Posted June 18, 200916 yr comment_5440877 Episode #373 Aired 5/13/98 12/7/89 Salman Hashimikov & Victor Zangiev vs. Steve Williams & Brad Rheingans - This was fun. Rheingans and Zangiev started with some amateur grappling, and the match was full of neat throws and shootish German suplexes. I've come to enjoy Hashimikov as this squat, doughy guy who liked to get in the face of supposed badasses like Doc. Despite the amusing parts, it didn't really congeal into a setworthy match. The guys I like will be represented in other stuff. 12/7/89 Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto - I like the idea of closing the set with a big-time slugfest between one of the most important guys of the '80s and the guy who would rule the '90s. This basically had all the pieces you'd want in a match between these two. Hash kicked the hell out of Choshu and showed tremendous fire in refusing to go down from his lariats. Choshu hit all of his big stuff but then showed he could dig deeper when that wasn't enough to put away the upstart. Their '90s matches built on this and upped the intensity even more, but this was an excellent match-up of Young Lion vs. The Man. Definite nomination.
