This was just before Tenryu and Hansen started teaming together. You could see how they might become allies from the way they absolutely wellied each other several times throughout the match. Parts of this were excellent, usually the ones built around Tenryu making a comeback. Hansen was much less frenetic in control and worked this like his strategy was containment first and foremost. He took control initially by ducking for a back body drop, popping up when Tenryu went for the head kick and literally giving him a lariat to the face. This was more forearm club than his regular lariat, but it looked no less lethal and Tenryu sold it by rolling outside and lying on his back for the next minute. After that Hansen kept Tenryu locked down with the chinlock and it felt like Tenryu knew he had to make the most of any openings, which he usually did by blistering Hansen with chops or hitting enziguris. I'm not the first person to make this point, but the way Hansen can make ordinary moves look like killshots is really spectacular. He hit one back elbow here that about took Tenryu's head off and even the way he'd set up for an elbow drop had the crowd on edge. The last few minutes were really great, first with Hansen trying to hit another lariat as Tenryu was on the apron, only in doing so Hansen crashed into the buckles. He sold the ribs after that like one or two of them were shattered and that was Tenryu's road in. They even went back to the first lariat spot, except this time it was Tenryu who drew in Hansen with the back drop fake-out and the clobbering was flipped. Tenryu flying off the top rope with a shoulderblock and both of them colliding heads looked brutal, then we get a clean and creative finish to round us out. It's a rarity that this matchup fails to deliver.
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