Posted August 22, 200817 yr comment_5434160 New Japan Pro Wrestling TV (May 20th & 27th 1983), All matches also on NJ Classics 1. Akira Maeda vs Killer Khan (17/5) - This was a star building match for Maeda as Khan hit him with his whole repertoire, and Maeda kept coming. I liked that Khan came out throwing bombs. And Maeda was a fun babyface because he wasn't a spunky underdog but a feisty prick. Early in the match, Khan set him on the top turnbuckle and Maeda just smacked him right in the mouth. Later, Maeda choked him with his boot in the corner, stretching the five count to its limit. And his kick sequences always popped the crowd. This ended with them brawling outside in one of your less frustrating NJ double countouts. I'm going to push this ahead, even though it might not make a set in the end. It's a nice demonstration of Maeda as a budding star and of Khan as a gatekeeping bruiser. 2. Andre the Giant vs Big John Studd (20/5) - Basically a squash for Andre and not a fun one. 3. Antonio Inoki vs Hulk Hogan (20/5) - Andre stayed at ringside from the previous match, so you knew he would get involved in the finish. But they did a nice job of keeping him as a looming presence most of the way. This was smartly worked in general. Inoki sold the power of Hogan's lariat by taking a big bump when he hit it early. He then ducked and countered off subsequent attempts. Hogan, in turn, sold the potency of Inoki's enziguiri by rolling out of the ring as soon as he took it. Inoki did well when he moved and used his quickness. Hogan's power took over when they slowed down. Andre finally did get involved by pulling both guys over the rail for the double countout. Maybe I'm overreacting because it exceeded my expectations, but I think this is a match people would enjoy seeing on the set. I think Phil mentioned this earlier, but Hogan in NJ was pretty damn fun to watch. Nomination. 4. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant - This, on the other hand, was very slow with a lot of lying around on the mat. They finally got into a good brawl at the end but this was a long, tedious affair. Maybe it could be an extra for people who want to see these two in a non-WWF context. 5. Antonio Inoki vs Akira Maeda - Inoki gave Maeda a lot of offense but eventually, he just said enough and hit the enziguiri for the win. I would like to have seen more back and forth. But I guess the structure made sense in the context of NJ booking. No nomination.
