Perfectly fine five-six minutes. Tenryu v Takagi is always a fun match-up because Takagi will throw his weight around and step to his senior, but of course it's never enough and he usually ends up getting mauled. This didn't end up with Tenryu getting quite as pissed as usual, but your end result was much the same. Hawk is fun in this setting as well even though he doesn't really do much. He mostly comes in, hits a few things and tags back out again, but the things he does hit are visually impressive as he'll get big air on a shoulder tackle and really launch himself into a top rope splash. Also he will clothesline you clean in the face. Cool finish as well, with Hawk having to muster all his strength to military press Tenryu before dropping him across poor Takagi. I dig the Road Warriors working Japan. I just do.
Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara v Tatsumi Fujinami & Masa Chono (New Japan, 7/14/93) - EPIC
One of my favourite Tenryu performances ever. This was about as outwardly bitter and hostile as we've ever seen him and by this point you know how high that bar is. He had it in for Chono right away and no chance he was forgetting the early kick Chono landed across his ear. Towards Fujinami it was more dismissive scorn, where he'd still wallop him any time they were in together, but otherwise he'd just spit at him or flick sweat his way. Fujinami wasn't the focus of ire today. With Chono he was out for blood and every one of those cheapshots had malice behind it (and there were plenty). My favourite moments were where he'd cut off Chono's momentum with an enziguri from the apron, or even better when he'd just waltz in and full force boot him in the face. There was no need for it -- it was completely unprompted and Hara was in control anyway, but Chono'd pissed him off and if anybody will hold a grudge it's Tenryu. Hara was also throwing his headbutts and potatoes like the lumpy understudy he is. It's kind of strange to think of Chono as an underdog considering he'd won the last two G1s and was clearly one of the company's future stars, but he took most of the punishment for his team and basically played Ricky Morton. Honestly, he usually bores me to tears and I can't be arsed watching him, but he was a fresh face in the New Japan/WAR feud and totally brought it here. This was really at its best when he was getting beat on or firing back, while Fujinami mostly stuck to the peripheries. Like most of the New Japan/WAR tags the finishing run was short and sweet, and the finish was awesome this time, with Fujinami wiping out Tenryu with a tope, scrambling back up to catch Hara with a knee off the top, Chono finishing him off with the STF. I've still never seen the Tenryu/Chono match from later in the year but I doubt it'll suck.
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