This was kind of strange in its layout, but these two have really fun chemistry together and they're not afraid to potato the brains out each other. Actually I don't even know if I'd say the layout was strange as opposed to the execution of the momentum shifts. There's one big transition midway through so Tenryu can take over, but it didn't come off great and it sort of left the crowd a bit confused as to what happened. The first part is total Kitao domination, which works in part because Tenryu is so good at eating all of his offence. He even gets cut open from something - could've been a few things - and you wonder if he won't go and do something unnecessarily violent in response. The big transition was a Kitao clothesline that sent him over the ropes, but I think it was supposed to be a MISSED clothesline and instead he hits it but flies out the ring anyway. I'll give him credit and say he realised there was a goof (as much or more so on Tenryu, because he was likely the one who should've moved) so he lay on the floor a bit longer to sell it. I just don't think the crowd really knew how to react. Either way Tenryu absolutely clobbers him up and down the place afterwards. More than one punt to the spine and head was thrown. Then there's a ref' stoppage but not really a stoppage and that was sort of weird, but Kitao catching Tenryu flying through the air like a snowman in a hurricane and drilling him with a belly-to-belly was extremely awesome. Not their best match together, but it had enough of the good stuff going for it.
Genichiro Tenryu v Minoru Suzuki (New Japan, 8/7/04) - GOOD
I'm not surprised that this was a fun match-up. I don't love Suzuki and can take or leave his act depending on opponent, but I figured him and Tenryu would play off each other well. I thought worst case scenario Tenryu would get fed up and punch him in the face a couple times, and in fact they took that and basically built the match around it, which of course worked. The matwork wasn't the most compelling, but it allowed Suzuki to dominate and the whole time he did you knew Tenryu was waiting for his chance to let loose. It wouldn't be doing his mood any favours, basically. I liked as well that Suzuki was fully hip to Tenryu's bullshit, how he knew when to push his buttons and then dodge those rabbit punches Tenryu was going to throw in retaliation. At times it was almost as if he was bullying the old man and with Suzuki being such a dickhead about everything you sort of felt sympathy for Tenryu. They built that anticipation, kept drawing closer and closer to the point where Tenryu would catch Suzuki and make him pay, but Tenryu punching him in the dick was an even greater payoff than I could've hoped for. Suzuki sticks his tongue out and his ego forces him into engaging in Tenryu's game, despite the fact he'd be a thousand times better sticking to his own and taking Tenryu to the mat. Initially I rolled my eyes at his no-selly guff, but he won me over with it when he did the half-stagger KO bit. Tenryu punching him in the back of the head was brutal and that brainbuster was an absolute scorcher. I would not be opposed to seeing these two wrestle each other again.
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