Masashi Aoyagi & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Masanobu Kurisu & Kim Duk (NJPW 12/16/1991)

Pretty much the definition of a fun houseshow match. Everyone gets to do their thing and look good, and they spice things up by doing things such as teasing spots and baiting and switching. All basic, but spicy enough to be a really enjoyable watch. Kurisu & Duk do some fun cheating, Kurisus only real game being throwing his opponent outside and going to town with a chair becomes a plot point as usual, Aoyagi hits all his cool offense and Koshinaka gets to look tough trading headbutts with Kurisu.

Any chance to see Kurisu and Aoyagi lay into each other is one worth taking. This was more of a whimsical house show version of a Kurisu match, where moments built around him throwing an opponent to the floor carry a little humour rather than a lot of dread, but they played their hits and in the end we go home happy. Early on Kurisu throws Koshinaka out the ring, but Koshinaka immediately jumps back in as Kurisu follows him out because he and everyone else in attendance knows what the wee fella's plan is. Kurisu wants to smash someone with a chair and the longer that can be avoided the better it'll be for Koshinaka. Of course the payoff to that later is as nasty as you expect and Kurisu jabbing the chair into someone's cheekbone will always look brutal. Some headbutts were thrown, hip bones were jammed into faces, Aoyagi belted people with kicks, a good time was had.