Posted February 2, 200916 yr comment_5437001 DVD#6 ---------------------------------------------------- April 22nd: The Okinawa inner part military affairs mountain gymnasium Yamada, Koshinaka vs Hase, Kobayashi - Action-packed match with a good performance by Yamada, who sold better than anyone in the thing and also produced the best looking high spots. I think it's one of those that falls just on the wrong side of all the good junior stuff. Choshu vs Fernandez - Pretty disappointing. Manny worked on Choshu's arm for about five minutes, took a lariat and was pinned. Fujinami, Inoki vs Vader, Saito - This started with some nice chopping-down-the-monster double teams from Inoki and Fujinami. Ultimately, Vader got himself disqualified for manhandling the ref and refusing to stop his assault on Inoki in the corner. They shot an angle after the match that seemed to suggest some tension between Fujinami and Inoki, though the language barrier made it hard to grasp the tone. This could be another nice fit for an extras package on Vader. There wasn't enough to the match for it to stand on its own. April 27th: The Osaka prefectural physical education hall New Japan Vs. Choshu Army 5 on 5 / Nogami, Goto, Yamada, Hoshino, Koshinaka Vs Sasaki, Honaga, Saito, Kobayashi, Hase - It's a basic law of nature that 5x5 elimination matches in New Japan are pretty damn good. This was no exception, but some key parts were lost to a commercial break (Honaga's elimination and Hase getting busted open.) If a more complete version exists, I'd say it would be a probable nomination. In this form, it falls short. Tatsumi Fujinami vs Vader - Fujinami always worked monsters well, and this was one of the best examples. He spent most of the match bumping around and making Vader's offense look great, but every few minutes, he delivered a flurry of hit-and-run offense that kept him credible. Vader did a good job as well, selling the damage from Fujinami's leg kicks and tossing in a few theatrical bumps. Very good ending that played off Fujinami's ability to outmaneuver the unbeatable monster. This is a slam-dunk nomination.
