Match #9
Dick Togo/TAKA Michinoku (c) vs. Kota Ibushi/Madoka
for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Kaientai Dojo Club-K Super Overthrow - December 1, 2007
More puro stuff! And looking at the submissions (136 on the wheel, holy shit, some of you never sleep), it looks like I'm going to be in Japan for a long time. Granted, I haven't actually watched that many Japanese promotions, but by the end of this I'll probably have seen everything of theirs.
This one is an NJPW championship being officially defended outside of NJPW, interesting. Kota comes out in a shirt, looking so awkward as usual, whereas Madoka seems to have gone for the black trunks look. Wonder who's winning this one, huh? Maybe it's the guy who runs the company and his friend. A little on-screen note tells us that TAKA's actually doing commentary on his own match in post. Good thing I can't actually understand spoken Japanese so I don't know if he's giving spoilers. Both teams get WAY too many streamers.
The young challengers immediately elect to ignore how the rules of tag team wrestling work, charging their opponents and tossing Togo before double teaming TAKA. Madoka pulls off a Crippler Crossface - clearly the news of the Benoit murders hadn't yet reached Japan. Togo breaks it up and just leaves himself open to getting double-teamed. A brief advantage by TAKA is completely killed off by Ibushi delivering a kick to the midsection. It's no kick to the back, but hey, whatever works.
From that, it settles into a fairly standard face(?)-in-peril routine for a minute or so, with TAKA being said imperilled, until a low dropkick sweeps Ibushi's legs out from under him and lets Togo tag in. Togo capitalises on the circumstances by targeting Ibushi's knees hard, with a rolling leg snap being followed by various strikes and locks to the left knee. Cohesive offense, you love to see it. What looks to me like a modified Figure Four is broken up by Madoka rushing out to dropkick Togo in the face. TAKA comes in to continue the knee-hate, until Ibushi is somehow able to stand and deliver a few knees to TAKA's chest. He then stumbles back, all the power in those legs having gone. Nice selling there.
Now it's TAKA against "I could not look less like a young lion" Madoka, who eats an eye poke and gets himself cornered by Togo. Armbar by Togo, which Madoka tries to roll out of, but ends up just rolling himself into Togo's preferred position somewhere else in the ring. He gets the rope break, yes, but still. So far the strategy from the champions seems to be to remove half of the body of each of their opponents. Sounds solid, but what happens when Ibushi's arms and Madoka's legs get together to form one whole, functioning wrestler? Then they're screwed. Madoka's brought to the outside, where Togo's waiting. He hits Madoka with a chair while security and the ring announcer is trying to get the fans to stay back. Absolute scenes out here. (Wait, who's playing the face here again? Togo's the one using the chair, but the challengers were being the dicks before.)
Back in the ring and Togo just applies a wristlock to the nearly helpless-looking Madoka, taunting Ibushi who wants so desperately to rush out and intervene, but suddenly something's stopping him. A Togo sleeper gives us the two-arm-drops routine, which makes me wonder how Madoka even has the strength left to raise his arm on the third. A headscissors takedown and enzuigiri finally lets him tag Ibushi, who is in like a house on fire... until he whiffs a dropkick and loses his tag-in advantage right away. Doesn't stop him hitting a nice standing moonsault for two. Another crossface, this time by Togo. Surprisingly little targeting of the legs. Maybe Ibushi's legs have healed from earlier? Togo's face certainly hasn't, as Madoka reminds him.
TAKA absolutely turns Ibushi inside out with a running knee. Doesn't even bother going for the pinfall, though. Madoka does a really cool combo when he hits a corner dropkick while coming to the outside, and slingshots back in without missing a beat for another one!
Some things just pop me. and that is one. TAKA almost becomes the third wrestler to use a crossface in this match until Madoka counters into one of his own. Really sick visual in this one as TAKA is struggling to the ropes for a rope break while in the background, Ibushi is beating the stuffing out of Togo to prevent him from interfering. This match is ALIVE.
Togo demonstrates his superior experience by getting hit by one enzuigiri, yet blocking the second one with his hands. I didn't even know you could do that. The match devolves into two singles fights, but Ibushi overcomes TAKA and stops Togo from hitting a Pedigree. What I'm most surprised about is that commentary actually calls it as that. Eventually we do get a Pedigree on Madoka and a top rope senton for a two-count that's broken up by Ibushi. Match then descends into chaos with the non-legal men brawling, leading to that rarest of circumstances, a QUADRUPLE down.
I haven't yet mentioned the number of eye pokes TAKA's doing. It's three so far. He must like doing that. FINALLY we get a TAKA crossface, which leads into a double crossface with both youngsters getting their necks absolutely cranked! First Michinoku Driver tease of the match comes to nothing. Phoenix Splash from Ibushi almost gets the W, but Togo cannonballs his way in (literally, he's rolling on to the pin) to stop it. Madoka in with a kick to the head gets 2.5. Togo shoves Madoka off the rope to prevent a Shooting Star Press, but he ends up landing on TAKA's knee with an accidental senton bomb. That doesn't stop TAKA from unleashing a real mess of kicks followed by the Michinoku Driver! Togo's looking to follow up with a diving senton, but Ibushi says nah to that with an enzuigiri that looks like it misses but Togo sells anyway like a true pro.
Ibushi slips out of a chickenwing causing Togo to accidentally lariat his own partner. Then he hits a really nice handspring moonsault to the outside. I bet fans at the time were looking at this thinking "this kid Ibushi is the future". Madoka goes for the Shooting Star Press, but TAKA gets his knees up! Michinoku Driver attempt is countered into the DDT and then Madoka hits his finisher, which is a Gannosuke Clutch... bomb? I think? If you've seen this match, please tell me what you think it is. Still doesn't get the win though.
One thing I find interesting about Japanese wrestling is there's a lot more attempts and fails at holds than there are successful ones. Maybe it's to add to the realism. TAKA keeps going for the Michinoku Driver, tries and fails... until he doesn't, and get the three. There's already medical detail checking on Madoka's neck, as if to properly sell how good that move is. Benefits of owning the company, I guess.
That was really nice. Good to see more of Ibushi's early days.