[1983-05-20-NJPW] Antonio Inoki vs Hulk Hogan

Another very interesting match. The heat for it is off the charts-the chants for Hogan and especially Inoki are just insanely loud before the match even starts. Andre is in the first row so you know what kind of BS finish we're getting here. The matwork consists of the most you can get out of Hogan-basic leg holds, headlocks etc. but it looks fine enough. What impressed me most here were the little things Inoki did-he'd go for a Figure 4 attempt, and Hogan would kind of stand up and shift his weight, but it's Inoki's facial expression and the way he put Hogan's feet back on the floor that *sell* the idea he was putting up any kind of defence. Inoki kicking Hogan when he grabs his leg may not sound like some amazing spot but in an environment when it's the last thing you're expecting it it really is. I also liked the way Inoki feinted before kicking Hogan's leg, he manages to fool the viewer very convincingly. They work two big count-out spots after hitting big moves-first one after an Axe Bomber, then another one after Inoki evades another Axe Bomber by sliding under (which someone needs to steal it's way cooler than the limbo Nagata used to evade Okada's Lariat) and hitting an Enzuigiri. Respect is shown and then forgotten about when it's tome to get in some solid brawling, finish is a mess as Andre interferes for no reason, then Inoki and Hogan team up to lay him out, then Andre gets up and scares them out of the ring. I swear the only difference between pre-UWF booking and today's is that the old ways served as a way to get everyone to not lose while today's serves as a way to get everyone wins. ***