs. Brutus Beefcake
- Super Strong Machine vs. Tatsutoshi Goto
- Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tiger Mask
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Jurassic Powers vs. The Hellraisers
- The Steiner Brothers vs. Keiji Mutoh and Hiroshi Hase
- Hulk Hogan vs. Tatsumi Fujinami
- Riki Choshu vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masahiro Chono
- Genichiro Tenryu vs. Antonio Inoki

New Japan, per usual, showed the card out of order so I put it back how it seen by the live crowd. The Tenryu/Inoki match was not shown on the official release (bastards), but I have it on another DVD so it will be reviewed as well.

Shiro Koshinaka, Great Kabuki, Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, and Michiyoshi Ohara vs. Osamu Kido, El Samurai, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi, and Yuji Nagata
Nakanishi and Ohara start things off, elbows by Nakanishi but Ohara slaps him to the mat. Another slap by Ohara and he tags in Kobayashi. Kobayashi throws Nakanishi out of the ring and hits a baseball slide under the bottom rope. Kobayashi tags in Great Kabuki, Irish whip by Great Kabuki and he delivers a dropkick. Nakanishi fights back but Great Kabuki tags in Kimura. Snapmare by Kimura and he applies a reverse chinlock into a sleeper, but Nakanishi gets a foot on the bottom rope. Kobayashi tags in Koshinaka, punches by Koshinaka but Nakanishi forearms him back and tags in El Samurai. Kicks by El Samurai in the corner, scoop slam, and he connects with the leg drop. Koshinaka gets back up and punches El Samurai, but El Samurai forearms him and tags in Kojima. Koshinaka and Kojima trade elbows, Irish whip by Koshinaka and he hits the hip attack. Koshinaka tags in Ohara, Ohara picks up Kojima, Irish whip, and he hits a diving lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Stomp to the back by Ohara and he slaps Kojima, but Kojima fires back with his own chops. Kojima tags in Nagata, kicks in the corner by Nagata, snapmare, and he kicks Ohara in the back. Snapmare by Ohara and he comes back with a kick of his own. Ohara tags in Kimura, snapmare by Kimura and he kicks Nagata in the back. Irish whip by Kimura and he delivers a back bodydrop. Kimura picks up Nagata and makes the tag to Koshinaka. Kicks by Koshinaka while Nagata is against the ropes and he hits a backdrop suplex. Nagata rolls to his corner and tags in Kido, side headlock takedown by Koshinaka and he hits another one, but Kido keeps kicking him off. Koshinaka tags in Ohara, Ohara trades blows with Kido until Kido throws him in the corner and tags in El Samurai. Irish whip by El Samurai and he delivers a dropkick. El Samurai applies a crab hold, Ohara gets out of it so El Samurai tags in Nakanishi. Leg lock by Nakanishi and he applies a single leg crab hold. Kojima kicks Ohara while he is in the hold which leads to the hold being broken up by Kobayashi. Nakanishi applies a sleeper before making the tag to Nagata. Sleeper hold by Nagata and he stomps Ohara in the back before applying a front facelock.

Nagata tags in Kojima, scoop slam by Kojima, he goes to the second rope and hits an elbow drop. Kojima dropkicks Koshinaka off the apron, leading to him getting beat down by Koshinaka and his team mates. Ohara tags in Kobayashi, Irish whip by Kobayashi but Kojima sneaks in a sunset flip for a two count. Kojima tags in El Samurai, Irish whip by Kobayashi but El Samurai rolls him up for a one count. Irish whip again by Kobayashi and he throws El Samurai onto the ramp. On the ramp Kobayashi kicks El Samurai in the stomach and delivers the face crusher. Kobayashi picks up El Samurai and throws him back into the ring before tagging in Great Kabuki. Irish whip by Great Kabuki and he delivers a lariat for a two count cover. Great Kabuki tags in Koshinaka, scoop slam by Koshinaka and he tags in Kimura. Heel kick/hip attack combination by Kimura and Koshinaka, and Kimura applies a single leg crab lock until Nakanishi breaks it up. Kimura tags in Kobayashi, El Samurai dropkicks Kobayashi and hits a Frankensteiner for a two count. Irish whip by El Samurai, reversed, and Kobayashi hits a Fisherman suplex for a two count. Kobayashi tags in Kimura as El Samurai tags in Kojima, Irish whip by Kimura but Kojima hits a jumping elbow. Another elbow by Kojima, Kimura tags in Great Kabuki but Kojima elbows him as well. Irish whip by Kojima to the corner but Great Kabuki nails him with a super kick as he charges in. Kojima tags in Kido, Kido slaps an armbar onto Great Kabuki but it is quickly broken up. El Samurai hits a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle onto Great Kabuki as El Samurai tags in Nagata. Jumping knee by Nagata but Great Kabuki tags in Ohara. Irish whip by Nagata to Ohara and he gives him a jumping knee as well followed by an overhead suplex for a two count. Nagata picks up Ohara but Ohara elbows him and Koshinaka comes off the top turnbuckle with a diving hip attack. Ohara picks up Nagata and hits a nodowa otoshi, he picks him back up and delivers a second nodowa otoshi. Cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winners: Shiro Koshinaka, Great Kabuki, Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, and Michiyoshi Ohara

Match Thoughts: I am not a big fan of matches like these, which is well documented, as there is literally no flow or structure to the match whatsoever. Whether a wrestler does a small move or a big move their opponent usually tags right out and Nagata was finished off without any of his (perfectly healthy) team mates making much of an effort to save him. This match was a bit better then others like it due to the emotion shown by Koshinaka and Kojima, but overall it wasn't my idea of a good opener. I like Kabuki so it was nice seeing him again, but ten people in a non-elimination match is just too many. Score: 3.5

Masashi Aoyagi and Akitoshi Saito vs. J-J-JACKS
J-J-JACKS are Takayuki Iizuka and Akira Nogami (AKIRA), in case you didn't know. Aoyagi and Nogami start things off. Kicks by Aoyagi but Nogami tackles him into the ropes and gets him into the corner before giving a clean break. Kick to the chest by Aoyagi and he tags in Saito. Elbows by Saito in the corner and he kicks Nogami to the mat. Nogami grabs his leg however and makes the tag to Iizuka. Iizuka waits for Saito to back up before he gets in to the ring, Iizuka gets Saito against the ropes but he gives a clean break. The two trade kicks with Iizuka getting the better of it, hip toss by Iizuka and he applies an arm submission hold. He goes for the cross armbreaker but Saito gets out of it and kicks Iizuka back into his corner. Saito tags in Aoyagi who connects with a spinning back kick. Single leg takedown by Iizuka but Aoyagi gets to the ropes when Iizuka applies a leg lock. Mounted punches by Iizuka, but Saito comes in to help get Iizuka off. Back kick by Aoyagi and he kicks Iizuka while he is against the ropes. Aoyagi tags in Saito, Irish whip by Saito and he punches Iizuka in the stomach with Aoyagi following with a spinning heel kick. Cover by Saito but it gets a two count. Saito goes for the cross armbreaker but Iizuka reverses it into a leg lock. Saito gets to the ropes but Iizuka keeps the hold applied for a minute before stomping down on the knee. Iizuka tags in Nogami, Nogami goes for a heel kick, Saito avoids it but Iizuka hits an elbow to the face. Face crusher by Nogami on Saito and he applies a leg lock, but Aoyagi breaks it up. Kicks to the chest by Saito and he hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Heel kick by Saito and he tags in Aoyagi.

Aoyagi kicks Nogami while he is against the ropes and forearms him in the back of the head. Nogami fires up and the two trade strikes, after a moment Nogami catches an Aoyagi kick and elbows Aoyagi in the leg. This gives Nogami time to tag in Iizuka and Iizuka applies an ankle lock to Aoyagi. Saito breaks it up, but Iizuka drags Aoyagi farther away and applies a leg lock. Eventually Aoyagi makes it to the ropes, kicks to the leg by Iizuka and he re-applies the ankle lock. Iizuka tags in Nogami and both men apply ankle locks to Aoyagi as the referee unfairly keeps Saito out of the ring. Finally he breaks it up with Nogami switching the hold to a single leg crab hold until Saito breaks it up with three kicks to the chest. Aoyagi is up first and kicks Nogami back, allowing him time to tag in Saito. Stomp to the chest by Saito and he kicks Nogami but Nogami tackles him and goes for a submission hold. Saito gets to the ropes before Nogami can get one applied, waistlock by Nogami but Saito gets out of it and drives him back into the corner. Nogami tags in Iizuka, but Saito punches and knees him as he comes into the ring. Irish whip by Saito and he hits a spinning heel kick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Aoyagi comes in the ring and while Saito holds Iizuka up Aoyagi delivers a spinning heel kick. Cover by Saito but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Saito but Iizuka blocks the spinning heel kick with a knee. Ankle lock by Iizuka but Aoyagi breaks it up. Saito picks up Iizuka and kicks him in the chest, he goes for a backdrop suplex but Nogami comes off the top turnbuckle with a double ax handle to break it up. Uranage by Iizuka and he makes the tag to his partner. Nogami goes to the top turnbuckle and connects with the Musasabi Press, cover, but Saito kicks out. Saito goes for a kick but Nogami blocks it and nails the German suplex hold for the three count pinfall! Your winners: J-J-JACKS

Match Thoughts: What this match lacked in some areas it made up with the amount of emotion they showed. I have no idea what the back story is to this match, or even if there was one, but both teams were taking cheap shots and acting like they hated the other team and they were able to draw me in even though I didn't know the reason for the hate. There were an awful lot of kicks, which can get old, and the good work on Aoyagi's leg didn't end up being sold long term or have an effect on the match, but I still enjoyed it. Taking out the leg made sense since Aoyagi kept on kicking them and both teams worked together well. A perfectly acceptable undercard match and it exceeded my expectations in terms of the general presentation. Score: 6.0

Black Cat vs. Brutus Beefcake
Poor Black Cat. Tie-up to start, side headlock by Black Cat, Beefcake Irish whips out of it but Black Cat shoulderblocks him down. Elbow drop by Black Cat, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Black Cat and he delivers a lariat. Beefcake sneak attacks Black Cat while Jimmy Hart distracts him and throws him out of the ring. Double ax handle by Beefcake from the apron and he slides Black Cat back in before choking him with his knee. Snapmare by Beefcake and he applies a reverse chinlock. Another snapmare by Beefcake and he kicks Black Cat in the face. Stomp by Beefcake but Black Cat punches him in the stomach and the two trade blows until a left hook floors Beefcake. DDT by Black Cat, cover, but it gets a two count. Crab hold by Black Cat but Beefcake gets a hand on the bottom rope. Black Cat chops Beefcake into the corner but Beefcake returns with punches until Black Cat falls to the mat. Beefcake rakes Black Cat in the eyes before biting Black Cat in the head. Irish whip by Beefcake and he delivers a back elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip again by Beefcake and this time he kicks Black Cat in the chest for another two count cover. Black Cat goes for the Scorpion Deathlock by Beefcake blocks it from being applied. Punches by Beefcake, Irish whip by Black Cat but Beefcake elbows him in the head for a two count cover. Beefcake goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock before elbowing Black Cat again for a two count. Back up, Beefcake hits a vertical suplex, cover, but Black Cat barely gets a shoulder up. Irish whip by Beefcake to the corner but Black Cat kicks him when he charges in. Sunset flip by Black Cat but it gets a two count. Backdrop suplex by Black Cat, cover, but Beefcake gets a shoulder up. Scoop slam by Black Cat but Beefcake avoids the elbow drop attempt. Falling headbutt to the chest by Beefcake, cover, but it gets a two count. Beefcake picks up Black Cat, Irish whip, reversed, but Beefcake ducks the lariat and delivers the jumping knee for the three count! Your winner: Brutus Beefcake

Match Thoughts: This was pretty brutal and Beefcake can't use the "language barrier" excuse like he could have in his other puroresu matches. I don't remember Beefcake ever throwing so many elbows in any of his other matches, but apparently that was all he was up for here. I would think that Beefcake would be offended by the fact the crowd couldn't have cared less, but I guess he is pretty used to it by now as his early WWF run seems to be the only time that the crowd really responded his over-the-top style. This was rough all the way through but at least this time (versus the last Beefcake match in New Japan I reviewed) he picked up the win cleanly. Score: 3.0

Super Strong Machine vs. Tatsutoshi Goto
What a weird little singles match. Tie-up, Machine gets Goto into the ropes but Goto drives him into the corner and punches him before backing off. Clubs to the back by Machine, Irish whip, reversed, and Goto hits a lariat. Machine fires back with a lariat of his own however when Goto turns his back to him and both men face off in the middle of the ring once again. Tie-up into a Test of Strength, knees by Machine and he delivers a headbutt. Machine slaps Goto, Goto pushes Machine against the ropes but Machine punches him back. Takedown by Goto and he goes for a cross face, but Machine reverses it into a side headlock. Goto Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither going down. Tie-up, waistlock by Machine but Goto grabs his arm and applies an armbar. Stomp to the back by Goto but Machine gets back to his feet. They trade strikes, chops by Machine and he hits an enzigieri. Machine applies the sleeper hold into the Butterfly Lock, but Goto gets a foot on the bottom rope. Machine drags Goto to the middle of the ring and re-applies the hold, but Goto kicks his way out of it. Goto waits for Machine to get up and kicks him in the chest, but Machine catches a kick and delivers a lariat. Vertical suplex by Machine, he picks up Goto and delivers a body slam. Machine goes up to the top turnbuckle but Goto is up and tries to throw him off. Machine pushes Goto back however and hits a top rope bulldog, he goes for a lariat but Goto ducks it and kills him with a release German suplex. Lariat by Goto and he delivers a second one. Goto goes for the backdrop suplex but Machine reverses it with a running bulldog. German suplex hold by Machine but it only gets a two count. Devil Windmill Suplex Hold by Machine, but Goto barely gets a shoulder up at two. Machine picks up Goto and goes for it again, Goto blocks it and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Machine reverses it and lands on top of Goto. Top rope diving headbutt by Machine, cover, and he barely gets the three count! Your winner: Super Strong Machine

Match Thoughts: Not unwatchable even though these are not two of my favorite wrestlers. The action was about what you'd expect but they threw in a few different spots to save it from being completely bland. The three count was certainly not a three count, but I don't know if it was done that way to protect Goto or if it was a mistake. Goto was pretty handily beaten here as he really didn't have any realistic near falls (even though he never did get a chance to hit his finisher). For where it was on the card it was fine, although nothing to get excited about. Score: 4.0

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tiger Mask
Even though Liger is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion this is a non-title match. Tie-up, Tiger Mask gets Liger into the ropes and into the corner and he forearms him instead of breaking clean. Liger punches him back, single leg takedown by Liger and he applies a leg lock. A stretch hold is applied by Liger, but Tiger Mask gets back to his feet and delivers a heel kick. Stomp by Tiger Mask, snapmare, and he elbows Liger in the head. Reverse chinlock by Tiger Mask into as side headlock, reversed by Liger into an armbar and Liger applies a headscissors. Tiger Mask does a handstand to get out of the headscissors, side headlock by Tiger Mask but Liger re-applies the headscissors. Again Tiger Mask gets out of it and this time he kicks Liger in the face. Back up, kicks by Tiger Mask and Liger falls back down to the mat. Tiger Mask picks up Liger and hits a backdrop suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Headscissors by Tiger Mask but Liger gets out of it and applies the camel clutch. After a moment he releases the hold, Irish whip, and he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Romero Special by Liger and he holds Tiger Mask around the neck for extra leverage. Tiger Mask rakes Liger in the eyes to get out of it however and stomps Liger in the head. Rolling Koppou Kick by Liger, Tiger Mask doesn't go down, another one by Liger, Tiger Mask goes for a dropkick but Liger swipes him away. A third Koppou Kick finally sends Tiger Mask to the mat, Tiger Mask gets back up but he eats a fourth one. Liger goes up to the top turnbuckle and goes for a missile dropkick, but Tiger Mask does a dropkick of his own as Liger jumps off and neither man really connects. Tiger Mask goes for the cross armbreaker but Liger keeps his hands locked. Mounted punches by Tiger Mask, he picks up Liger and hits a series of chops. Liger comes back with a Shotei, snapmare by Liger and he applies a headscissors. Tiger Mask rolls to the ropes after a moment and Liger has to break the hold. Single leg takedown by Tiger Mask and he applies a leg lock, but Liger makes it to the ropes. Tiger Mask stomps Liger before putting him up straddling the second rope in the corner so that he could deliver a dropkick to his defenseless opponent.

Backbreaker by Tiger Mask, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and goes for a moonsault, Liger rolls out of the way but Tiger Mask lands on his feet. Koppou Kick by Liger, waistlock, reversed, but Liger elbows out of it and dropkicks Tiger Mask out of the ring. Baseball slide by Liger, he goes off the far ropes and does a fake dive, but Tiger Mask quickly rolls back in the ring and dropkicks Liger through the ropes. Tiger Mask now goes off the ropes and sails out onto Liger with a tope suicida. Tiger Mask rolls back in the ring as Liger slowly follows, scoop slam by Tiger Mask and he delivers a top rope rounding body press. Cover, but Tiger Mask picks up Liger before the three count. Tiger Mask goes for the Tiger Suplex but Liger gets out of it and connects with a lariat. Liger picks up Tiger Mask and nails a powerbomb, he picks Tiger Mask back up and puts him on the top turnbuckle. Liger joins him and hits a Frankensteiner, cover, but it gets a two count. Liger Bomb by Liger, cover, but again it gets a two count. He goes for another one, but Tiger Mask lands on top of Liger for a two count cover. Tiger Mask picks up Liger and puts him onto the top turnbuckle, Tiger Mask climbs up as well and dropkicks Liger out to the ramp. Tiger Mask then walks up the ramp and deliverers a cartwheel twisting body press. With Liger still on the ramp Tiger Mask goes up to the top turnbuckle, but he slips as he goes to jump and flops to the ramp without touching Liger. Tiger Mask is up first and goes back in the ring, after a moment he goes out to get Liger and slides him through the ropes. Top rope missile dropkick by Tiger Mask followed by a German suplex hold but it gets a two count. Tiger Mask picks up Liger, scoop slam, and he hits a second turnbuckle twisting senton. Tiger Mask goes up to the top turnbuckle but Liger avoids the tornillo. Backbreaker by Liger in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Shooting Star Press! Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Jushin Thunder Liger

Match Thoughts: I don't know if this match was worse then the Liger/Tiger Mask match I reviewed from 1993, but I do know that Kanemoto didn't fit under the Tiger Mask gimmick at all. Liger and Kanemoto would have great matches post-1995 so I know they are able to, but the Tiger Mask spots seem forced and interrupt the flow of the match. The botch didn't help as obviously that was set up to be one of the big moments of the match and instead they had to just move on as if the move had happened even though it didn't. The match could have used five more minutes, as we went straight from mat work to Liger hitting all his finishers, causing him to dust off the Shooting Star Press to pick up the win. This would be the last time Liger would ever use the Shooting Star Press as far as I know and while it made the ending exciting it was also very sudden. Overall a disappointment, and even though the match wasn't bad it was not on the level that Liger's or Kanemoto's big matches are usually on. Score: 6.0

(c) Jurassic Powers vs. The Hellraisers
This match is for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The Jurassic Powers are Norton and Hercules Hernandez, while The Hellraisers are Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior (Kensuke Sasaki). Norton and Hawk start things off. Tie-up, but they break cleanly and growl at each other. Another tie-up but again a clean break. A third time they tie up with the same result, so they decide to run into each other with lariats. This also has no result, and they do it two more times with neither man budging. Dropkick by Hawk, Irish whip, and he hits a jumping shoulder tackle. Hawk goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. Norton is back up quickly and Hawk tags in Sasaki. Norton tags in Hercules, Sasaki goes off the ropes but he can't knock Hercules over. Sasaki tries again with no result and they go into a test of strength. Hercules wins the battle and throws Sasaki to the mat, he goes for an Irish whip from the corner but Sasaki hits a lariat. Irish whip by Sasaki and he hits a face crusher followed by another lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count and Hercules is back to his feet. Sasaki tags in Hawk, tie-up, side headlock by Hercules but Hawk back suplexes his way out of it. Clubbing blows by Hawk, Irish whip, they trade hip toss attempts but neither man can get the other over. Punch to the face by Hercules and he nails a piledriver, but Hawk pops back up and hits a lariat. Irish whip by Hawk and he hits a powerslam, cover, but it gets a one count. Back up, Hawk tells Hercules to tag in Norton and he does so. Tie-up, elbow to the back of the head by Norton and he hits a series of shoulder tackles in the corner. Irish whip by Norton but Hawk kicks him when he comes in and knocks him down with a lariat.

Hawk tags in Sasaki but Norton hits him with a trio of lariats. Sasaki bounces back up however and goes for his own lariats, but Norton doesn't budge. The third one finally knocks him down but Norton hits a backdrop suplex. Irish whip by Norton and he delivers a powerslam, cover, but Hawk breaks it up. Norton tags in Hercules, Irish whip by Hercules but Sasaki kicks him and hits a scoop slam. Sasaki tags in Hawk, punches by Hawk but Hercules returns fire. Hercules dumps Hawk out of the ring and Norton assaults him on the outside. Norton slams Hawk into the ring post before sliding him back into the ring, Hercules tags in Norton and they ram Hawk into the corner. Backbreaker by Norton, cover, but it gets a two count. Reverse chinlock by Norton and he hits a neckbreaker. Cover, but it gets a two count. Norton tags in Hercules and he drops Hawk onto the top rope. Snapmare by Hercules and he applies a reverse chinlock to Hawk. Hawk struggles to his feet and breaks free, but Hercules floors him with a lariat and tags in Norton. Forearm to the back by Norton, Hawk fights back but Norton regains the advantage and tags in Hercules. Hercules goes up to the second rope and elbows Hawk in the back. More elbows to the back by Hercules and he applies a bear hug, Hawk tries to get out of it but Hercules tags in Norton. Double Irish whip to Hawk and they hit a double shoulder tackle. Norton applies a bear hug to Hawk before ramming him into the corner and tagging Hercules back in. Scoop slam by Hercules, he goes to the second turnbuckle but Hawk avoids the splash. Hawk goes off the ropes and hits a big boot, Irish whip, reversed, but Hawk connects with the jumping shoulder block. Hawk goes out to the ramp, gets a running start on the rampway and sails over the top rope with a shoulder block on Hercules. Hawk goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a double lariat on Hercules and Norton before tagging in Sasaki. Sasaki hits a powerslam on Hercules, Hercules tries to escape but Sasaki hits the ipponzei and picks up the three count! Your winners and new champions: The Hellraisers

Match Thoughts: This match had so much potential. These wrestlers have a style that you either love or hate, and personally I love it. Big steroided men beating each other with stiff shots that aren't sold is what wrestling is all about. The match started and ended well, but the middle portion dragged as Hercules was a step or two behind everyone else and the beatdown on Hawk wasn't very convincing. I did enjoy that there was no hot tag, as Hawk went back on offense and had Hercules laying dead on the mat before he bothered tagging in Sasaki. A decent match, but if they had stuck to the stiffness then I would have liked it more for that is what Norton and Hawk in particular do best. Score: 5.5

The Steiner Brothers vs. Keiji Mutoh and Hiroshi Hase
Scott and Hase start things off. Tackle by Scott and he goes for a waistlock into a bridged pin, but it gets a one count as Hase rolls over to his side. They get to their feet but Hase escapes Scott's grasp. Hase pushes Scott down but Scott lands in the ropes and the referee forces a break. Waistlock takedown by Scott, he waits for Hase to get up and Hase delivers a fireman's carry takeover. Hase goes for Scott's arm but Scott reverses it into a stretch hold. Hase gets to the ropes after a moment and Scott breaks the hold. Hase tags in Mutoh so Scott makes the tag to Rick. Single leg takedown attempt by Rick but Mutoh escapes the hold. Tie-up, waistlock by Mutoh and he goes for a full nelson, Rick reverses it into a waistlock but Mutoh reaches the ropes. Tie-up again, double leg takedown by Rick and he applies a waistlock, he gets Mutoh in the mount position and makes the tag to Scott. Irish whip by Scott and Scott hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Mutoh quickly rolls out of the ring but after a moment he returns and tags in Hase. Hase goes for a suplex, Scott blocks it but Hase takes Scott to the mat and applies a crossface. Back up, side headlock takeover by Scott and he keeps the hold applied on the mat. Scott rolls Hase over and applies a stretch hold, but Hase gets a foot on the ropes. Back up, Irish whip by Hase but Scott shoulderblocks him down. Double underhook slam by Scott, Mutoh comes in but Rick press slams him while Scott hits a press slam on Hase. Mutoh and Hase roll out of the ring while the Steiner Brothers pose inside of it. Hase returns, chops by Hase and he tags in Mutoh. Mutoh throws Scott out onto the rampway and hits a vertical suplex. Mutoh then runs most of the way up the ramp and then charges back, delivering a lariat to Scott as he stands back up. He then grabs Rick, suplexes him on the ramp and this time Hase delivers the running lariat. Back in the ring, Mutoh snapmares Scott to the mat and applies the figure four leglock. Mutoh tags in Hase and Hase applies the Muta Lock. Hase tags Mutoh back in and they make a wish with Scott's legs. Ankle lock by Mutoh, but Scott reverses it. Mutoh lands close enough to his corner to tag in Hase, chops by Hase but Scott fights back and nails a dragon suplex. Scott tags in Rick, Rick gets Hase up on his shoulder and rams him into the corner. Punches by Rick but Hase chops him back into the corner and makes the tag to Mutoh. Snapmare by Mutoh and he nails the Flash Elbow.

Snapmare again and Mutoh goes for the arm of Rick, but Rick slams Mutoh to get out of the hold. Mutoh quickly tags in Hase and Hase delivers a uranage. Hase goes up to the top turnbuckle but Scott grabs him from the outside and Rick hits a belly to belly suplex off the top turnbuckle. Rick tags in Scott, Irish whip by Scott and he hits a lariat. Mutoh comes in the ring but he eats a lariat as well, Irish whip by Scott and he hits the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two count cover. Scott picks up Hase and absolutely KILLS him with the Steiner Screwdriver before posing in the corner as the crowd goes nuts. Mutoh tries to help but Rick hits a belly to belly suplex off the top turnbuckle on him. Scott drags Hase to his feet and hits a lariat, but Hase doesn't go down. A second one doesn't work either, he goes for a third but Hase catches him with an uranage. A second uranage by Hase, cover, but it gets a two count. Hase tags in Mutoh, Irish whip by Mutoh and he hits a back bodydrop. Mutoh picks up Scott, Irish whip, and he delivers a dropkick. Mutoh tags in Hase, chop by Hase and he picks up Scott so that Mutoh can hit a face crusher off the top turnbuckle. Mutoh dropkicks Rick out of the ring and sails out onto him with a pescado, while Hase hits a German suplex hold in the ring on Scott for a two count. Chops by Hase and he hits the Northern Lights Suplex, but Rick breaks it up. Hase picks up Scott and tags in Mutoh, Mutoh throws Scott into the corner, Irish whip, and he hits the cartwheel elbow strike followed by the face crusher. Mutoh goes for the dragon suplex but Rick breaks it up, backbreaker by Mutoh on Scott and he nails the moonsault! Cover, but Scott barely kicks out in time. Kicks by Mutoh, he goes off the ropes but Scott hits a Frankensteiner! Mutoh tags in Hase but Scott also makes the tag, and Hase is met with a lariat from Rick. Irish whip by Rick and he hits a press slam followed by an elbow drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Rick picks up Hase, Irish whip, and he delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Rick puts Hase onto his shoulders while Scott goes up to the top turnbuckle and they nail a union avalanche-style DDT. Double Irish whip to Mutoh as he gets into the ring to help Hase and they hit a double shoulderblock. Scott puts Hase on his shoulders as Rick goes to the top turnbuckle and they hit the union top rope bulldog. Cover, and Scott picks up the three count! Your winners: The Steiner Brothers

Match Thoughts: The crowd really woke up for this match, which says a lot for all the combatants as they had been pretty mild up to this point. The selling was extremely suspect and the transitions were really poor at times, but I still enjoyed the match. All four of these wrestlers are just so good at what they do and the crowd was really into the action. The Steiner Screwdriver looked great and got a loud reaction, and the wrestling in general was very crisp. As I mentioned the transitions were not very good (such as Scott hitting a dragon suplex out of no where and Hase rebounding from the Steiner Screwdriver very easily), and while things like that will keep a match from being a classic it doesn't really make them not entertaining. A pretty fun match all-around. Score: 7.0

Hulk Hogan vs. Tatsumi Fujinami
Tie-up to start and Hogan pushes Fujinami back. Tie-up again, side headlock by Fujinami and he takes Hogan to the mat. Hogan struggles to his feet and hits a backdrop suplex, but Fujinami keeps the hold applied. Back up, Hogan Irish whips out of the hold but Fujinami ducks the lariat and hits a pair of armdrags. Fujinami applies an armbar before putting the side headlock back on but Hogan muscles out of it and performs a cross armbreaker takedown. He can't get the hold locked on however and Fujinami gets out of it, going back to the side headlock. Side headlock takeover by Fujinami but Hogan reverses it with a headscissors. Armbar by Hogan and he covers Fujinami for a one count. Hogan applies a wristlock but Fujinami reverses it into a wristlock of his own. Hogan throws Fujinami into the corner but Fujinami avoids his charge and hits an armdrag followed by a pair of dropkicks. Hogan rolls out of the ring, Fujinami goes to do a dive but Hogan gets away from the ringside area so Fujinami stays in the ring. Hogan eventually joins him, tie-up, side headlock takedown by Hogan and he keeps the hold applied on the mat. Fujinami struggles to his feet but Hogan does a drop toehold and applies a reverse chinlock. Armbar by Hogan into a hammerlock and he takes Fujinami back to the mat. Back up, wristlock by Hogan and he gets Fujinami into the corner. Hogan gives a clean break but Fujinami pushes him back, tie-up, Fujinami goes for the Octopus Hold and hits the Ground Cobra Twist, but Hogan lands on the ropes. Back up again, tie-up, and Hogan applies an abdominal stretch into a Ground Cobra Twist of his own, but Fujinami also lands too close to the ropes. Tie-up, side headlock by Hogan but Fujinami gets to the ropes. They go into a Test of Strength and Hogan pushes Fujinami back into the corner. Chop by Hogan and he hits a vertical suplex before dropping an elbow for a two count. Headbutt by Hogan, Irish whip, and he boots Fujinami in the chest. Scoop slam by Hogan and he goes for the leg drop, but Fujinami moves out of the way. Kicks to the leg by Fujinami but Hogan rakes him in the eyes and does the Back Scratch. Irish whip by Hogan to the corner and he hits a jumping knee. With Fujinami against the ropes Hogan hits the Axe Bomber, knocking him onto the ramp. Irish whip by Hogan on the ramp but Fujinami avoids his charge and lariats Hogan back into the ring. Fujinami hits a scoop slam on Hogan and comes off the top turnbuckle with a knee drop, cover, but it gets a two count. Double leg takedown by Fujinami and he applies the Scorpion Deathlock. After a moment he releases the hold, Irish whip from the corner, reversed, but Fujinami ducks the Axe Bomber and applies a sleeperhold. Dragon Sleeper by Fujinami but Hogan muscles out of it and rams Fujinami into the corner. Elbows by Hogan, Irish whip to the corner and he hits an Axe Bomber. Another Axe Bomber by Hogan, cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Hulk Hogan

Match Thoughts: It has been said before (by both myself and dozens of other people) that watching Hogan wrestle in Japan is almost surreal, and this match was no different. Seeing Hogan in a match that is 80% mat wrestling is weird, and while he looked a little stiff at it he showed that he does have some knowledge of technical wrestling. I actually liked the match, they played up well that Hogan was stronger then Fujinami but that Fujinami was faster. The Axe Bomber was built up to be the big match-ending move with Fujinami avoiding it several times before he was finally caught with two to cause him to lose the match. On one hand it seems like he was defeated a little too easily but considering that Hogan's Axe Bomber is very respected in Japan it didn't come across poorly when watching it. Not a great match by any means as the mat wrestling was a little awkward at times, but it was still fun to see Hogan out of his normal element. Score: 6.0

Riki Choshu vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara
They feel each other out to start the match, Fujiwara gets Choshu into the corner but he gives a clean break. Side headlock by Fujiwara but Choshu reverses it and stomps Fujiwara on the mat. Fujiwara quickly gets back to his feet, side headlock by Fujiwara but Choshu gets him into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Tie-up, Choshu gets Fujiwara on the mat but Fujiwara muscles back up and delivers a single-leg takedown. Fujiwara goes for the leg but Choshu grabs his shoulder to block the hold. Eventually Fujiwara gets in the mount position and punches Choshu hard in the face, but the referee makes him get off due to him using a closed fist. Fujiwara goes for a cross armbreaker but Choshu keeps his hands linked together to block the hold until he can reach the ropes. Stomp by Choshu but Fujiwara gets to his feet. Choshu kicks Fujiwara into the ropes but Fujiwara catches one of his kicks and pushes Choshu to the mat. Leg lock by Fujiwara but after a minute Choshu makes it to the ropes. Back up, Fujiwara grabs Choshu's leg again and this time he applies an elevated single leg crab hold, but Choshu kicks him off. Choshu goes off the ropes and goes for the lariat, but Fujiwara avoids it and tries to apply the Fujiwara Armbar. Choshu grabs the ropes before he can get it locked in however, but Fujiwara throws Choshu to the middle of the ring and goes for it again. Again Choshu makes it to the ropes, kicks to the arm by Fujiwara and he gets Choshu in the corner. Fujiwara stomps on Choshu but Choshu fires out of the corner with a lariat. A second lariat still can't knock down Fujiwara, nor a third, and Fujiwara ducks the fourth to go for his armbar again. Choshu knees his way out of it, delivers a lariat, and picks up the three count! Your winner: Riki Choshu

Match Thoughts: Before typing up this match I cut my finger pretty bad while opening a box of saran wrap (don't ask), making typing very painful (I am a warrior!). I thought that would be my most painful experience of the day until I watched this match. I simply can not get into old timers wrestling some ancient formula in modern times... for example, Choshu hits three lariats, Fujiwara is unphased and goes for his finisher, but one more knocks him out enough for the pin? It was the first time he had hurt Fujiwara the entire match. And why was Fujiwara going for the leg for the first half if he was going to attack the arm the second half? It was slow and uneventful with a sudden ending, and there was really no build or suspense whatsoever. I know some people love this stuff, and that is fine, but it isn't my thing. Score: 3.0

(c) Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masahiro Chono
This match is for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. They avoid each others strikes to start the match, tie-up, and Hashimoto kicks Chono in the stomach. Chono pushes Hashimoto into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Tie-up, Hashimoto pushes Chono into the corner and he gives a mostly clean break as well. Hashimoto slaps Chono in the face but Chono gets back up quickly and the two tie-up. Shoulders by Chono and they trade kicks with neither wrestler going down. Hashimoto pushes Chono into the ropes, Chono reverses positions with him and he kicks Hashimoto as he backs off. Hashimoto charges him and gets Chono into the corner, but instead of giving a clean break he headbutts Chono as he backs away. Tie-up, side headlock by Chono, Hashimoto Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither going down. Shoulderblock by Hashimoto and he chops Chono in the chest. Leg lock by Hashimoto and he drives his knee into Chono's shin. Kicks to the leg by Hashimoto, he wraps Chono's knee in the second rope and twists it until the referee gets him back. Drop toehold by Chono and he applies a leg lock of his own to Hashimoto before releasing the hold and stomping on Hashimoto. Headbutts by Chono but Hashimoto pushes him back and chops him against the ropes. Elbow by Hashimoto but Chono kicks him in the leg and elbows Hashimoto in the back of the head. Jumping front kick by Hashimoto and he kicks Chono in the throat before dropping an elbow on his chest. Single leg crabhold by Hashimoto and he releases the hold to drive Chono's knee into the mat.

Back up, kicks to the chest by Hashimoto but Chono comes back with a Yakuza Kick. High kick to the chest by Hashimoto, he waits for Chono to get up and he kicks him in the chest some more. Cover, but Chono easily kicks out. Reverse chinlock by Hashimoto but Chono gets a foot on the bottom rope. Back up, knee to the stomach by Chono but Hashimoto hits a quick lariat for a two count. A keylock is applied by Hashimoto into a standing armbar but after a moment he releases the hold. Backdrop suplex by Hashimoto, cover, but it gets a two count. Kick to the back by Hashimoto and he hits a belly to belly suplex for another two count. Hashimoto goes for a DDT but Chono knees him in the stomach to block the move. Hashimoto picks up Chono and hits a German suplex hold but it only gets a two count. Back up, Hashimoto grabs Chono and hits a front suplex followed by an elbow drop for another two count fall. Hashimoto goes back to the arm but Chono reverses it into a leg lock. Hashimoto makes it to the ropes after a moment and begins kicking Chono hard in the chest. Hashimoto goes for the brainbuster but Chono goes behind his back and hits a backdrop suplex. Chono goes up to the top turnbuckle but Hashimoto joins him. Chono punches Hashimoto back off and hits a diving shoulderblock, he waits for Hashimoto to get to his knees and kicks him in the face.

Another kick to the head by Chono, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Chono and he delivers a Samoan Drop. Cover, but again it gets a two. Chono applies a single leg crab hold and reverts it into the STF. Hashimoto slowly craws to the ropes but before he can make it Chono applies a sleeper hold. Chono lets Hashimoto go after a moment, he goes off the ropes and hits a Yakuza Kick. Running forearm by Chono but Hashimoto is still only on one knee. Chono goes off the ropes but Hashimoto catches him with a judo throw. Hashimoto goes for a DDT but Chono kicks him low and applies a rolling leg submission hold. After a moment Chono releases the hold and goes back to the STF. Again he releases the hold, he goes off the ropes and hits a Yakuza Kick, but when he goes off the ropes again Hashimoto connects with a dropkick. Leg sweep by Hashimoto and he applies an achilles heel hold. Steamroller by Hashimoto, cover, but it gets a two count. Hashimoto picks up Chono but Chono sneaks in a small package for a two count. Hashimoto is up first and goes for the brainbuster, but Chono backs up into the corner. Hashimoto puts Chono up onto the turnbuckle and hits a superplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Front facelock by Hashimoto but Chono fights him off and hits a jumping kick. Hashimoto comes back with a high kick of his own, he then goes off the ropes and hits a spinning heel kick. Front chancery by Hashimoto and he hits a series of knees to the stomach of Chono. Brainbuster by Hashimoto, cover, but it gets a two count. Hashimoto picks up Chono and nails the jumping DDT, cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winner and still champion: Shinya Hashimoto

Match Thoughts: I wanted to love this match but in the end I just couldn't... there were too many small things that irked me. One of my pet peeves is wrestlers that release their finishing moves for really no reason, which Chono did on a few occasions. I would think once he had the STF applied in the middle of the ring he'd just keep it on until his opponent reaches the ropes or passes out. The biggest problem in the match was that I never felt that Chono had a chance. Like I said, his submissions obviously had no impact and he didn't have any realistic near falls. Chono seemed to just be hanging on for the ride trying to avoid Hashimoto's big moves, and then once Hashimoto hit his big moves the match was over. There were still positives however... the emotion was certainly there and they had the crowd sucked in. There really weren't any obvious botches or miscommunications at all and the mat work didn't come across as excessive even though there was a lot of it. Overall it was a good match, I was just hoping for a classic from two of the better New Japan wrestlers of the 90s wrestling at the big Tokyo Dome show. Score: 7.0

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Antonio Inoki
They feel each other out to start the match as Inoki lands a soft headbutt and Tenryu connects with a slap. A harder headbutt by Inoki follows, they go into a Test of Strength and Inoki goes for Tenryu's leg. Tenryu gets back to his feet after a moment, drop toehold by Tenryu but Inoki manages to get on top until Tenryu rolls to the ropes and forces a break. Back up, and Tenryu chops Inoki in the chest. Tie-up, kick to the stomach by Tenryu but Inoki returns with punches. Slaps by Tenryu and he hits an enzigieri followed by chops to the chest. Inoki gets back to his feet and punches Tenryu hard in the side of the head before delivering an enzigieri of his own. Inoki applies the sleeper but Tenryu quickly gets a hand on the top rope. Inoki is slow to release the hold however and the referee chastises him as Tenryu crumples to the mat. Tenryu is out cold from Inoki not releasing the hold and the referee tells Inoki to stay back while Tenryu gets time to wake up. This goes on for awhile (literally three minutes), finally the referee shakes Tenryu to try to wake him up and Tenryu's WAR friends at ringside slide him out of the ring so that they can try as well. The referee jumps out and finally Tenryu is walking around at ringside. Finally Tenryu rolls back in the ring and Inoki punches him against the ropes. Tenryu comes back with sumo slaps and an enzigieri but is too woozy to capitalize, enzigieri by Inoki but Tenryu follows with a lariat. Octopus Hold by Inoki but Tenryu gets out of it and kicks Inoki in the face. Inoki goes for the cross armbreaker but Tenryu keeps his hands locked, Inoki finally gets is applied but Tenryu is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Inoki keeps going for the arm while Tenryu is in the ropes, and the referee tells Inoki that he has to get back. Inoki gets off Tenryu and waits for Tenryu to stand up, knees by Tenryu and Inoki collapses to the crowd. Tenryu kicks him a few times for good measure and forearms Inoki in the face, forcing Inoki to roll out of the ring. Back in the ring Tenryu chops Inoki in the corner, Irish whip, but Inoki hits a Abisegeri as Tenryu comes in and applies the sleeper! The referee deems it a choke however and forces Inoki to break the hold, but not before Tenryu has felt the worst of it. Tenryu slowly gets back up and Inoki slaps him as soon as he has done so. Tenryu comes back with chops, punch by Inoki but Tenryu returns with an enzigieri. Hard kick to the face by Tenryu, cover, but it gets a two count. Body slam by Tenryu, cover, but it gets a two count as well. Tenryu picks up Inoki and nails a powerbomb, cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Genichiro Tenryu

Match Thoughts: This was significant on a few levels. First, this would be the last time that Antonio Inoki was ever pinned. Also, this made Tenryu the first (and only) Japanese wrestler to ever pin both Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba. How is that for some random trivia? I should also point out that I have no idea how a Freelancer got the honor of pinning Antonio Inoki (who rarely lost in singles matches) at the Tokyo Dome, even if that Freelancer happened to be Tenryu. Anyway, I actually liked the story of the match even if some of the exection was questionable. Tenryu being out cold for four minutes but the referee not letting Inoki touch him since it was an illegal move that knocked him out was really great as the crowd was loving it and it added a level of suspense that you don't normally see in matches. Inoki cheating showed how much he felt he needed this win but he simply was over powered by the WAR founder. A lot of the moves looked weak (except for Inoki's punches) but I'll give them a little leeway since they are not exactly young pups. The ending was sudden as well (it really caught the crowd by surprise) but not because the powerbomb isn't Tenryu's finisher but rather because Inoki had been in control much of the match and Tenryu just took over and planted him for the victory. A solid way to end the show as the crowd loved it and it had that special something that New Japan has been lacking in recent years. Score: 7.5

Final Thoughts:

From top to bottom this was a great card by New Japan. It had a few stinkers as 11 match cards generally do, but seven of the matches were above average and a handfull ranged from solid to great. The Inoki match (which isn't available with the event as it was sold by New Japan... New Japan opted to sell Tenryu/Inoki on its own tape) was the only match that bordered on must-see due to the sheer emotion and intensity, but there was also a solid encounter by two New Japan super stars (Hashimoto/Chono), a good Jr. Heavyweight title match and a very entertaining tag team match. Fujiwara/Choshu wasn't my thing but many will enjoy it as well, and really there is no reason not to get this as while it wasn't perfect it was entertaining throughout. Chris over at IVPVideos has it for only six bucks, so go get it.

Highly Recommended

Back to New Japan Event Reviews

review completed on 6/21/07