Posted February 22, 200916 yr comment_5437641 Sky-A NJ Classics matches #1 (Ginnetty 1988 season, disc 22) 1.Mr.Saito & Riki Choshu vs. Billy & Barry Gasper 3/11/88 - This had an above-average postmatch brawl, with Saito gushing blood and Choshu firing lariats. The match wasn't so interesting. 2.Hiro Hase vs. Nobuhiko Takada 3/11/88 - Lots of good stuff in this one. Takada came in to a big-star pop. Hase started with two Choshu-style wind-up lariats and controlled the early portion. Takada transitioned to offense with a wicked slap. They did a nice job of teasing that either man's big suplex (dragon for Takada, northern lights for Hase) would end it. Takada kept going for submissions in the middle of the match (and really, the only drawback here was the general shittiness of his submissions.) When he couldn't finish Hase, he tried to knock him the fuck out. That upped the intensity of the match, and the crowd went nuts as they traded big moves down the stretch. This went a whole movement beyond your average juniors title match. They paid off the suplex tease in the finishing sequence. This is an easy nomination and probably a top-30 match for me. 3.Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura vs. Antonio Inoki & Dick Murdoch 3/11 - Great performance by Murdoch in an otherwise ordinary match. He took big bumps, threw great punches, brawled likea real bastard on the outside ... even hit a flying headscissors. Everyone else was just along for the ride. We have enough virtuoso stuff from Murdoch that I'll leave this one on the sideline. But god, was he a pleasure to watch. 4.Masakatsu Funaki & Keiji Yamada vs. Kazuo Yamazaki & Nobuhiko Takada 3/14/88 - Fun showcase for Funaki and Yamada, who hit about eight minutes worth of flashy offense in a 12-minute match. Takada didn't do much. Yamazaki ate most of the punishment and rallied all by himself when it was time to put the kids to bed. This was not a great match, but it's one of those that suggests what might have been if Funaki had stayed with pro style and also a testament to Yamada's early excellence. I'll move it forward for those reasons.
