Here are the NJ matches on the Bowdren list, I don't think we necessarily should put them all on, but it is good to have in one place

 

Nobuhiko Takada vs Shiro Koshinaka (2/5/87, Tokyo, Japan) This was the best match of the many matches between these two. The thing I remember best is that Koshinaka kept working on Takada s broken fingers.

 

Akira Maeda & Nobuhiko Takada vs Keiji Mutoh & Shiro Koshinaka (3/20/87, Tokyo, Japan) One reason this match was so great, besides the super work in the ring, was the finish. Koshinaka & Mutoh scored the big upset and won the IWGP World Tag Titles.

 

Akira Maeda & Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki & Yoshiaki Fujiwara (5/25/87 in Sendai and 9/1/87 in Fukuoka) These four guys just beat the hell out of each other in these two matches The 1st match was a successful title defense for Maeda & Takada. The 2nd match was the upset title change with Yamazaki pinning Takada out of nowhere after Takada had seemingly kicked his brains out. I liked the 2nd match a bit better, maybe because of the finish but both matches were classics.

 

The Cobra vs Kuniaki Kobayashi (8/2/84, Tokyo, Japan) This match had me constantly jumping out of my chair and looking for the rewind button. Kobayashi gave Cobra a back suplex off the top rope and the Cobra returned the favor by suplexing Kobayashi from the ring apron backwards into the audience.

 

Tatsumi Fujinami vs Riki Choshu (4/3/83, Tokyo, Japan) This is where Choshu won the International Title and was the best of many famous matches these two rivals had before big crowds in the two different time periods they feuded.

 

Nobuhiko Takada vs Hiroshi Hase (2/4/88, Osaka, Japan) I was at a tape get together at the end of 1988 to choose a match of the year. Most of the people there chose this match.

 

Keiichi Yamada vs Hiroshi Hase (2/5/88, Tokyo, Japan) Do you realize Hase had 2 five star matches on successive days, in different cities, with different opponents?

 

Owen Hart vs Keichi Yamada (6/10/88, Hiroshima, Japan) This was during Hart s brief tour as IWGP Jr. Champ. Hart was defending the title in Yamada s hometown, which added to the heat. Hart tried to wrestle a Flair like style of making his opponent look good, combined with his normal acrobatic style.

 

Owen Hart vs Shiro Koshinaka (6/24/88, Osaka, Japan) This match took place two weeks after the Hart-Yamada match and was every bit as good. The fans sound like they re going to bring down the house down at the end of the match. Hart was originally supposed to keep the title here except he told Masa Saito that he was going to the WWF and the plan had to be changed.

 

Antonio Inoki vs Tatsumi Fujinami (8/8/88, Yokohama, Japan) This was the long awaited match-up between the teacher and the student. To the surprise of almost everyone, Inoki, who was not in the best shape at the time, went a great 60 minutes with Fujinami. This was the match that secured the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for Fujinami in my book in 1988. It was the best match of his career and carrying Inoki for 60 minutes to a classic match was his crowning achievement.

 

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Don Nakaya Nielsen (7/31/88, Tokyo, Japan) This was my personal choice for Match of the Year in 1988. There was a genuine aura of real violence when watching this match. The funny thing is that Fujiwara s UWF buddies were watching the match in the dressing room and laughing. They found the whole idea of Fujiwara getting pounded on by Nielsen as funny. They thought Fujiwara could have taken him apart at will had it been a shoot.

 

Nobuhiko Takada vs Yoshiaki Yatsu (4/19/84, Tokyo, Japan) This was the match that introduced Takada as a budding superstar to the wrestling world. It contained more hot moves in the last eight minutes than during most 60-minute matches.

 

Nobuhiko Takada & Shiro Koshinaka vs Tatsumi Fujinami & Keiji Mutoh (11/24/86, Sapporo, Japan) What made this match so great is that it was never suppose to happen. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka were suppose to team together in the New Japan Tournament, but Brody and N.J. had a falling out before the tour ever started. Takada & Koshinaka, neither of whom was originally scheduled to even be on this tour and were bitter rivals, were thrown together at the last minute and wound up being far and away the best team in the entire tournament. These two never teamed again after the tournament. Fujinami & Mutoh were the second best team in the tournament.

 

Dynamite Kid vs The Cobra (7/5/84, Tokyo, Japan) A friend of mine who s a wrestler, and has had a chance to see every big match from all over said that this was one of the greatest matches of all time, so I m not about to argue.

 

Riki Choshu, Animal Hamaguchi & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Akira Maeda, Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura (12/8/83, Tokyo, Japan) This was, arguably, the best six-man tag team match of the decade. All six guys were at their peak and this was the best match of the famous Ishingun vs Seikigun feud.

 

Jushin Liger vs Naoki Sano (7/13/89, Tokyo, Japan) This is the match which started the feud and got both men over big in Japan. Some may disagree, but I liked this match better than any of the other matches they ve had thus far.

 

Jushin Liger vs Naoki Sano (9/20/89, Osaka, Japan) These two are probably destined to give us the match of the year in 1990. Best move of the match Liger doing a back flip off the top rope and splashing onto Sano, who was on the floor.

 

Akira Maeda vs Don Nakaya Neilsen (10/9/86, Tokyo, Japan) This match will always be remembered as the greatest mixed match ever. Neilsen sure was the best non-wrestler ever to be in mixed matches. Maeda was supposed to get destroyed while Inoki triumphed over Leon Spinks in the Main Event on this card. Assuming that Leon Spinks had a brain was one of the biggest mistakes Inoki ever made.

 

Antonio Inoki vs Masa Saito (4/27/87, Tokyo, Japan) This was the best of their series of matches with super heat and it showed just how good Saito could be in carrying Inoki. But the best part of the match was afterwards as Fujinami helped carry Saito away from the ring and Riki Choshu slapped him, rekindling their famous feud.

 

# 20 - Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami & The Cobra vs The British Bulldogs & David Shultz (7/1/84, Tokyo Japan) At this point in time, not only were Kid & Smith the best tag team in the world, but arguably, the best tag team ever up to that point in time. The highspots with them and Cobra & Fujinami truly are the highlight film of professional wrestling. Shultz and Inoki were almost never involved, except as spectators. Incredible pacing, and it was topped off be a great post-match brawl.

 

#11 Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask (Sayama) (8/5/82, Tokyo, Japan) Two of the greatest wrestlers of all time met when both were at their peaks here in a 25 minute match of one incredible move after another.

 

 

#10 Choshu, Fujinami, Maeda, Kimura & Super Strong Machine vs Inoki, Sakaguchi, Mutoh, Hoshino & Fujiwara (8/19/87, Tokyo, Japan) The 1987 New Japan released Summer Night Fever is the best commercial wrestling video ever produced and this match is the main reason. It was a 10-man elimination match, which went nearly 30 minutes of nothing but hot moves and brutal action. Every wrestler was at the top of their game here.

 

#9 Tatsumi Fujinami vs Akira Maeda (6/12/86, Osaka, Japan) One of the most brutal professional-style matches ever. Maeda just kicks Fujinami to death and looks incredible. But Fujinami s selling is so realistic that when he makes the comeback, even the most jaded non-believer would be jumping up and down with excitement. As good as this match was, it probably would have been better had not something unforeseen happened, which ironically is what the match is most famous for. They were suppose to do a 30-minute draw, and were building for the last 10 minutes to be incredible, but at the 21 minute mark, Maeda hit Fujinami with a spinning flying backward kick. The heel of Maeda s boot accidentally caught Fujinami s face, which literally exploded into a crimson mask, the ultimate in doing things the hard way. Fujinami suffered a legit concussion from the kick and was out of action for some time afterward. The two quickly went to a double knockout finish to the credit of the quick thinking wrestlers and referee. This was a landslide winner for Japan s match of the year, that year.

 

#2 Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask (Sayama) (4/23/83, Tokyo, Japan) Besides all the expected great moves, this match had Dynamite Kid breaking a water bottle on the ring post and bringing it into the ring. The spectacular finish of the best of three falls match (which ended in two straight falls of double count outs) saw Tiger give Kid a tombstone pile driver on the floor, Tiger turns to the crowd to signify victory turns around and Kid gives him a tombstone pile driver on the floor before both men simply collapse on the floor and don t get up.

It's actually not a horrible list. I was puzzled by his love for that 7/1/84 six-man. The Owen Hart stuff didn't hold up well. And we've covered the Dynamite/Sayama series. But about 2/3 of this stuff will probably go on, most of it on straight merit.