Posted July 13, 200916 yr comment_5441920 Hulk Hogan vs. Antonio Inoki (IWGP League '83 - Final) - This is about as big a main event feel as I have ever seen in New Japan. They both work the mat and while I don’t know if I would call it good matwork, it was always moving. I almost give Hogan bonus points for the amount of effort he put into the match. Neither guy really controlled the first ten minutes except for the half enziguiri that forced Hogan to go outside for a breather. Shit, this crowd is jacked. Inoki transitions a Hogan headlock into an ab stretch and the huge Ooooohhhhhhhh comes out. Oh man, I was feeling the good vibes until the phantom leap outside off the missed dropkick. However, the Inoki fall over the top with Hogan on his shoulders made up for it. The famous ending with Inoki getting knocked out was appropriate and I want to see this move forward. Then again, it is such a famous match, it may have to go on for that reason alone. NJC 143
July 14, 200916 yr comment_5441925 I watched this almost a year ago. I don't remember much about it other than the big-time atmosphere and the finish. Despite my reaction at the time, I wouldn't fight to keep it off. Anyway ... This was the league final, so they were going for something more epic than their earlier match that I nominated. But this struck me as the lesser match. They worked the first 15 minutes mostly on the mat and didn't do enough to distinguish their respective strengths. It wasn't really clear how one one man was trying to beat the other. The ending was cool, with Hogan lariating Inoki off the apron and Inoki selling it as a legit knockout. But the body of the match wasn't interesting enough.
July 14, 200916 yr Author comment_5441928 Yeah, I enjoyed this but I pushed it through mainly for the atmosphere and historical significance, not because I thought it was a great match (although I thought it had some pretty great moments. It isn't something I would fight for but something I think should be discussed.
August 30, 200916 yr comment_5443561 I think it was a pretty great match, I liked all the matwork and the big moves were very big, plus you have the super historic finish. One of the hottest crowds on this set too. It should go on.
August 30, 200916 yr Author comment_5443564 Childs should give this one another chance before I throw it into doubt.
September 3, 200916 yr comment_5443799 I'm fine with this being our representation of Hogan/Inoki. Great finish, great atmosphere, and I liked it better than their '84 match.
September 12, 200916 yr Author comment_5444050 Moving this based on Childs blessing and the historic nature of the match.
