The old (somewhat) guard versus the new (sorta) guard. I could not have told you this before I looked up cagematch to confirm the date on this but apparently Tenryu, Chono and Nakanishi were in a stable together, along with Scott Norton (!), called Pirates Gundan. It was very much news to me but it feels right somehow. They didn't really work like they were in a stable, unless Nakanishi was always the unruly scruff going rogue and starting fights. He went rogue and started many fights here but maybe his partners were used to it. Either way you could boil this down to three main pairings - Nagata and Nakanishi, Chono and Tanahashi, Tenryu and Yoshie. Yoshie was the one I most wanted to see matching up with Tenryu so maybe sometimes life really does give you lemons. Chono was smart enough to almost goad Tanahashi into taking a yakuza kick, Tanahashi still a few years away from being the unquestioned Ace of the company and a little more prone to naivety. I think I prefer him hitting inverted atomic drops here to what he was doing against Okada and the boys years later. But then I would, wouldn't I. Tenryu hits Yoshie with many a punch and chop and even nails a vertical suplex, like Murdoch on Abdullah once upon a time. Yoshie responds with a PHAT Thesz Press then hits a Vader Bomb/bronco buster thing in the corner and Chono gets in irate like fuck sake mate is that even a wee bit necessary??? Nagata v Nakanishi made up the bulk of the match and both of them brought the testosterone-fuelled stupidity, but in a sort of endearing way maybe. They trade chops and headbutts and at a certain point Nakanishi can no longer be contained so he starts swinging on his own partners. He clobbers Tenryu for stepping in and throwing a cheapshot to Nagata, which begs the question why anyone would hang around with Tenryu if they didn't know for a fact he would do that at least once, but maybe you conclude Nakanishi is just a stickler for sportsmanship. Then he and Nagata start wellying each other with chairs so I guess it was never about the sportsmanship? Nakanishi finally wins the exchange by just smashing a broken piece of chair over Nagata's head and, you know, fair enough. Nakanishi is a drunk and aggressive cousin of the groom at a Yorkshire wedding starting fights with strangers and family alike so Tenryu just walks away like any sane person would. Always the bigger man, was Tenryu. Eventually Nakanishi gets counted out when he puts Nagata in a Torture Rack up by the bleachers and Chono looks on like what the fuck did I bother getting myself into. Pirates Gundan, fer cripes! A countout in 2004 Japan is rare as hen's teeth so I guess that was cool?
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