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Guess what? It’s back! After a long hiatus, Pushing Puroresu has returned! In this week’s edition, I serve you a mouthful of Takeshi Morishima. I’ll talk about his fall from puro super stud to indolent paperweight and review two of his most recent contests, which perhaps bring hope of a renewed Morishima…or maybe NOAH’s just out of options. Seriously, the wrestlers there are dropping like pants in Atlanta. Yeah, you just got an American Idol joke in a column about puroresu. My versatility is unrivaled, my complexity unfathomable. I’m the Tenryu punch you didn’t see coming! I’m the–KABLAM! Told you. You totally didn’t see that coming.

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Also, I’m on Twitter now! Why? Because I can no longer resist the changing social landscape. I tried…I really did…but ultimately it’s good for me and the column, so it’s done. Also, as usual, click on the pictures to get them in full-size. It’s totally worth it, I swear.

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The Japanese Monster

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.                    . In February of 2007, Takeshi Morishima, the rotund, hard-hitting, fast-rising star of Pro Wrestling NOAH, won the Ring of Honor World Title from then champion Homicide. This was the biggest achievement in his young career. At the time, he was NOAH’s most decorated tag team wrestler ever, but had not yet broken out as a singles star. He carried the top American independent belt for a majority of the year, defeating former ROH Champions Nigel McGuinness, Austin Aries, & Bryan Danielson and generally acting as a vicious, unstoppable force. His feud with Bryan Danielson was the brightest and most talked-about storyline of ROH that year. Their inaugural match was the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Match of the Year for 2007. He also managed to unseat previous winner Samoa Joe on their list as the year’s best brawler. The Cauliflower Alley Club bestowed upon him the Future Legend Award, an award won by both Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle in the past. After almost eight months a champion, he would finally lose the title to Nigel McGuinness on his third try, and Mori’s regular status in Ring of Honor came to an end. Despite the loss on American soil, his stock is Japan was still extremely high. Five months after the title loss, he bested puroresu legend Mitsuharu Misawa in a match for the supreme title in Pro Wrestling NOAH, the GHC Heavyweight Championship. After only two defenses, both against less-than-credible challengers, Morishima fell to Kensuke Sasaki. Morishima’s value continued to fall over the next six months.

.                    . He failed to impress WWE officials in a try-out match on WWE Smackdown!, lost the feud-ending match against Danielson in brutal fashion and lost a Number One Contenders Match to a past-his-prime Jun Akiyama. His weight ballooned ever greater, and his in-ring style went from dominant powerhouse to sluggish sandbag. The monster that had decimated ROH opponents for over half a year looked lost in the ring. You could feel the aura that had surrounded him for so long begin to vanish. His eyes, beady and hidden behind a thicket of frumpy, poorly-parted hair, always radiated a subtle rage. Now it seemed the seething fire behind his eyes was suddenly blurred by a fog of uncertainty. In the ring, a place he used to own with a hunched stalking of his prey, he would often look lost or even indifferent to the action around him. How had the one-time phenom fallen so far? He would eventually win the GHC Tag Titles in late 2009 with the man that beat him for his belt, Kensuke Sasaki. Occasionally, the fog would clear and the round mound of pound and ground would reemerge. But for the most part, he has acted as little more than a prop for punishment or Sasaki to use against opponents. He’s suplexed, bodyslammed and whipped into enemies by Sasaki, effectively making him the legend’s in-ring play-thing. Quite a fall for the former champion and “next big thing” in puro.

.                    . How did it come to this? How did one of the best monster characters in wrestling get reduced to the same basic function as the WWE’s former Festus gimmick? Well, being a young wrestler and having the title quickly taken off of you can be a big mental setback. NOAH decided to put the belt on a proven draw, Kensuke Sasaki, due to poor live returns for Morishima. Many viewed this as counterproductive to NOAH’s future, but with their financial state at the time, they must’ve felt a change needed to be made. Still, NOAH has shown a habit of pushing a hot, young wrestler and then backing away from them when the receipts aren’t there. Morishima, Naomichi Marufuji, Go Shiozaki…all three were given the premiere title, and all three had it taken away far too soon to stay credible, and without much help in the match selections either. Despite all of this, most of the blame must still fall on the shoulders of Morishima himself. His weight was a problem when he started out and now it’s an absolute distraction. His movement has become increasingly sluggish and he shows no signs of wanting to change this. There is no questioning his skills as a wrestler, but in the world of puroresu, stamina is a key component. Outlasting and outworking another wrestler is what sets you apart, regardless of wins and losses. Dana White’s expression about staying in the UFC is comparable here. “It’s not whether you win or lose,” White has said, “it’s how you lose.” As wrestling is still promoted as a sport in Japan, this must always be a consideration. Morishima’s flabby build serves a self-indictment of his own work ethic. He is only getting fatter, and it doesn’t seem to bother him despite it affecting his ring work.

.                    . Now, after fighting legendary Toshiaki Kawada in a very competitive match at the Budokan Hall, it seems that the Japanese Monster may be erupting again. He is still as gargantuan as ever, but he no longer becomes lethargic mid-match because they have limited him to singles matches under ten minutes. They have maximized what they could get out of him by keeping him in situations he can handle. Now, it’s Morishima’s turn to do some work. Takeshi will never be a Kobashi-esqe workout machine, but he must start to show the fire again. He has to find a hunger for success, not cupcakes and cheese steaks. Talent is a gift not to be wasted, and every time I see Morishima swinging his arms like a sadistic madman, I wonder whether it’s all an act. Who is the real Morishima: the guy who detached Bryan Danielson’s retina or the flabby wind sucker who stands there and takes beatings? My hope is that it’s the former, and that this new push will motivate him to start taking care of himself and get in shape. NOAH is starved for draws, so it’s ironic that they may be turning to a fat guy. Hopefully, Takeshi Morishima will take the ball and run with it…or at least walk fast. Let’s start there.

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What I Watched This Week

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NOAH – Takeshi Morishima vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima [Match] – ***

. 2010-02-18 . These two had a dreadful match a while back, so hopefully this is an improvement. Nakajima starts with some early kicks, but eats a shoulder block from the big man. Nakajima fires back with a dropkick and his corner enzuigiri, sending Morishima to the floor. Nakajima dives out onto Mori, knocking him down. Back inside, Nakajima tries a top rope front dropkick, but it just pushes Morishima to the turnbuckles. Mori reverses a whip and nails Nakajima with a corner lariat. He tries for his running hip attack, but Nakajima avoids it and lands two running dropkicks. Naka tries a sunset flip, but Mori just sits down on his chest for a two count. Ouch. Nakajima tries to lift Morishima, but fails. Shocking. Mori tries a suplex, but Naka counters out and goes for the bodyslam again. He gets Morishima up, but he’s too heavy, and Mori comes crashing down on top of him. Takeshi heads north and nails a big front dropkick to the young lion. Nakajima tries some kicks, but Mori just swats him away like King Kong did to the planes. Naka rolls back in, and Mori steps on his guts. I think Nakajima’s a prolonged bearhug away from vomiting his large intestine.

.                  . Morishima tries a boot, but Naka counters into a leg whip and applies an STF. Morishima gets to his feet and blocks a German Suplex attempt, stomping Naka down in the corner. Morishima hits a big running hip attack. He goes for the Backdrop, but Nakajima flips out and nails a superkick. Morishima tries a lariat, but Nakajima ducks, nails a second superkick and dumps Morishima on his head with a release German suplex. Superkick to a kneeling Morishima! 1…2…Morishima kicks out. Nakajima tries another German, but he’s too tired, so Morishima ends up landing on Nakajima’s stomach. 1…2…Naka kicks out and vomits his small intestine. Well I was close. Clubbing blows from Morishima, but Nakajima counters with three superkicks and a high kick. He goes off the ropes, but turns into a big Morishima lariat! And a brutal second lariat! 1…2…Nakajima kicks out! BACKDROP DRIVER! 1…2…3! Morishima gets the win at 7:38. A solid, short match that played to Morishima’s strengths. I would have liked some bigger heat between Sasaki’s protégé and his current heavyweight tag partner, but what’re you gonna do. Crowd was pretty good and it was worlds better than their first match, so I approve. A good watch if you’re a fan of both guys.

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NOAH – Toshiaki Kawada vs. Takeshi Morishima [Part 1] ~ [Part 2] – ***1/4

. 2010-02-28 . A video package highlights Morishima in a very flattering way, making astute comparisons to both Vader and Terry Gordy. This is the most credible I’ve seen Takeshi painted in some time, so it’s got me excited for this match. Kawada ducks an early lariat, but can’t withstand a shoulder tackle. The much older and smaller Kawada tries to chop the monster down, with no success. He finally manages to get him off his feet with an arm wrench kick, but it does not keep him down long. Takeshi fires back with clubbing blows and a corner lariat. A running hip attack and more clubbing blows is enough to cause Toshiaki to bail outside and rethink his strategy. Morishima follows him out, placing him in a chair on the outside. The crowd claps along as Mori goes for another, more dangerous hip attack, but Kawada rolls away before he even starts to charge. Morishima lariats him back into the chair and delivers the punishing hip attack! Kawada rolls back in at nine, where Mori continues his assault. A big elbow drop gets only one, perhaps a sign that Takeshi is underestimating the legend. Kawada rolls back outside and Mori follows once again. Takeshi sets up for his suicide dive, but Kawada stops him on the apron. Toshiaki tries a powerbomb, but Morishima hits him with a hip press on the apron!

.                  . Back inside, Morishima hits a Big Splash for another two. Mori taunts Dangerous K with a weak Kawada kick, and the veteran takes offense, nailing Takeshi with a barrage of kicks. He charges at Morishima, but eats a lariat. Morishima sends him off the ropes and hits another huge lariat, but Kawada kicks out of the pin attempt at two. Backdrop Driver from Morishima is blocked with elbows. Mori off the ropes, but Kawada meets him with a boot. Jumping enzuigiri from Kawada, but Morishima refuses to go down! BACKDROP DRIVER ON KAWADA! Mori can’t cover though, so Toshiaki gets to his feet in the corner. Morishima charges, but Kawada counter with a boot. He goes off the ropes, but Morishima lariats him for the third time! Takeshi lifts Kawada to his feet, and both men trade big strikes, lariats for leg kicks, clubbing blows for big boots. Kawada is throwing mad elbows, but can’t take Morishima down. He finally just punches Mori right in the face, knocking the monster down and out! The referee scolds Kawada, but he pushes him away and drills Morishima with the Dangerous Kick! He drags Mori up and nails him with another Dangerous Kick! Kawada kneels on Morishima’s chest for the three count at 10:27. Both guys looked really strong here, and the story was perfectly executed. Kawada had to resort to a Tenryu-esqe Guh Punch to win. This is the type of match Morishima should be working. Let the opponent beat you up, but don’t lose the fire. Mori has a bad habit of seeming listless once the beatings start, perhaps due to his weak endurance. People will only buy you as a monster if you keep the rage. If people aren’t afraid of you, they’re probably laughing at you. With Morishima’s physique, it’s all too easy to chuckle. Here, he was pitch perfect, perhaps due to the short match time. It’s well worth a watch.

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This week’s Pushing Puroresu, in honor of Valentine’s Day on Sunday, I decided to cover three puroresu topics, all of which start with a familiar proclamation of adoration. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll wish you hadn’t accidentally clicked the avatar on whatever forum you’re arriving from. Finally, the Kings of Wrestling will make their third consecutive appearance in this column, perhaps as their final match covered here for a while. Unless they decide to move to Japan. Which would be crazy. I only had the time to watch one damn puro match all week due to a surprise visit from my best friend who I won’t see again for a year, so that’s all you get. Enjoy, or I’ll introduce you to Yoshihiro Takayama as Don Frye’s mouthy, ethnocentric cousin.

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~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

. ← ♥ →  . I love Gamma. I have more fun watching him work his heel shtick than anything else in Dragon Gate. Sure, watching BxB Hulk bump like a cartoon character and Shingo scream like he just discovered fire are pure pleasures. But something about Gamma’s blatant cheating and mind games, especially now that crowds cheer his spiteful, at times repulsive antics, just brings me a joy that cannot be matched by chop battles or blank move off the blank onto blank, sending the crowd into a frenzy. And they’re not just your usual eye-gouging, low-blow bad guy shenanigans either. A lot of what he does is very inventive. Take his exchange with Dragon Kid during the six-man main event of Infinity 160. Both men tag in, with Gamma clearly swirling some gnarly saliva around in his mouth readying his attack. DK is sent off the ropes and tries to slide between Gamma’s legs. Gamma grabs him and spits right in his face, causing DK to choke and gag. Gamma does it again after a Kid armdrag. Gamma tries a third time, but Dragon kid gets his hands up to block it. With the nasty spit all over his hands, DK proceeds to wipe that on Gamma’s face, giving him a taste of his own medicine. The crowd pops…for spit. But there’s more just like this. One of his signature gross-out maneuvers involves spitting water in his opponents face while sitting on the top rope, but it was once used on his stablemate Susumu Yokosuka as a way to get powder out of his eyes, and the crowd went absolutely bananas for it. In a company where it seems most wrestlers have three finishers, two MEGA finishers and one nostalgic finisher, Gamma is a deliciously disgusting departure from this trend, relying on creative heel tactics and fantastic character work despite having just as much in-ring talent as anyone in the company.

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. ← ♥ →  . I love Kota Ibushi…but he needs to leave DDT. A while back, I equated a theme from Good Will Hunting to Bryan Danielson signing with the WWE, and I think it applies here, too. There’s a scene in the film where Ben Affleck’s character Chuckie explains to Matt Damon’s character Will, the mathematical genius, why he can’t work construction for the rest of his life like Chuckie and his friends. “It’d be an insult to us if you’re still here in 20 years,” Chuckie declares, “Hangin’ around here is a…waste of your time.” I love DDT; it’s the Wonder Showzen of puroresu: you either get it or you don’t. But Kota is simply too great a talent to call a comedy-based promotion home. I’m not saying that he should never return; clearly he has a lot of fun wrestling in that style and atmosphere. I just feel that he would be a big addition to NOAH or New Japan’s junior division, both of which are at an all-time scarcity. Same goes for Daisuke Sekimoto, Big Japan’s brutally stiff Stretch Armstrong doppelganger. He has an excellent comprehension of proper strong style as well as good selling techniques and a very expressive face. I don’t want to go so far as to say that both men are wasting their talents in their current home promotions. They are just so glaring gifted that you want to see how they’d hang against the very best in their class, which they cannot do in their present residences.

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. ← ♥ →  . Finally, I love…my girlfriend. Yeah, I went there. This is long overdue to be honest, but its Valentine’s Day and I haven’t the means or time to do anything fantastic for her. Well, I downloaded her an SNES emulator with a ton of games and bought her a USB Adapter for Playstation controllers…but that’s not in the spirit of Hallmark’s most lucrative holiday, so this will have to do. What does this have to do with puroresu? Well, I’ll tell you. One of the hardest parts of being a wrestling fan is admitting that you like it to friends or possible mates. It is basically indicating that you have similar sensibilities to that of a nine year old, or at least that’s the perception. My girlfriend knew that I was a wrestling fan before we ever started going out. Being a former Jerichoholic, she didn’t judge me for something I clearly had a passion for. When we finally got together, she found it more of an obsession. Did she run away, fleeing the mad man as quickly as possible? Just the opposite: not only did she support me, she started getting into it as well. She’s the first one to suggest Chikara when we need something to watch. She is very interested in learning all about Dragon Gate. She’s knows who Jumbo Tsuruta is and why he’s important. She enhances everything about puroresu by making it easier for me to enjoy it, and now I even have someone I can talk to about it. Someone who cares enough about me to care about what I love. But the best gift that she gives me is her patience to write. No matter what we could or plan to do, she understands that the columns must go up, even in this continental blizzard that continues to ravage everybody but Hawaiians. She doesn’t just understand…she even supports me then, proof-reading my nonsense whenever she has time. This wasn’t one of those times by the way, just in case you catch errors. I couldn’t dream a better girl, and luckily I’ll never have to. If at any point you think, “This guy likes puro a little too much.” I must humbly ask you to lie part of the blame on my significant other. She’s the reason I’m able to do this with as much passion as I do.

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What I Watched This Week

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NOAH – The Kings of Wrestling vs. Sasaki & Morishima – ***3/4

. 2010-01-17 . We get promos from both teams. I understood one of them. MOTHER OF MERCY, I DON’T SPEAK JAPANESE! Morishima is the only one to get streamers, and I have no idea why. Not to say I don’t like Morishima; it was just weird. Bell rings and both Kings attack immediately, with Claudio diving out onto Morishima. Hero ducks a clothesline from Sasaki and does a no-hands backflip onto Mori on the outside! Back in, Hero covers for two. Hero and Claudio hit a double boot, but Morishima stays on his feet. They duck a lariat and hit a boot / elbow strike combination. Hero hits a senton and nails Kensuke on the apron with one of his lethal elbows. Claudio and Hero exchange tags, utilizing uppercuts and elbows respectively. Hero tries to lift Takeshi, but he’s too heavy. Mori lands on Hero and makes the tag to Kensuke, who punishes Chris for his cheap shot on the apron. Sasaki locks in a camel clutch, wrenching Hero’s face in all manner of painful ways. Chops from each man end with Sasaki the clear victor. Morishima gets a tag and elbows Claudio off the apron, then turning around to deliver a running hip attack to Hero in the corner, followed by another. Hero is partially out on the apron, and Mori just sits down on his back! Chris staggers around in pain. Mori holds him for Sasaki, who delivers the machine gun chops with tremendous force. Back in, Morishima slaps Hero causing him to scream, “Oh fuck!” in pain. As a guy who mainly watches Chikara, the WWE, and foreign promotions, that shocked me for a second.

. . Sasaki is back in, twisting Hero’s leg and challenging him to chop him. Hero tries, but Sasaki takes it and turns it into a guillotine choke with a leglock. Sasaki tags in Morishima, who gets bodyslammed on top of Hero! Mori goes for a leaping hip strike, but Hero counters with a roaring elbow and a running single-leg boot. Claudio gets the tag and hit a high-angle crossbody. He tries the Giant Swing but Kensuke breaks it up. Claudio runs Mori and Sasaki into one another and hits a sitout bulldog on both guys! Running uppercut on Morishima, followed by a stalling suplex! 1….2…not enough. Elbows from Morishima, but Hero intervenes. Mori pushes him away, but Hero flips over the ropes onto the apron and nails a boot. Claudio follows up with a bicycle kick for two. Claudio heads north but Morishima gets to his feet and just tosses him back down. Sasaki gets the tag. They go uppercut for chop, but Sasaki is too resilient. He hits his Judo Throw for two. Claudio tries a bicycle kick, but Kensuke catches him with a one-leg powerbomb and a lariat. He slaps on Strangle Hold Alpha, but Castagnoli reaches the ropes. Sasaki sends him off the ropes, but Claudio counters with a springboard uppercut. He tags Hero, who hits a few elbows and a flipping neckbreaker. A running roaring elbow gets two. Hero goes for another but eats a lariat. Hero shows fighting spirit, but once again he meets Sasaki’s forearm. Both make tags, and Mori takes out Claudio with a lariat of his own. He heads up top…missile dropkick from Morishima. Backdrop Driver…is blocked. Claudio dodges a hip press and hits a diving uppercut to Takeshi’s back.

. . Both Kings are back in…Hart Attack elbow strike. Claudio can’t really hit the Giant Swing, so he just drags him around the ring a bit. Mori tries a lariat, but Claudio ducks…SHEER-DROP ALPAMARE WATERSLIDE! 1…2…No! Morishima kicks out. Claudio places Takeshi on the top rope and dangles him on his back in the argentine position. SPINNING NO-HANDS ARGENTINE POWERBOMB! 1….2….Morishima kicks out! The crowd is absolutely stunned. Claudio sets up for Ricola Bomb….he’s got Morishima up! But he’s just too tired, so Mori comes crashing down on top of Castagnoli. Sasaki is tagged in. He drags Claudio to his feet and hits a powerslam and a lariat. 1…2…Claudio finds the strength to kick out! He is nearly out of gas. Sasaki tries to suplex Mori on top of Claudio, but Hero stops it. The Kings try and suplex Mori onto Sasaki, but he stops them and Morishima suplexes them both! Sasaki and Morishima lay into Claudio with clubbing blows. Sasaki hits a running lariat and Morishima follows up with the Backdrop Driver! Diving Elbow Drop from Kensuke! 1…2…Hero breaks it up! Morishima holds on to Hero and Sasaki hits another lariat! NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB! 1…2…3! Sasaki pins an exhausted Castagnoli for the win. This was obviously hard-hitting, but it was also a very smart match, with each guy completely playing to their strengths. Claudio’s fatigue felt completely genuine, so the Northern Lights Bomb at the end felt a bit unnecessary. If Claudio had successfully hit that Ricola Bomb, then the Kings of Wrestling would indeed have reigned supreme, so the team still looks strong. Morishima…well, he was kind of just an object in this. He was spun, thrown, slammed and suplexed. Also, his big finisher was followed with a frickin’ elbow drop for some reason…and it only got two! Still, the action was really good and the crowd was surprisingly raucous.

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This edition of Pushing Puroresu will feature Charles Schaeffer, creator of Puroresu Spirit, giving his take on perhaps Japan’s strongest young lion Katsuhiko Nakajima. In the future, most articles will feature works from both Charles and me, but this week he takes center stage while I tell you what I thought of the puroresu I was able to watch this past week. Enjoy, or face the wrath of a Danshoku Driver.

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I thank Justin Houston for letting me partner up with him to try and help introduce Puroresu (Japanese for Pro Wrestling) to those who may be interested in watching, but have no idea where to start. Every week from now on (or as long as I have material) I will be introducing a wrestler, who seems poised to break out, or do so even more, in this new decade.

Who shall be carrying the spirit throughout this new decade?

Katsuhiko Nakajima

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Why do I see Nakajima becoming even better this decade? Well the answer is very simple. For one, he has been trained, and is still learning by one of the most solid Heavyweight wrestlers, still wrestling today, Kensuke Sasaki. Nakajima has many skills and talents that easily sets him apart from the competition. The greatest thing about Nakajima is that, right now, he is almost about to turn 22 years old. He, at such a short age, has already held titles in AJPW, NOAH, ZERO1, and Michinoku Pro. He is poised to have continued success, especially since he continues to get better in every match that in which he competes. He is very solid in his skill, he still lacks many of the traits that a seasoned competitor may have, but his skill in the ring is equal to or better than someone who is 10-15 years older than him.

I am going to try and write a quick, but detailed summary of the Career of Nakajima. He started wrestling when he was 14 years old, and his first “official” pro wrestling match would be against Tomohiro Ishii on Jan. 4th, 2004. Even though it was a losing effort he showed great promise. Within just a few months he would receive his very first title opportunity with his mentor Kensuke Sasaki, when they would go up against the team of Genichiro Tenryu and Masanobu Fuchi for the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Titles. A little over a year later, Nakajima would go on to win his first title ever, when he and Sasaki would defeat Shuji Kondo and “brother” YASSHI for the ALL Asia Tag Titles on July 26th, 2004. They would hold onto the titles for well over a year till Sasake would have to vacate them due to an injury in Late 2006. On August 31, 2005, Nakajima would go on to win his first singles title, when he would defeat Osamu Nishimura for the WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship in ZERO1. He would hold this title for almost a year, which is strongly unheard of, especially with him being so young and still green in the ring compared to other younger wrestlers.

He would finish out 2005 and most of 2006 strong and gaining more talent by the day. He would have many solid matches against the likes of Katsuyori Shibata, D-Lo Brown, and Kaz Hayashi. On February 17, 2007, Nakajima would defeat the power house of the Junior Division, Shuji Kondo, for the AJPW Jr. Championship. He would manage to hold onto the title for over a year till he would lose to Ex-WCW/CMLL wrestler Silver King on March 1st, 2008. It should be noted that Nakajima suffered one of his first major injuries during this title reign that caused him to be out of action for several months. In 2008, he would have some strong matches against Magnitude Kishiwada, Jun Akiyama, Mitsuharu Misawa, and even more notably KENTA on June 13th, 2008. This was a very solid match with both men going move for move and toe to toe with each other for much of the match. Nakajima would make his way to the United States, for the first time, on September 20th, 2008 to take on the current GHC Jr. Champion Bryan Danielson. I own this event on DVD, and I recommend that if you have the money that you definitely check out the Glory by Honor VII DVD. A few months later on February 11th, 2009, Nakajima would get the upset on KENTA and become the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion for the first time. I really do not want to say anything about this match, because I plan to offer this match as one of my pics for everyone to watch.

One thing I just noticed the other day while compiling results was that Kensuke-Office.com has posted that Nakajima is now weighing in at 95kgs. This is very interesting to note because this makes him even more so closer to being classified as a Heavyweight competitor. I would love nothing more than to see him take his talent up a notch a go after the likes of Takashi Sugiura, Go Shiozaki, and even on the AJPW level Satoshi Kojima for the Heavyweight Title in the next few years. There is only so much I can actually write to you all about relating towards the actual talent of Nakajima. So, I have went out of my way to compile my top favorite matches, that I could actually find on youtube, for you all to watch and hopefully see and understand why I think he is poised for greater success in this coming decade.

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6. Big Mouth Loud ~ Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Munenori Sawa (7/26/2006)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i7K6N0mZJQ

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5. Tomohiro Ishii, Takashi Uwano and Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Yoshihito Sasaki and Osamu Namiguchi (2/19/2004)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhoaNWK4io

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQxNWO92OzM

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS9XNAKyzHo

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4. AJPW Jr. Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs Chris Sabin (8/26/2007)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPt_2G1h7Ww

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJZat-JVerM

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5FgrM4-VxM

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3. NOAH ~ Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kotaro Suzuki (10/15/09)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jv_94tztvs

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38iJbxfhtg4

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvGefugkP8c

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2. NOAH ~ Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenta Kobashi & Go Shiozaki (11/5/2005)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgU5tIxKaIs

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObjJwEircSw

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6sitg40Zgk

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1. NOAH ~ Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. KENTA (3/1/2009)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1hr40i4ugE

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly4U55yF0fg

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLI_bdfWxL8

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Just for fun: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Hayato “Jr” Fujita (12/3/2004″Fujita’s Debut Match”)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoPj3I9i3kU

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImdsdPacr8o

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What I Watched This Week

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Dragon Gate – Dream Gate: Naruki Doi vs. Susumu Yokosuka – ****1/2

. 2009-10-25 . I told you I’d review it, so here it is. This is the main event of DG Infinity 152. I should start by saying that I was in no way a fan of Susumu Yokosuka going into this. I never really got his appeal outside of some of his cool moves: World Liner, the Avalanche Kobe version, Jumbo no Kachi-gatame. Hell, he innovated the Yokosuka Cutter. You’re welcome, Chuck Palumbo. I feel his selling is in the bottom rung of DG (meaning he doesn’t sell…anything), as are his facial expressions. He still can’t sell or emote much, but for some reason it all came together in this match. Obviously, I’m already a humongous fan of Naruki Doi. I had this at four and a fourth stars, but upon another watch, a just HAD to bump it up a little bit more. Search for “Dragon Gate Infinity 152” and plenty of links pop up to watch and enjoy this masterpiece.

.                   . The story goes that Yokosuka challenged for Doi’s Open the Dream Gate title at a show and boldly claimed that the Muscular Bomb would not be enough to keep him down, the Muscular Bomb being Doi’s world-beating finisher that, since Doi began his dominating run at King of Gate in Dec. of ’08, no one has kicked out of. That list includes Shingo Takagi, Koji Kanemoto, Dragon Kid, BxB Hulk, Masaaki Mochizuki, Masato Yoshino, Bryan Danielson, and CIMA. Susumu would continue with his mind games on Doi by pinning WORLD-1 stablemate PAC with the Muscular Bomb during a six-man tag. Yokosuka persisted in his insults towards Doi, turning the bout into more than just another defense for Naruki Doi. To him, Yokosuka was the perfect example of a DG Veteran still not taking him and his New Generation stars seriously, much in the same way Mochizuki treats YAMATO and CIMA treats Akira Tozawa.

.                   . The match starts with a little of the sub-standard limb-work we’ve come to expect in DG title matches, but this time it actually makes sense. Doi works Yokosuka’s arm and Susumu returns the favor by working Doi’s leg. Neither guy can sustain the offense though, and neither could hit a big match-changing move on either limb, so it only slows them down a bit. Both Yokosuka’s lariats and Doi’s sliding kicks would suffer. Naruki Doi once again looks like a fucking beast in this, surviving an Avalanche Exploder, Mugan, Aikata, several Jumbo no Kachis, including a few Gatame variants. Once again, the “Is that all you got?” Sliding Kick spot shows up here, but because of the legwork earlier, I was OK with it. Plus, with Yokosuka not respecting Doi, it adds another wrinkle and the crowd eats it up.

.                   . Speaking of the crowd, Hakata is RED FUCKING HOT for this. They really elevate the whole thing. As if surviving everything Yokosuka throws at him wasn’t enough, Naruki Doi attempts to put the nail in Susumu’s coffin with the M-Bomb…but ‘Suka reverses it in mid fucking air…HITTING A MUSCULAR BOMB OF HIS OWN. AND IT ONLY GETS FUCKING TWO! It sounds like overkilling overkill, but the crowd’s reaction and ‘Suka’s face had me in disbelief…in the best possible way. Plus, with Yokosuka using the Bomb himself, it’s reasonable to assume that he worked on it and figured a counter. THE fucking counter. But when was the last time you saw a wrestler hit a major finisher counter and it only get 2? Doesn’t that always get the three? I LOVE that they used it here, where it’s only the most effective near-fall I’ve seen in a long time.

.                   . The finish is awesome. Susumu goes for that final lariat…but it’s one too many. Doi counters with his V9 Clutch for three and Yokosuka is devastated. As I said before, ‘Suka is never this animated. For whatever reason, in this match…he showed up. The editing post-match annoyed me, as it looked like Doi just got up and was fine. Clearly, they cut a lot of time where he rolled on the floor in pain. After the match, I think Doi basically said, “Fuck you fucking DG Veterans. I’m the fucking man up in this piece. Who the fuck do you think you’re fucking with? I run shit around here. You just live here.” OK, so some of that is from Training Day, but CIMA, ‘Suka, and Gamma took offense, which has lead to the Generation Wars going on in Dragon Gate. Also, Susumu lost his mind after losing to Doi, and has since joined New Hazard and gotten a small measure of revenge on Doi in the form of causing his partner, Masato Yoshino, to have his head shaved in the Survival Cage Match.

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NOAH – Kings of Wrestling & Ricky Marvin vs. Kensuke Sasaki, Takeshi Morishima and Naomichi Marufuji – ***1/2

. 2010-01-16 . The Kings and Marvin start things out by rushing the opposing trio. They target Marufuji with a great triple team move, and Claudio hits the freakin’ Giant Swing on Morishima! Hero hits a dropkick while Mori spins. Sasaki comes in and drills both Kings with lariats to calm things down. Everybody regroups, and Claudio ends up in the ring with Sasaki. But Marvin wants in, so he gets his wish. Chops do not faze Sasaki, but Ricky gets one and scurries back to his corner. Claudio comes in and has some very nasty European Uppercuts for Kensuke. He returns fire with sick chops to Claudio’s chest. Mori comes back in and hits two running hip strikes on Castagnoli in the corner. Mori tries a suplex, but Claudio reverses it and takes him down. Hero gets the tag and he and Mori exchanges strikes. Takeshi gets the better of him with a jumping hip strike. Marufuji comes in, and Hero tags out to Marvin. Marvin and Marufuji have “who can break an armlock fanciest” contest, which I believe Marvin wins. All three guys hit a quad big boot on Maru, with Marvin hanging onto the giant fellows for a double boot. Claudio stays in and tosses Marufuji around like a child. Hero tags in and hits some really nice strikes on Marufuji and Sasaki on the apron. Marufuji manages to hit his runaround lariat, and a very pissed off Sasaki gets the tag. He beats the snot out of Hero with his lethal chops, the Ipponzeoi arm drag, and a big time lariat. 1…2…Hero kicks out.

.                   . Sasaki goes for Strangle Hold Gamma, but Claudio interrupts. Kensuke holds Castagnoli in place, and Mori hits a top rope dropkick. Another lariat from Sasaki to Hero! He tries to suplex Morishima onto Hero but Claudio pulls his partner away. The Kings hit a tandem death valley driver on Sasaki for 2. Morishima goes up against The Kings solo, but gets a Hart Attack-style elbow strike from Hero. The Kings try the KRS-1 on Sasaki, but he gets free and unloads chops on both men. Claudio stops this with a running bicycle kick. Springboard European Uppercut to Morishima! Ricola Bomb…is block and Mori just sits down on Claudio. Hero runs in with a nasty elbow. Sasaki comes back with another damaging lariat on Chris. Marufuji and Marvin get tags! Marvin gets a dropkick for 2. He hits a rope sitting hurricanrana for 2. He hits a superkick for yet another two! TRIPLE DROPKICK FROM ALL THREE MEN! Assisted Splash on Marufuji! 1…2…Sasaki breaks it up. His team hits several maneuvers on Marvin, but the Kings don’t allow a pinfall. Marvin hits another superkick on Marufuji and tries a Shiranui! Maru blocks and hits a front Shiranui for two. Suplex into a suplex for 2! SHIRANUI! 1…2…3~ Marufuji gets the pinfall. This was a crapload of fun. Everybody got time to shine, and Claudio’s feats of strength continue to impress.

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Didn’t have a ton of “Puro Time” this week, what with putting together parties for UFC 109 and the Super Bowl, school, and seeing a good friend for the last time until next year. He’s headed to Afghanistan for the Air Force, and he’s nuts, so you never know what might happen. He could come home in a box or ride back to America on a missile with Osama’s head tucked under his arm. Next week, I’ll get into some impossible fantasy booking and review the Kings of Wrestling vs. Sasaki & Morishima tag match, among other things. Happy weekend!

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Defending Doi

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.     . Naruki Doi, the supposed ace, or top wrestler, of the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion, doesn’t get the respect he deserves. In 2006, he made a name for himself in the US due to his involvement in the now legendary original Dragon Gate six-man tag at ROH’s Supercard of Honor event. He was the leader of his own faction, the Muscle Outlawz, and one of the premiere wrestlers in the company. While respected as a strong competitor, Naruki Doi seemed like a guy who might always be trapped within the Speed Muscle tag team with heterosexual life partner and the fastest wrestler alive, Masato Yoshino. Doi would challenge promotion ace CIMA for the Open the Dream Gate championship, the premiere belt in the company, in late 2007. CIMA had to invent and debut a new version of his finishing maneuver, but he was able to best Doi. He would finish out 2007 as half of the very first Open the Twin Gate champions, DG’s new tag team belt. Doi and Yoshino would go on to lose the belts in early 2008, but would regain them briefly in the fall of that year. After they lost in their first defense, Naruki Doi set out to make a name for himself in singles competition. He entered the King of Gate tournament, Dragon Gate’s last tour of the year. He tore through the competition, pinning Dragon Kid, BxB Hulk, and Masaaki Mochizuki in the finals, all with his deadly move, the Muscular Bomb. He finished 2008 by defeating Shingo Takagi for the Dream Gate. It was the last match on the last show of the year, leaving the image of Doi as champion the final one to remember and carry on to 2009. Now, in January of 2010, Naruki Doi still stands as champion. He is the longest and most defending champion in company history. He beat CIMA in the main event of the Kobe World Festival to win the Brave Gate, becoming a double champion. No one has kicked out of the Muscular Bomb since becoming champ; not Bryan Danielson, not CIMA. No one. So why, to many, is he still not the ace of the company?

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.     . The first reason I can conjure is commonly known as The John Cena Effect: a push or title is given to a wrestler who is not deemed “worthy” which incites a negative backlash from fans. But I cannot consider Naruki Doi “unworthy” for the simple fact that he had, in my opinion, Dragon Gate’s best singles match of 2009: defending the Dream Gate against Susumu Yokosuka. He was consistently one of Dragon Gate’s best workers and best sellers, having memorable title defenses against partner Masato Yoshino, New Japan veteran Koji Kanemoto, and even a match against Akebono that was, at the very least, watchable. He was also one of the few names not dragged through the mud in the wake of the Cora controversy, an incident involving the physical abuse of a pet monkey that left a black eye on the organization. While tops guys like Shingo and CIMA shaved their heads in shame over the incident, it was Doi and his supreme WORLD-1 faction that tried to keep things moving in a positive direction. Imagine if the Dream Gate was on either CIMA or Shingo, the previous two champions, at the time of this prolonged and embarrassing incident? The backlash over this would’ve been magnified quite a lot more than it already was. Some will point to drawing ability as evidence that he’s not the ace, but it’s simply not so. Dragon Gate may not be gaining fans by the thousands, but they are certainly keeping the ones they have. And with some people stating that Dragon Gate is Japan’s most successful puroresu company, with Doi at the top, why does he not get a shred of credit for this? The answer is simple: CIMA. Despite being an inferior worker and seller to both Naruki Doi and Shingo Takagi, CIMA seems to be the answer when people want to know who the top dog is in Dragon Gate. The explanation for this is also simple: CIMA is and always will be the ace because he is also its face. CIMA’s personality, athleticism and showmanship are the cornerstones of what makes Dragon Gate unique. Naruki Doi, as great as he is, could never hope to eclipse CIMA in terms of personality, a trait valued above all else in Dragon Gate.

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.     . Then again, maybe my perception is warped by the opinion of a few. I came up with this idea for an article weeks before now. Since that time, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards have been released. Though they are far from a realistic consensus of opinion, there is still valuable information to take away from them. Doi was voted third for Wrestler of the Year, beating out guys like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Randy Orton and Kurt Angle. He was also fifth in the Best Technical Wrestler category and involved in the fourth rated Match of the Year with Bryan Danielson. Also, Dragon Gate itself was voted Promotion of the Year and voted fourth in the best weekly show category, of which he must share some credit in. So I guess he’s not the undeserving target of disrespect that I thought.  I still think, in the IWC, Naruki Doi gets the short end, especially for a guy who has carried Dragon Gate on his back in the wake of controversy for over a year. But it’s clear that he has his fans out there. He raised the prestige of the Dream Gate, was everything you’d want a champion to be in terms of how he carried himself, and will instantly create a main eventer out of whoever finally defeats him. Alas, his eventual defeat looks like it will be coming very soon, as he is nearly out of realistic challengers. On February 10^th, in the main event of a Korakuen show, veteran wrestler and all-around tedious toilet bug Takuya Sugawara will face the hot as fried magma, ultra stiff YAMATO in a No Rope, No DQ Match to determine Doi’s next challenger. Even before this match was announced, I fully expected YAMATO to eventually be the guy to take the Dream from Doi. He has a really strong following, is one of Dragon Gate’s best pure workers, has a ton of character and plenty of fresh defenses for a long title reign. So if YAMATO or Sugawara (God help us all…) does become the champion, where does this leave Doi? Without the top title around his waist, can Doi still remain relevant? Or was it the fact that he was champion that caused the audible arena backlash to begin with? No matter what happens, whether the fans stay negative or not…at least he’ll always have Yoshino.

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…Right?

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What I Watched This Week

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NOAH – Team Gaijin vs. Akitoshi Saito & DISOBEY – ***1/4

.     . 2010-01-24 .     . Team Gaijin consisted of Bison Smith, Keith Walker, and the Kings of Wrestling: Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli. Akitoshi Saito teamed with three members of the DISOBEY faction: Takeshi Rikioh, Muhammad Yone, & Genba Hirayanagi. Clearly, with junior heavyweight Genba in a match with seven heavyweights, Hirayanagi would somehow be involved in the finish, almost assuredly in defeat. Sure enough, the King of Wrestling nailed him with their awesome finisher, KRS-1, and Claudio picked up another win on a pretty successful tour for the tag-team duo. Sure, they lost every tournament match they were in, but the crowd was really into them for most of their matches on the tour, and they won most of their non-tournament matches.

.     . The match started with Walker and Yone in the ring against one another. Both guys were jawing back and forth before the match began, so the strikes were pretty stiff. Yone found a way to not sell a single one. Bison Smith came in and he and Rikioh each took turns in trying to break out of a full nelson lock using brute strength. Yes, they did a prolong Master Lock Challenge in NOAH. Genba eventually got in and he too tried to break the hold. He was unable to do so, so he challenged Bison to break his full nelson lock, drawing laughs from the crowd. As soon as Bison turned around to let him try, Genba slapped him on the back of the head! Genba ran around the arena and Bison chased him angrily. Genba thought he was safe, but Walker had run the other way, so Genba got a nasty but well-deserved slap to the face. They dragged him back to the ring, where all four men gave him a big boot. They all grabbed an appendage and lifted Genba high into the air, sending him crashing back down to Earth. Claudio got a hold of him, nailing some of his signature, fan-pleases moves like the Giant Swing and the UFO, a spinning argentine powerbomb. Genba was able to dodge the KRS-1 the first time, but once their partners got a hold of Genba’s teammates, The Kings had ample time to hit him with the move. Lots of fun, with very little drag time. Worth a watch if you’re a fan of Genba, Claudio, or wackiness.

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Dragon Gate – Shingo Takagi vs. Takuya Sugawara – **

.     . 2009-12-25 .     . This was slow, boring, and lacked heat. It’s everything Dragon Gate shouldn’t be. It took place on a recent edition of Infinity, their weekly television show in Japan. This is from Infinity 159, which wasn’t altogether terrible (See Below). The balls-dragged-on-a-chalkboard slow Sugawara went over Takagi with his craptastic finisher, the Shiisanpuuta. He used it three times during the match, unless I missed one during the brief coma Suga put me in. Shingo wasn’t great, either. Don’t get me wrong; by comparison, Shingo looked like Jumbo Takagi. But Shingo did his arrogant, shoot-myself-in-the-foot selling again. Basically, Suga targeted Shingo’s knee throughout the match. Suga would sometimes lazily kick at Takagi’s knee like a cocky dick (two penis references in one!), and Shingo would slap his own leg, asking Suga to try and break him. Suga was happy to oblige. It’s just plain stupid, but if the character’s losing gets attributed to his ego, then I guess I understand. At least Shingo’s comeback was enjoyable. The crowd was a vortex of silence whenever Suga took in oxygen, let alone attempted a wrestling move. The pace of the match just found out that Patrick Swayze died. Avoid unless you must see everything Shingo does. I. Hate. Suga. Wara.

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Dragon Gate – The Survival Cage Match participants in a 6-Man Tag – ***1/2

.     . 2009-12-25 .     . Also from Infinity 159, this was a match between the six participants of the Survival Cage Match at Final Gate 2009. The Survival Cage Match is Dragon Gate’s big, year-ending gimmick match: six participants enter a locked steel cage and must climb to the top and grab one of five flags at the corners of the cage, with one flag in a difficult-to-reach position. Once you obtain a flag, you may drop outside the cage, having survived. If you are the last man left inside without a flag, you must remove your mask, or if you do not wear a mask, the other participants take turns shaving your head. This six-man precursor to the event saw Susumu Yokosuka, K-ness and MAZADA team against the shaky trio of Masato Yoshino, BxB Hulk and Dragon Kid. Hulk and Yoshino are a part of WORLD-1, whereas Dragon Kid was, at the time, a member of KAMIKAZE. They were having communication issues during matches that lead to friendly fire, so some strife exists between them.

.     . The match starts with all six guys pairing off with who they despise the most: Yoshino versus K-ness, Hulk versus Yokosuka, and DK against MAZADA. I usually hate MAZADA, but he was pretty great here. At one point, he steadied a guard rail near Kid, and started blowing on it until it fell over on him. Hulk took one of his signature unnecessary bumps off of an Irish whip into the ring post. Hulk was, as usual, worked over for a long period of time. He threw the Dr. Muscle mask at Yokosuka and wailed away at him, but Suka stopped him with a back elbow that Hulk once again sold like a gunshot. Hulk eventually got the tag to Yoshino, who went to work on Yokosuka. Dragon Kid then started trying to work with Yoshino and Hulk. They looked at him like he was leper at first, but they eventually hit some nice double and triple team moves. Dragon Kid got caught and lifted to the bad side of town, and he got worked over by Real Hazard for a while. Kid hit a headscissors on Suka and both made tags. Yoshino and K-ness went back and forth, with K-ness blocking a headscissors with Judah, a modified stretch muffler usually reserved for Dragon Kid. Hulk broke it up and was left alone in the ring. Real Hazard hit an assisted powerbomb on Hulk for 2. Hulk dodged a MAZADA attack and his teammates helped hit a three man attack on MAZADA in the corner. Yoshino and DK again teamed up for some offense, including a double tiger feint kick. DK tries his assisted Avalanche Hurricanrana with Hulk, but MAZADA holds Hulk down, allowing Susumu to hit an Avalanche Death Valley Driver instead. Luckily, Yoshino breaks up the count. Finish comes when, while K-ness holds him in position, Suka goes to powder Yoshino. DK stops him as K-ness and Yoshino do a standing switch. Dragon Kid tries to powder K-ness, but he ducks and Yoshino eats it. K-ness hits the Darkness Buster on Yoshino and gets the three. Fast-paced action that had a meaningful ending. Yoshino and Hulk will NOT be on the same page as DK come the Cage Match. This leads me to…

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Dragon Gate – Mask vs. Hair Six-Man Survival Cage Match- ****

.     . 2009-12-27 .     . Decided to rewatch this match after writing about the trios match above. It’s one of the most emotion-filled puroresu matches of 2009 and well worth your time. The match was crazy with outside interference. Every time DK, Hulk, or Yoshino tried to escape, all of New Hazard went after them from the outside. Kenichiro Arai even went as far as biting Masato Yoshino’s fingers, causing him to fall. MAZADA escaped first, leaving his teammates high and dry in the cage. New Hazard kicked the crap outta him when he got down, but CIMA & the Veteran Army came to his aid. Like his Gurentai tag partner earlier in the pay-per-view, MAZADA also joined the Vets. Gamma used oil to cause Susumu to fall, as CIMA used a volleyball machine to fire volleyball’s at the outside Real Hazard members, at one point nailing Araken off of ladder on the floor. Dragon Kid managed to escape 2nd, making it WORLD-1 versus Real Hazard. For the millionth time, CIMA tried to get him to join the Veterans, but DK, out of loyalty to his KAMIKAZE brothers, again refused. Yoshino managed to get to a flag, but he saw Hulk was in big trouble, so he came back down to help him. Then Hulk managed to get to the hard-to-reach flag with the help of Kotoka, a pair of gloves, and a rope. Yoshino was in big trouble now…but BxB Hulk, with tears in his eyes, grabbed the flag and hopped down, hanging Yoshino out to dry. Yoshino was in disbelief that his friend could leave him like that, and Hulk, showing severe regret, screamed in support of Yoshino, as did all of WORLD-1. It was the first time I’d ever heard Hulk get booed in a Dragon Gate ring.

.     . The Susumu Yokosuka & K-ness team beat Yoshino without mercy, leaving him for dead. K-ness got out, but Susumu took too much time, and Kotoka was able to duck tape the flag to its slot. Yoshino grabbed Suka before he could reach the flag though, and took him out. Yoshino then climbed to find the flag taped. He looked at his team, wondering why the fuck they taped the flag. Genki tried to powder Yoshino, but every time he tried, Yoshino spun completely around on the free bar, causing Horiguchi to miss. Sugawara then shockingly join New Hazard, blasting Yoshino with blue mist, which caused him to fall. The Vets tried to jump the traitorous Suga, but his new stablemates intervened. Yokosuka seized the opportunity, finally put Yoshino away with a Double Cross, his injured partner Saito’s signature finisher. Susumu escaped, leaving Yoshino in pain and in tears. Everyone took turns shaving a deeply depressed-looking Yoshino, except Hulk. When he tried to leave, Yoshino grabbed Hulk by the arm and shoved the electric razor into his hand, forcing Hulk to face the same fate as Hulk’s enemies. Hulk could only shave a little bit before the impact of his betrayal was too much and he collapsed. Even CIMA, who had been feuding with Yoshino & his New Generation, showed genuine sorrow for the Speed Star. Yoshino was helped to the back by Doi and Naoki Tanisaki. You could hear a pin drop in the arena, it was that powerful. If you even like Dragon Gate at all, I’m sure you’ll find something to love here.

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.     . Hope you enjoyed the column. I’m still finding my voice in the puro landscape, so hopefully the column improves steadily. Very soon, Charles Schaeffer of Puroresu Spirit will be starting his own segment. You can expect a review of the Doi/Yokosuka match I mentioned in next week’s edition. I’ll probably get around to watching more of the Kings of Wrestling in NOAH, as well as Dragon Gate Infinity 160. I don’t know how quickly AJPW stuff gets out, but I’m already dying to see Marufuji vs. Devitt for the IWGP Jr. Title, which took place today. See you in February! (…next week…)

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Hello confused button clicker. I’m Justin Houston, scribe behind CHIKARMY Insider and the Chikara DVD Reviews.  I’m debuting a new column here on PWP that’s all about puroresu, or Japanese wrestling to those that think Vince McMahon owns wrestling planet-wide. It’s called Pushing Puroresu and, in time, this will evolve into a place where I’ll express my various, at times divisive, opinions on everything from “Why [insert name] suddenly rules” to “[insert name] has kick-ass gear.” The fill-in-the-blank name is Kotaro Suzuki by the way. There will be Top Ten lists, Classic Matches, fantasy booking and dream match-ups, among other things. I’ll even do a weekly rundown of what, if any, puro I watched during the week, to keep up with the wrestling landscape. Now, many of you puroresu maniacs out there are probably wondering, “Why the fuck is the Chikara guy doin’ the puro column? That’s like asking Elmer Fudd to do commentary for the UFC.” First of all, I don’t understand what that means. Secondly, I’m not a guy who fancies himself one kind of wrestling. I love wrestling, in every form: lucha libre, puro, death matches, American-style, shoot-style, Mid-South, Mid-West, South-West, South…North. Wrestle Mime. Scandinavian…the point is, if there’s a style out there and someone decides to apply its teachings to the rich canvas of a wrestling ring (not a fucking mattress), chances are I’ll find something to like. I’m by no means an expert, but what I lack in complete understanding, I make up for with foam-at-the-mouth rage, blind fist-swinging and a misplaced bravado that would make Stalker Ichikawa blush. As much as I love Chikara, it’s not what reignited my burning passion for this sport six years ago. It’s puroresu. I warn you: this is about as personal an article I could write, so if I come off as a NOAH-obsessed nutjob…it’s because I am. Completely.

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I can tell you the exact moment that wrestling began to frustrate me. It was July 22, 2001, right smack in the middle of this thing called “The Invasion”. Remember how awesome that was? No? Congratulations, you’re a person with thoughts and feelings. It was the cleverly titled “Invasion” pay-per-view. After a few months of watching Steve Austin act like a blubbering idiot, giving gifts and sucking up to Vince…er, “Mr. McMahon”, I found myself wondering if this was the best a competitionless wrestling federation had to offer: “Stone Cold”, the single greatest and most successful gimmick in the history of wrestling, reduced to a sniveling weasel. But the night before the PPV, it seemed the old Austin would be returning. Alas, it was a swerve: he turned on the WWF in the main event of what would become not only one of the most successful non-big event pay-per-views in company history, but, to this day, the very last WWF or WWE PPV I ever bought. That’s not to say I haven’t seen them, of course; friends would occasionally get a SummerSlam or ‘Mania. Then the very first forces behind illegal content on the internet started to pick up steam, so suddenly there became a myriad of ways to watch them. But in eight and a half years, I haven’t paid for one. Haven’t wanted to. Because in late 2005, I found something new. I don’t exactly know where I found out about it, but if I ventured a guess, it’d probably be the Ring of Honor message board. It was Pro Wrestling NOAH. The first puroresu match I remember watching from start to finish was KENTA versus Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title from Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Destiny show on July 18^th, 2005. If you haven’t, I’d watch the match now, as the outcome is spoiled below.

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GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title

Yoshinobu Kanemaru© vs. KENTA - [Part One] : [Part Two]

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I saw the bout sometime in November, downloading it from a website that I visit quite frequently now. It took two viewings for me to understand what exactly puro was supposed to be. I was confused. They didn’t swear, cut promos, dress all that flashy…hell, they didn’t even have signature poses for God’s sake! How was I supposed to respect a man who couldn’t slightly raise his eyebrow? Then they started fighting. Not wrestling, really…they just started pounding each other. I didn’t understand if this was wrestling or martial arts. I started questioning whether it was a real fight or not. It slowly seeped in what the deal was. You see, whenever you experience a new kind of wrestling, it takes some time to figure out what rules they play by. I use the phrase “rules they play by” a lot, as it’s the biggest hurdle to overcome when trying to get into a new wrestling style or promotion. Because I was accustomed to a plodding pace, constant chants, yelling at referees, and over-the-top commentating, I was bewildered at wrestling being treated as a…a…and there it was. Like a lightning bolt rolling through my skin, the mere premise had me fascinated. My brain fritzed and twitched with all sorts of possibilities. I might have been drooling. It was one word: “sport”. It was the first time I ever considered wrestling a sport, even competitive in the least. WCW fucked kayfabe in the anal sphincter, so even while watching, I knew it was just two guys calling spots and putting on a show. Sure, matches like the main event to WrestleMania 20 made me lose my mind in excitement, but it was still a style that, for the most part, I didn’t really care much for anymore: mostly boring matches with bad commentary, stupid stipulations, and terrible storylines behind them. But puro didn’t have or need any of these things. It was pure, adrenaline-fueled combat. Back to the match. Kanemaru was all brainbusters, diving DDTs, and moonsaults. KENTA just kept kicking the ever-loving shit out of Kanemaru, at one point nailing his near legendary Fighting Spirit Busaiku Knee Kick. It took everything KENTA had, but he finally bested Kanemaru, winning the coveted junior belt for the very first time. I marked like a lunatic for the first Go 2 Sleep I ever saw. Up to that moment, it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in a wrestling ring. It was replaced about four and a half minutes later by a match from the same show.

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Legends Collide

Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki – [Part One] : [Part Two]

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I’ve been a shameless mark ever since. Puro introduced me to two concepts that I had never really applied directly to professional wrestling before: storytelling and fighting spirit. Wrestlers paying attention and even harkening back to previous matches was something I picked up on pretty quickly, and I only ever noticed it in Japanese rings. For whatever reason, before puroresu, I never saw a shred of narrative in a WWE or WCW ring. Of course now I have a better appreciation for it, but back then, I didn’t see it. Perhaps the flashy outfits are to blame. Either way, the idea of a wrestler actually learning and game-planning an opponent outside of telling their manager exactly when to distract the referee really fascinated me. Wrestling developed into something more cerebral to me, especially when I started following All-Japan’s epic run in the early to mid-90s. Every move, every gesture that Jumbo Tsuruta made, he did so with a distinct purpose. It was storytelling, and as a guy who was also obsessed with writing at the time, it was magic. On the other side of the coin, there lay fighting spirit, a phrase I had honestly also never heard before. “Fighting spirit”, to me, is defined as a wrestler’s unwillingness to be put down. Many wrestlers seem to have many different definitions, while I’d argue some wrestlers use the phrase without any fucking cohesive definition in mind. But after seeing the visceral, malicious lariats doled out by Stan Hansen, and watching Kenta Kobashi as he refused to quit, I found myself forming said definition. It is the drive in every man to never quit, no matter how badly a six foot four Texan is whipping your ass. In this broad metaphor, Stan Hansen is, say, “The Man”, one’s boss, or perhaps a person’s own self-doubt. See, wrestling picked up for me this century because I started finding all manner of ways to relate life to wrestling and wrestling to life. I started looking at my life and noticing the mistakes that I made: deceiving others, leaning on ego, and even just letting myself get walked on by people. And, like good storytelling, when the time came where I had a choice–fall back on my bad impulses or learn from my mistakes–I started choosing the latter, and reaped immeasurable benefits. And that thing inside me that always reinforced my determination, even when the local paper repeatedly sent me automated “no thanks” e-mails for my work, well…now it had a name. I ended up writing them a three-page essay on the economic ramifications of blowing up a bank in West Virginia. THAT got their attention…and me a personalized e-mail stating, if I wrote them anything ever again, that the letter would be immediately forwarded to county police. But they actually read my shit, so I took it as a win.

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So, clearly I have a passion for this. Don’t worry, though: you don’t need to like wrestling as much as I do to get something from this column. If you do, great. If not, I hope you’re at least slightly amused by my eccentricity. To be fair, I’m sure there will be much more knowledgeable people than me commenting here, many of whom will talk about concepts way over my head. Or no one will comment and I’ll just be the crazy guy who likes puroresu too much. I’m totally fine with that. But my ultimate goal here is to create a dialogue about puroresu that’s fun, engaging, and keeps people talking about a sport that seems to be, unfortunately, slowly withering away. Puroresu (and wrestling in general) will never die off completely, but in today’s wired world, a society that would rather force the magician to show them his trick than suspend their disbelief, I often wonder what the landscape of the sport will be in ten or twenty years. Hopefully, there are still some people left who just want to watch the rabbit materialize from the hat. What follows is a list of the major Japanese wrestling companies and just how much I watch them. It should give you an idea of what to expect in future columns, which I can promise won’t be preachy, or at least not as preachy.

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NOAH – I’m obviously a huge fan of Pro Wrestling NOAH, so you’ll probably be hearing lots about them. However, they are having injury issues of epic proportions there, so who knows how long some of my favorite guys will even be working. KENTA and Kotaro Suzuki are on the shelf for the foreseeable future, and guys like Go Shiozaki, Akira Taue, and Jun Akiyama, all of whom are big draws nursing injuries, may not be far off that list.

Dragon Gate – This is the company I follow the closest. I’m a huge sucker for factions and elimination matches, so DG is pretty much home. This year, the company has gone through a shifting towards more strong-style puro. Fast-paced high flyers like CIMA, Dragon Kid, and BxB Hulk are now mixing in a more combative style like that of YAMATO, Shingo Takagi, and Masaaki Mochizuki. It’s the most fun I have watching wrestling outside of Chikara.

NJPW – New Japan puts on the biggest annual puroresu show anywhere and may be the biggest wrestling company in Japan. I’m not high on a lot of their guys (I’m looking at you, Tiger Mask), but Nakamura and Tanahashi always seem to deliver the goods. They have a fantastic young base, too: Hirooki Goto, Apollo 55, No Limit, and the newest member of TNA, Kazuchika Okada, will keep them strong in the future.

DDT – It’s the wackiest shit you’ll ever lay eyes on. DDT is every other wrestling company in Japan snorted all at once with just a dash of pure crazy. Top talents like Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, and company owner Sanshiro Takagi mingle with crazy characters like Danshoku Dino, YOSHIHIKO, and Michael Nakazawa to form an entertaining juggernaut.

AJPW – Nowadays, not a lot of All-Japan crosses my lap unless Keiji Mutoh or an outsider is involved. I do however watch a TON of the pre-Millennium stuff, specifically early 90s. Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Jumbo, Taue, Kikuchi, Hansen…if you’re into puro as much as I am, these names shouldn’t be unfamiliar.

BJW – Death matches fanatics, I have bad news: blood and gore fests scare the shit out of me. I find it really hard to watch guys like Abdullah Kobayashi and Ryuji Ito erode their lives away with light tubes and razor boards. However, I am getting more into Big Japan thanks to their supreme booking and great use of young talent.

Zero1 – I like what I’ve seen from Zero1, but it’s not something I watch every week…or every other week. But with guys like Tanaka, Kawada, Hidaka, Sawa, the enigmatic Hayato “Jr.” Fujita and some interesting outsiders, I find myself watching more and more.

Others – I don’t watch a lot of joshi unfortunately, but I’m not opposed to it either. Same goes for BattlArts. What I’ve seen, I mostly like. With joshi, some of it I really, really dig. But it’s not something, outside of the Ice Ribbon shows, that hits my radar with much frequency.

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Next week, I’ll be writing about Dragon Gate’s current Open the Dream Gate champion Naruki Doi, and why he’s way more awesome than he gets credit for. I’ll discuss a Classic Puro match, as well as talk about any I happened to watch that week. If there is a God, and if he thinks Morishima could stand to lose a few pounds, he’ll get The Kings of Wrestling vs. Sasaki & Mori match to me pronto!

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I know this was probably hard to swallow, but I promise future editions will be a bit easier to digest. To reward you for your patience, here’s a picture of current GHC World Heavyweight champion Takashi Sugiura living his life fuller than any of us could imagine. See you next week.

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