Posted April 24, 200817 yr comment_5430845 New Japan Classics 88 Seiji Sakaguchi vs. Tatsumi Fujinami (MSG League '80) (5/27/80) - I liked the mat game from the Inoki match much better but this was good for what it was. I think it is great that we have a pro like Fujinami working out of holds because you have a feeling if he was applying the holds, these big guys would jut lay there. Things start to pick up after a Fujinami missile dropkick. In a nice reversal spot, Fujinami goes for a roll up off the ropes but Sakaguchi ducks and both guys tumble out of the ring. Like the Inoki match, this one ends abruptly. It played out a little better as Fujinami kicks Seiji off the apron when he was trying to get inside. Fujinami misses a plancha and when he makes his way onto the apron, Sakaguchi pays him back and knees him off but Fujinami’s leg gets tangled up in the ropes. He is unable to free himself and the ref awards the match to Sakaguchi. Again, this match felt like the middle was missing. I’ll have to see if this is par for the course for Fujinami matches or just for the MSG league. Bob Backlund vs. Dusty Rhodes (WWWF Title) (5/27/80) - Dusty focuses on the leg early on and we have a couple of cool sequences. In the first, Dusty has a leg lock applied so Bob tries to stretch Dusty back into a pinning combination. In another sequence, Dusty grabs Bob’s leg and starts hammering on it. Bob hops up on Dusty and gives him a monkey flip to escape the predicament. However, Dusty goes right back to the leg. Once again, Bob is grounded and has to find a way to escape. He eventually turns the tables and applies an Indian death lock on to Dusty and now Bob is working the legs. Like the Hogan match, Dusty applies a chinlock and Bob sells the move but the match momentum just dies. Thankfully, they pick it up with Bob hitting the big moves and Dusty trying to survive. When Bob hits the atomic drop, Dusty grabs the ropes and wraps himself around the bottom rope because he knows he is in trouble. Nice touch. The end is sort of a mess. First, we get a ref bump which served no purpose. They brawl outside where Bob gets busted open and Dusty puts him in the Tree of Woe when he gets back in. The ref tries to stop the attack and Dusty shoves him for the DQ. I enjoyed the match and thought it was a surefire nomination up until the ending. I’ll still nominate it but it dropped several notches even though the work was pretty great throughout.
