Mike Reviews Zero1 Vs All Japan (2002-03)

Happy Friday Everyone (Hope your day wasn’t too unlucky)

We’ve got some Japanese Pro Wrestling from 2002/03 today, as we take a look at the feud between Zero1 and All Japan. Zero1 was a company started by Shinya Hashimoto when he was exiled from New Japan after losing a big match to Naoya Ogawa. Zero1 was originally supposed to almost be kind of a satellite promotion to New Japan, with the idea being that the Zero1 guys could come in to do “inter-promotional” matches with the New Japan guys, but really everything would be under the New Japan umbrella. However, Zero1 ended up becoming quite successful in its early years and became a genuine company in its own right, leading to them doing stuff with All Japan and NOAH as well as having some New Japan folks involved at points.

All Japan’s business had been hit and miss since the death of Giant Baba at the end of the 1990’s. Mitsuharu Misawa had orchestrated a mass talent exodus as they all disagreed with how Baba’s widow was running the company, leading to Pro Wrestling NOAH being formed. At one stage there were rumours doing the rounds that Mrs. Baba might have to sell the promotion, but what ultimately happened was that Keiji Muto, Satoshi Kojima and Kendo Kashin all ended up jumping from New Japan in 2001. This gave the promotion a bit of a shot in the arm and business momentarily improved, but then the All Japan fans started disliking a lot of Muto’s booking decisions and business started to drop again.

In 2002/03, a feud between Zero1 and All Japan seemed like a good idea for both promotions. Zero1 was still a fledgling company, so getting to work with an established promotion like All Japan would help them gain some credibility. For All Japan, the thought of being able to have someone like a Hashimoto come in to work shows for them as part of the working relationship was very appealing, especially as Hashimoto was the more old school meat and potatoes kind of wrestler that traditional All Japan fans would potentially like. Thus the two companies got together and this commercial tape is a collection of some of the matches that took place.

Mitsuya Nagai and Hideki Hosaka Vs Shinjiro Otani and Masato Tanaka
23rd November 2002

Nagai is formerly of the RINGS and BattlArts promotions, meaning he likes to do Shoot Style. Hosaka was formerly an FMW wrestler, but when that company folded he jumped to All Japan. Otani is one of the best Junior Heavyweight wrestlers ever who jumped to Zero1 from New Japan. Tanaka wrestled mostly for FMW and ECW in the 1990’s, but now FMW has ended he’s found himself a member of the Zero1 roster, and he would become a top level guy for them over the years, even being part of an Invasion angle with New Japan when that company started turning things around.

This is taking place on an All Japan show at Korakuen Hall, and the fans are very much into the promotion Vs promotion aspect of things, with the bout having good heat and the wrestlers being happy to work snug in an effort to sell the idea that this will be a hate-filled fight. Otani and Tanaka start biting Nagai’s hands early on to show that they won’t be playing nice here, and the Zero1 team generally gets the better of things, which makes sense as both Otani and Tanaka would both be considered heavy hitters in Zero1.

The All Japan guys do get a chance for some offence, with Hosaka in particular getting to fire off some clotheslines before getting a nice rana off the top onto Otani for two. The match is quick paced, with little in the way of resting and the focus being on high impact offence and striking. Hosaka almost puts Otani away with a Powerbomb at one stage, but Tanaka breaks it up at two to some audible boos. Things breakdown following that, with Otani getting the Spiral Bomb onto Hosaka for the three count.

WINNERS: OTANI & TANAKA

Thoughts: We didn’t get to see all of the match as the run time was apparently 12 minutes and we got about 5 minutes of action there. What we got was fun and exciting though, with the All Japan Vs Zero1 aspect already getting over with the fans. Putting the Zero1 guys over was the right call as well, as you need to do that early on in order to get people into the storyline

In a funny moment, Otani slips off the ropes whilst trying to celebrate the win, so he makes a point of doing it in a different corner as well just to turn it into a bit. Nagai stupidly tries to attack the Zero1 guys by himself following the match, which predictably goes how you’d think until Yoji Anjoh runs in to make the save for his fellow Shoot Style wrestler. Anjoh ends up busting open Tanaka with some punches. This was a decent angle that gave Zero1 the win but also let All Japan get a pound of flesh as well in order to keep the rivalry competitive and set up some more matches. Otani cuts a promo on All Japan following that, which draws boos from the crowd and earns him a stern look from All Japan legend Masanobu Fuchi.

AJPW Junior Heavyweight Title
Champ: Kendo Kashin Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa
6th of December 2002

Kashin was a big star in New Japan in the 1990’s but he was put in some ill-advised shoot fights that ended up damaging his drawing power and he ended up jumping to All Japan. Takaiwa is a former New Japan guy who jumped to Zero1. He’s probably best known for doing the multiple Powerbombs into a Spicolli Driver move that we’ve all given to at least one CAW on WWF No Mercy over the years. This one is taking place at the Nippon Budokan, in front of supposedly just under 10,000 people if Cage Match is to be believed. That’s a somewhat respectable crowd but far away from what All Japan was doing in the venue during the glory days.

The action is really good in the early stages here, with some quick pin fall attempts in order to get the crowd excited. Takaiwa hangs on the mat with the submission expert, whilst Kashin is able to out strike the heavy hitter at one stage, showing that each wrestler is capable of leaning into the other combatant’s style should the need arise. The match is mostly even for the first part, but Kashin ends up getting into an argument with some guys at ringside, including Gran Naniwa, and that allows Takaiwa to take control and seemingly win it with a big suplex, although there is no ref to count so the match continues on with the ref eventually re-joining us once he’s sorted out the fracas at ringside.

The finishing stretch is well done, with Takaiwa powering out of a Kashin submission attempt and turning it into a Spicolli Driver for two at one stage. Takaiwa follows with the Triple Powerbomb’s following that, with Kashin again able to kick out but the crowd buying into the near fall. The closing section has some good crowd reactions in general actually, with the fans getting into the drama of the near falls and submission teases. Eventually Kashin manages to catch Takaiwa with a Victory Roll and that’s enough for the win.

WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: KENDO KASHIN
RATING: ***

Thoughts: They focused on giving Takawia some believable near falls that the crowd could buy into, and they succeeded on that front, which gave the closing sections some good crowd reactions. The work was solid and the drama was there as well, so it was an enjoyable outing in the end

Kashin talks junk on the mic following the match, leading to a mass brawl breaking out between the All Japan and Zero1 factions.

Satoshi Kojima and Taiyo Kea Vs Shinjiro Ohtani and Masato Tanaka
6th of December 2002

Kojima was annoyed at hitting the glass ceiling in New Japan, so he decided to jump to All Japan and try his luck there. Kea is a big Hawaiian lad who ended up staying loyal to All Japan when everyone else split to form NOAH. This is the final of the Real World Tag League, which is a big All Japan tournament that saw some big dramatic contests over the years, especially in the 1990’s when the likes of Akira Taue, Toshiaki Kawada, Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa were competing in it.

There’s about 4-5 minutes missing from this one, as the match time is supposedly 14 minutes and we get about 9-10 minutes allotted to it here. The Zero1 guys make a point of going after Kea’s legs in the early going, which leads to Kea having to tag out so that Kojima can have a go, giving us a fun exchange of strikes between Kojima and Tanaka, probably as both of them argued over who was better at carrying Mike Awesome to a watchable match.

Kea sells the leg consistently throughout the bout, struggling to stay upright whenever he’s in there and having to keep relying on Kojima to keep his team in the contest. The crowd is into this, especially when they sense that team All Japan is going to be in jeopardy now that Kea has a bad wheel. Kojima seemingly has no issue carrying the load for his team though, and he really is the star of this one based on what we get to see, with even the combined forces of both Otani and Tanaka struggling to get the better of Kojima at points.

Eventually the Zero1 team is able to get Kojima on the backfoot, with Tanaka getting the Diamond Dust for two in a good near fall that the crowd totally bites on. Kojima responds by turning Tanaka inside out with a pair of Lariat’s and that’s enough for All Japan to pick up the win. I might have honestly considered putting the Zero1 guys over there just because Kashin won earlier on the same show, but I can understand AJPW wanting to make Kojima look strong here because he was who they were hinging the hopes of the company on.

WINNERS: KOJIMA & KEA

Thoughts: What we got to see here was really good fun, with Kea’s selling being on point and Kojima looking like a star due to how he carried his team through it. Otani and Tanaka were excellent at playing the invading force looking to steal All Japan’s trophy, and the crowd bought into the story being told. It’s amazing how the inter-promotional thing almost always works when you do it right

Satoshi Kojima and Kendo Kashin Vs Shinya Hashimoto and Kazuhiko Ogasawara
13th January 2003

Ogasawara is a karate dude who debuted for Zero1 in 2002 and would also play the masked Zebraman in the HUSTLE promotion. We’re in Osaka for this one, and the match again has been trimmed, as it supposedly goes 15 minutes and we have under 10 minutes allocated for it here. Ogasawara is wrestling in a Gi and mostly throws strikes with Kashin, as I realise that both Kashin and Ogasawara had been part of that riot following the Junior Heavyweight Title match. The big selling point for this one is of course former New Japan guys Kojima and Hashimoto going at it, with neither showing any fear or trepidation in the face of the other. Kojima even slaps and spits at Hash at one stage, which earns Kojima some brutal slaps and kicks, with the ref even taking a stray one when he tries to break it up.

Kojima sells the butt kicking from Hashimoto really well, with even the seconds at ringside getting involved in a brawl at one stage, as the whole match threatens to completely fall apart without a finish. Amazingly the referee lets it all go, even with people not even involved in the match fighting with the wrestlers, and we eventually settle into the legal participants wrestling in the ring whilst everyone else scuffles on the floor for a bit. The All Japan crowd is really into Kojima and wants him to fight back, but Hashimoto has gone into that state that Trevor has on GTA V when you press down the two analogue sticks, and he can’t be easily quelled. Kashin even comes in to try and stop Hash at one stage, and gets easily swatted aside.

Eventually Kojima gets a bit of a respite when Ogasawara is tagged in, as Ogasawara’s weedy strikes can be easily shrugged off and that leads to the All Japan guys choking out Ogasawara with his own Gi. Well, if you will be dumb enough to wear one of those things in a wrestling match then you’ll get what you deserve. Ogasawara is worked over by the All Japan guys and it looks like it’s setting up him getting pinned because he’s the least important guy in the match. However, some miscommunication between Kojima and Kashin leads to them arguing a bit before focusing on Hashimoto again when he gets tagged in.

Kojima and Kashin double up on Hashimoto, but he’s basically the living embodiment of a Dark Souls boss now so it’s incredibly difficult to keep him down and he just starts kicking the crap out of both of them. Note to aspiring bookers or promoters, this is how you make an invading wrestler look like a genuine threat that the fans need to take seriously. Kashin eventually manages to catch Hashimoto in a choke hold, but Ogasawara does the one useful thing he’s done all match by breaking up the hold, which allows Hashimoto to go back into Kill Mode and finish off Kashin with a leaping DDT for three.

WINNERS: HASHIMOTO & OGASAWARA

Thoughts: I totally thought that Ogasawara was going to get pinned in the end there, with the monster booking for Hashimoto being a way to appease him in taking a loss whilst keeping him strong for the top All Japan guys. But instead they just had Hashimoto be a one man army who could take out two of All Japan’s top guys all by himself, because Hashimoto being a scary man that kills people is a good way to sell tickets the next time he shows up on an All Japan event. This at times felt more like an angle than an actual match, but it was a darned effective one and the crowd were losing their minds when Hashimoto started fighting like he had cheat codes applied. Ogasawara was pretty useless, but he was mostly there to be a tackle dummy until it was time for the guy on his team who was actually worth anything to get in there

Hashimoto grabs the mic and seemingly lays down a challenge to Keiji Muto.

AJPW Triple Crown Championship
Champ: The Great Muta Vs The Gladiator
13th January 2003

Muta is of course the evil alternative persona of Keiji Muto, whilst Gladiator might be better known to you all as Mike Awesome. We’re still in Osaka here, with Hashimoto looming in the background. All we get is the finish here, as Muto gets the rib breaker and follows up with the Moonsault in order to win.

WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: GREAT MUTA

Muta spits mist in Hashimoto’s face following the match, which of course sets up Hashimoto as the next challenger but also leads to another brawl between the All Japan and Zero1 factions whilst Hashimoto sells the blinding from the mist until he’s able to wash out his eyes with some water. Hashimoto then gets mad and attacks a couple of All Japan underlings before grabbing a mic and cutting a fired up promo that probably sounds something like “I’m going to kill Muto”. This was a great bit of business, with Hashimoto actually getting cheers at the end because the fans thought that Muta spitting mist and hightailing it was a pretty crummy thing to do. Kojima eventually joins us and does some duelling mics with Hashimoto, which the crowd seems to appreciate.

Shigeo Okumura and Hideki Hosaka Vs Kohei Sato and Hirotaka Yokoi
9th February 2003

Okumura got his start in Tokyo Pro Wrestling in the 1990’s but joined All Japan in 2000 and stayed there for nearly four years before heading off to Mexico and becoming a star over there. Sato is the great white hope of Zero1, as he was trained by Shinya Hashimoto with the aim of him becoming his heir down the line. Yokoi is a martial artist who spent five years with Zero1 between 2002 and 2007 until he stepped away from Pro Wrestling until 2022. We’re in Shizuoka for this one, and this match supposedly went for around 10 minutes but we’ve got about half of that for the run time here, so some clipping has clearly taken place. What we get is entertaining action, although you can tell that some of the folks in it are still learning their craft due to some tentativeness. The crowd gets into it due to the Promotion Vs Promotion aspect, and the Zero1 youngsters get to win when Sato chokes out Hosaka.

WINNERS: SATO & YOKOI

Thoughts: This was a good example of how even lower card matches can mean more when you have an inter-promotional storyline that the fans care about

We of course get more of a scuffle following the contest, because that’s how this feud has been for the most part.

Arashi, Kendo Kashin, Nobutaka Araya and Satoshi Kojima Vs Kazuhiko Ogasawara, Masato Tanaka, Ryouji Sai and Shinjiro Otani
23rd February 2003

Arashi is a former sumo who wrestled a bit for All Japan in the 1980’s until taking a break from the business and returning for WAR in the 1990’s. He was known as an ally and buddy of Keiji Muto, which led to him getting a decent push in All Japan when Muto had the pencil. Araya ended up becoming a student of Genichiro Tenryu when he joined WAR in the 1990’s and moved to All Japan when WAR closed down. Sai is a graduate of the Zero1 dojo and worked for them for nearly 14 years following his debut in 2001. We’ve got some more editing here, as this one was apparently 20 minutes but we’ve got something like 15 minutes allotted for it here. We’re back at Budokan Hall for this one.

Zero1 actually manage to clear the ring to start, and they draw some decent Heel heat for doing so. They’ve supposedly managed to get nearly 16,000 in the building for this one, which is a big improvement on the previous Budokan event and shows how effective this feud was at getting people invested again. It sounds like it’s mostly an All Japan crowd in there as well, as the Zero1 guys aren’t getting much in the way of cheers, so their fans probably stayed home. Zero1 even shove down the ref at one stage, as they are making their best attempts at getting the crowd as angry as possible. Otani has a big grin on his face and clearly seems to be enjoying heeling it up.

Arashi is quite over with the All Japan fans, with him possibly being the second most popular wrestler on his team. Otani is happy to bump around like a pinball for the former sumo, and the crowd gets a kick out of seeing that. Araya aside, most of the All Japan crew get good reactions here, as the fans have totally bought into the inter-promotional aspect and are enjoying it whenever the home team is able to put a beating of some kind onto the Zero1 invaders. The action is generally good as well, especially when Otani and Tanaka are in there fighting the main All Japan guys.

Sai looks fine in the footage we get to see, and he doesn’t look too out of place in this setting. In a neat spot, Kojima is able to block a Sai suplex at one stage, but before he can turn it into a suplex of his own, Tanaka attacks him from behind and that leads to Sai being able to deliver the move, thus causing embarrassment to Kojima that he had to take a move from a lower ranking guy like Sai. Ogasawara’s strikes continue to look like mince, but thankfully he’s not included much in this cut of the match.

Kojima eventually decides he’s done with selling and delivers a Koji Cutter to Tanaka before tagging in Arashi, who runs wild with dropkicks, which is pretty impressive for a chunky former sumo. Araya finally gets a bit of a showcase by coming in to Lariat Otani before getting a Brain Buster for two, with the crowd biting on the near fall and giving Araya a good reaction for being game and taking it to the invaders. Things of course breakdown in the closing stages, and it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that one of the younger and/or less important wrestlers is the one to take the fall, which narrows it down to Araya on the All Japan side and Sai/Ogasawara on the Zero1 side. Sai does get a bit of a flurry on Kojima at the end, but Kojima eventually decides that he’s had enough of this and Lariat’s Sai for the win.

WINNERS: TEAM KOJIMA

Thoughts: This was a lot of fun, with the crowd being really into the action and most of the wrestling being decent outside of a few exceptions *cough* Ogasawara *cough*

AJPW Triple Crown Championship
Champ: The Great Muta Vs Shinya Hashimoto
23rd February 2003

This is arguably the two biggest stars of All Japan and Zero1 respectively going at it (although you could argue that Toshiaki Kawada would mean more to traditional All Japan fans than Muto). These two were both part of New Japan’s “Three Musketeers” with Masahiro Chono, who were all young stars that debuted in the 1980’s and went on to became the leaders of the promotion in the 1990’s. We’re pretty much getting the full match here, or at the very least it’s close enough that I’ll probably feel happy to go with a star rating at least. I generally don’t like giving a rating unless I can see the whole match or at the very least close to it.

Even though it’s Muta in the match, there are moments where Muto comes to the surface, such as an early exchange where the Champ gets a dropkick and quickly goes for the Power Elbow, causing Hashimoto to quickly dodge for the old Central American Standoff. Muta then comes back into the room though, as he heads outside to stall, and also scare some young kids in the front row, as you do. Muta tries luring Hashimoto out to the floor for a fight, but Hashimoto decides to just stay in the ring and let Muta come to him, which eventually works. I like how, despite being a very angry violent man who is liable to lose his temper very easily, Hash actually showed some remarkable restraint for a bit there.

Eventually though Muta is able to get the fight to the outside, where he sends Hash into the metal railings and then takes out one of the seconds with a Shining Wizard. Muta adds a chair shot out there, and Hashimoto is soon bleeding. Muta works the cut outside of the ring with a spike of some kind and now Hashimoto is actually getting some chants from the crowd even though he’s representing the invading promotion. Muta applies the Step-over Toe-hold Face-lock inside the ring, which gets an “ooh” from the crowd because it’s a move associated with Masahiro Chono, the other musketeer. Hashimoto manages to drag himself to the ropes to break the hold, but his head is spurting blood like a faucet and he’s clearly in a lot of trouble.

Hashimoto’s selling is really good here actually, as he gives the impression that the blood loss is making it hard for him to even remain conscious, and even when he does start making a bit of a comeback with some kicks, his movement is laboured and he can barely stay on his feet. Muta brings a chair into the ring following that, but Hash fends that off, so Muta just spits some green mist instead, which sends Hash to the mat and probably causes the cuts on his face and head to sting. Muta then of course uses the chair as a boost for a Shining Wizard, as this has suddenly become a Sabu match.

Hashimoto manages to survive the Shining Wizard, which gets a big pop as the fans are totally engrossed with this and don’t know which way it’s going. Muta defies the doctor’s by heading up for the Moonsault, but Hash manages to dodge it and then delivers some more trademark stiff kicks before Muta is able to counter a Brain Buster attempt into a DDT. Muta manages to get the Moonsault following that, but Hash kicks out and now the building is rocking like the classic All Japan Main Events of old. Muta delivers another Shining Wizard, but Hashimoto is so hard headed that Muta comes up selling his knee, which gives Hashimoto an opening to deliver Perry Saturn’s A+B move before locking Muta in a Triangle.

Muta manages to make the ropes following that and spits yet MORE mist, but Hashimoto has had enough of the hi-jinx and delivers his own Shining Wizard as the place explodes. One more big kick sets up the Brain Buster and that’s enough for the three count in order to give Zero1 control of All Japan’s top belt after a violent battle.

WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: SHINYA HASHIMOTO
RATING: ****

Thoughts: Great Muta matches often involve a lot of stalling and character work interspersed with the odd exciting quick paced exchange and violent weapon attack. That won’t be for everyone, but Keiji Muto had managed to get that match structure down to an almost perfect science by the time 2003 came along, and this match hit all the beats a Muta match is normally expected to hit. What took it to the next level is that during the closing sections it became more of a classic Main Event, with some excellent near falls and great drama. The crowd absolutely loved it and were losing it with some of the big near falls, which is usually a good barometer that the two wrestlers put together a great match

After the match we have some challenges for Hashimoto from the All Japan roster, and he seems more than happy to fight all of them.

Arashi Vs Koehi Sato
22nd March 2003

Arashi was getting built up to challenge Hashimoto here, so he gets a chance to beat up a Zero1 guy in order to get himself in contention and try to win the belts back for his promotion. We’re back at Korakuen Hall for this one and I think we’ve got the full match because it doesn’t have an especially long run time. Arashi pretty much absorbs all of Sato’s offence and shrugs it off before delivering some of his own, with the All Japan crowd digging seeing the young Zero1 guy getting beaten up by the established All Japan star. Sato actually manages to muscle Arashi up for a back suplex at one stage, but that seems to annoy Arashi more than anything else and he gets the gravity defying dropkick before going on to eventually finish Sato with a big Splash from the top rope.

WINNER: ARASHI
RATING: **

Thoughts: Typical semi-competitive lower card match that was there to give Arashi a clean win so that he could keep himself in contention. Sato losing here doesn’t really hurt the feud as he’s a Young Lion who is lower on the card and Arashi is a top guy who is in Triple Crown contention, so anything other than a clean Arashi win would have been counterproductive and Sato managed to get a little bit of offence before getting pinned

Kaz Hayashi and Jimmy Yang Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Low Ki
28th March 2003

Kaz and Yang were a tag team in WCW in 2000/01, with Kaz moving back to Japan after a stint in WWE developmental to become a star in All Japan. Low Ki had already established himself to hardcore fans through his time in ROH, and he’d go on to work for quite a few promotions in Japan over the years due to his style making him a natural fit over there. This one had a run time of about 17 minutes but we’ve got 10ish minutes of action to view here, so clearly something was cut somewhere. We’re in Hokkaido for this one, with supposedly 4500 in the arena. I’m not sure if that’s good, bad or average, but the house lights have been turned down quite heavily so that’s not always the best sign.

You can tell that live rounds are getting thrown in this one, especially from the Zero1 contingent, as Yang is soon bleeding from the mouth after being in there for a bit. The Zero1 guys largely get the better of things in the cut that we get to see here, as they are more striking and submission based whilst the All Japan guys are focusing more on speed and high flying, which mostly leads to them getting grabbed and clobbered. Hayashi’s strikes actually look a little low impact actually, but his high flying moves are on point and he does some decent mat based stuff when given the chance. I remembered Hayashi being a bit more hard hitting, but that might have just been by WCW standards and when you see him in Japan the difference is clearer?

Takaiwa and Hayashi do quite a bit together at one stage, with the momentum ebbing and flowing. Hayashi is mostly looking for quick pin falls whilst Takaiwa is looking to drive him through the mat with a vicious slam of some kind. Ki and Yang do an extended bit together as well, and that’s very good as Low Ki can keep up with Yang’s wacky high flying and Yang has enough fun submission’s and strikes that he can hold his own with Ki in more of a fight. Things eventually breakdown, with everyone getting in to take a Lariat. Takaiwa gets the Powerbomb’s into the Spicolli Driver on Yang and that’s enough for three.

WINNERS: TAKAIWA & KI

Thoughts: What we got to see here was exciting high tempo stuff, with the Zero1 guys getting the best of things for the most part but the All Japan guys getting enough in there that they didn’t disgrace themselves

AJPW Triple Crown Championship
Champ: Shinya Hashimoto Vs Arashi
12th April 2003

We’re back in Budokan for this one, with supposedly 16,000 people in there according to Cage Match, so Arashi is clearly a draw (and, you know, Kawada was on this card as well, but we’ll ignore that so we can give the big lug some rarely received kudos). I think we’re pretty much getting all of this match, although possibly a small bit of it might have been trimmed. This is a battle between two hefty lads who like to throw down but can sometimes be lighter on their feet than their frames might suggest, so hopefully they mesh well and don’t just cancel one another out.

They of course do the big “who will take a bump from a shoulder tackle” spot early on, and in a refreshing change they BOTH take a bump after colliding a few times, which shows how evenly matched they are, which can only help with the perception of Arashi seeing as Hashimoto is the bigger star and showing that Arashi is a match for the Champ help raises the challenger’s standings. Arashi gets some joy by going after Hashimoto’s shoulder, and I believe Hashimoto was carrying a shoulder issue that caused his upper body to be taped up like he was a mummy as the year progressed.

Arashi tries working over the shoulder with submission holds, but Hashimoto just gets angered by that and starts throwing some stiff kicks, which Arashi absorbs as best he can but it clearly weakens him. Arashi does manage to swat aside a Hashimoto spinning wheel kick though, and then busts out the Eddie Honda 1000 hand slap to a good pop. Arashi gets a lovely looking snap Powerbomb following that and heads up with the same splash he used to take out Sato in the earlier match, but Hashimoto kicks out and the building is rocking.

Arashi survives a Triangle Choke but then literally runs into a DDT, in that he had his head down whilst running looking for some sort of tackle and Hashimoto just turned it into a DDT. Hashmito gets the Triangle again following that and the referee decides that Arashi isn’t going to get out of it so he stops the match and Hashimoto retains.

WINNER: HASHIMOTO
RATING: ***

Thoughts: This was the old fashioned heavyweight slugfest, so it wasn’t fought an especially quick pace but every big move felt like it meant something and the crowd was invested in seeing the All Japan guy try to win the belt, so it had a good atmosphere throughout. Hashimoto felt like he was on a higher level than Arashi, but he did his best to make Arashi look like a genuine contender and it worked for the most part. It felt a lot like a Kenta Kobashi GHC Title defence against a weaker challenger who probably was never going to win but Kobashi had to make the crowd bite on some near falls, and Hash managed that here.

Hashimoto throws out the challenge to Kawada following the match, but Satoshi Kojima joins us and wants the shot instead, whilst Kawada stares Hashimoto down from the aisle way. And that’s how you set up the next series of big events folks.

In Conclusion

It was disappointing that so many of the matches weren’t shown in full, but aside from that this was a fun 2 hours of wrestling, featuring a good storyline that the All Japan crowds totally bought into. Muta Vs Hashimoto is definitely worth tracking down, and if you like Arashi then he gets a nice showcase on this as well, as do the likes of Otani and Kojima.

If you want more Japanese Wrestling here on the Blog then I suggest checking out the archives of Phred, Rick, Maffew, Alex and J, as they all either review it exclusively or dip in enough that it’s worth seeking out their work