A Celebration of Inoki (pt. 3)

Antonio Inoki v Yoshiaki Fujiwara (New Japan, 2/6/86)

This is one of my all-time favourite matchups. In a tag setting, a multi-man setting, a 1v1 setting, they always killed it together. I loved this when I last saw it even if I couldn't remember why (2009 was not yesterday, brothers and sisters), and I thought it was awesome on re-watch. The beginning was just perfect. Fujiwara comes striding over to Inoki's corner grinning, half gesturing like he wants a knuckle lock, while Inoki just looks at him like "get a load of this guy." When they do tie up Fujiwara backs him into the corner and slaps him off the not very clean break, backing up with that grin a little wider. Inoki has a chance to retaliate almost immediately, but instead gives Fujiwara a pat on the shoulder and backs away clean. Then on the next lock up they find themselves in the corner and this time Inoki just pummels Fujiwara in there with punches and stomps. To be honest, I could see someone thinking Inoki took a little too much the match. It was always going to be the case because he's by god Antonio Inoki, but the man carries himself in a way that doesn't make it difficult for me to buy him hanging with the godfather of shoot style. I guess he could've sold the immediate danger of some holds a little more? I wouldn't really argue with you if you thought so, even if that didn't bother me much either. Plus Inoki was not the only person in wrestling to sell a kneebar or cross-armbreaker like it was a standard pro wrestling leglock or arm-wringer in the year 1986. What I thought was great was the way he sold progressive hesitancy. There was a point mid-match where Fujiwara had him in a legbar and Inoki was so unfazed he started shit-talking him, then even went and reversed the hold. Fujiwara is inevitable though, and towards the end, after he tried to yank Inoki's arm out the socket, it looked like Inoki might've actually been reluctant to lock up with him. I loved all of the grappling, even if there were parts where they maybe sat in those leglocks a little long. When they were properly fighting over holds they captured the struggle you want, wrenched on limbs like you want, and with that much charisma between the pair of them you know you were getting some great facial expressions and insignificant moments that felt like significant ones. Inoki going to the headbutts in the last few minutes was incredible, then he catches Fujiwara with an accidental low blow and Fujiwara might be the GOAT of low blow selling. Of course you're waiting on him unleashing those headbutts of his own and of course it's amazing when he does, but Inoki countering with a fucking corker of a punch was unbelievable. Post-match there's a near-riot with the New Japan guys and UWF guys coming to blows and fans throwing seat cushions into the ring and no wonder this feud was box office.