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NJPW, 11/4/02 (SXW/WPW) (Buy)
Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #11 2,200 Fans - Super No Vacancy
1. El Samurai beat Naofumi Yamamoto (5:07) with a cross armbreaker.
The final show of "FIGHTING SPIRIT SERIES 2002" was a somewhat minor WPW/SXW joint taping when compared to the big double header in the middle (Fukuoka International Center on 10/26, and Kobe World Hall on 10/27). It took place at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #11, one section of a huge facility. This is a lavish building, but you couldn't really tell that from watching the TV broadcast, as the seating areas were blacked out, despite there being a sell out crowd on hand. I got the SXW version of this, so there was some clipping. I think it was worth it though, just to see the SXW special feature. El Samurai vs. Yamamoto kicked things off, and was a traditional veteran vs. young lion opener. Despite the huge difference in experience, Yamamoto was able to control Sammy for a while, troubling him by repeatedly by going back to a cross armbreaker. The rookie again looked very confident and showed big potential so early in his career. Ultimately, of course, the veteran wound up winning, Samurai landing a diving headbutt, before slapping on a cross armbreaker for the tap. As a follow-up to the last SXW, today's show had a special feature on AKIRA's acting career. This was another entertaining insight to AKIRA's other profession, in which he seems a natural talent, just like in pro wrestling. They showed him and the other cast members of "MAKOTO" (no relation to the wrestler) practicing an intense fight scene, where AKIRA seemed to be some kind of gang leader opposing the police. He had a cool battle scene with another guy using blades, and ended up getting stabbed. After a dramatic pause, where he slowly dropped his weapon, he fell down a big flight of stairs (he was wearing pads, but it still had to hurt). Nishimura & Yoshie vs. Wolf & Yano had a similar theme to the opener, that being two experienced stars against two youngsters (though Yoshie isn't much older than Wolf in reality, but experience-wise they're years apart). Wolf is already able to match up well to the top dogs, but Yano is still in his first year and has to work his way up. A very nice 10 minute match, almost half of which saw Nishimura and Wolf grapple on the mat. When Yoshie was tagged, he and Wolf clashed in typical power fighting fashion, beating each other red with some brutal chops (especially Yoshie's). Yano's first involvement stunned the crowd, as he lifted big Yoshie's frame into a Canadian backbreaker! Nishimura eventually put Yano away with ease, applying a Cobra Twist, and forcing a submission. I thought Kakihara, Naruse & Wataru vs. Dragon & The Havana Pitbulls was the best match featuring the L.A. Dojo trio aired so far. Much of the match was the Pitbulls fighting the New Japan army trio, with Dragon again obscure and failing to make his presence felt. That changed right near the end though, when he and Wataru were tagged, and had a hot closing sequence that brought the quiet crowd to life. The best part was when Wataru had the Triangle Lancer on Dragon, but wouldn't break it when Rocky & Ricky kicked the heck out of him. When they were cleared out of the way, he succumbed to the pain, falling down. He countered a Dragon suplex nicely with a Samson clutch for a close count, but Dragon caught him in another full nelson, spiking him with a Dragon suplex hold for the win. So the L.A. trio were victorious at the end of their first full tour with New Japan, one where they didn't win as much as they were hoping, and as much as people were probably expecting, but did well. I was disappointed with Dragon overall, given that he was the leader of this pack, but his performance at the end of this bout made me want to see him back in New Japan. As for the Havana Pitbulls, they need to return and challenge for the IWGP Jr. Tag Title, they would be perfect for the junior tag division on a regular basis. Makabe & Fujita took on Hiro & Goto, and probably weren't expecting the beating they got. They made the mistake of attacking the old guard at the entrance curtain, and from then on the match was mostly a brawl. But the veterans had been incited, and made the young punks pay. This was one-sided destruction, with almost no offense from Makabe & Fujita, just some bursts. Makabe was cut open, and by the end of the match half of his face was coated in blood. Once again, like on 10/27, he was surprisingly dominated, while Fujita was a non-factor, too weak to compete and thrown out of the ring whenever he interfered. Hiro & Goto used every trick in the book, from the tag rope choking to the double teaming, and Makabe & Fujita had no answer. In the end, Goto was DQ'd for his assault, but didn't seem like the loser. What they didn't show on TV was Norton running in to save Makabe, setting them up as a unit for the upcoming heavyweight version of Triathlon Survivor. Tanaken vs. Norton & Jack was easily the best televised match featuring Jack The Bull. He did look improved somewhat, but I think Kenzo and moreso Tanahashi's skill made him look better than he is. He was cursing up a storm in this one, f-this and f-that, even calling Kenzo a "bitch". Norton hit really hard in this match, throwing some of the most brutal chops imaginable. In the end, the earlier insult came back to haunt the L.A. Dojo import, as Kenzo made Jack his "bitch" with the Hagakure. The second to last match was the Jr. Triathlon Survivor final, with the colourful team of Liger, Heat & Tiger Mask facing the three thugs, Kanemoto, Jado & Gedo. Team Liger entered to Heat's music, and no complaints from me about that. The rules were modified for this one, with six man tag first, regular tag second, and singles match third. Definitely a more logical and effective approach that was followed through on by the heavyweights. The first fall lasted around 10 minutes, and was kind of dull. Again, the Jado & Gedo monotonous beatdown style brought things to a crawl, with the versatile talents of the masked team and Kanemoto not being utilized. As soon as this ended though, there was a steep uphill rise, and things got really good. Liger found himself alone with Jado, and after surviving the Crossface of JADO, spiked him with a brainbuster for the opening fall victory. The second fall, Heat & Tiger Mask vs. Kanemoto & Gedo, was short and very action-packed. Tiger used two Tiger suplex holds on Gedo, but the Superfly was saved both times. Kanemoto hit Tiger with a Falcon Arrow, and Gedo followed with a Superfly splash for the count, to tie things. This set up a rematch from 10/14 to decide the tournament, Heat vs. Kanemoto! This rivalry can be compared somewhat to Nagata vs. Chono in how it has progressed. At first with both feuds, I was disappointed with the match content, but it improved, and then all of a sudden they looked great working against each other. After their excellent match at the Tokyo Dome, they again tore the house down here with a terrific 10 minutes of action. Tanaka is growing in confidence under the mask, and it is starting to show, as fans seem to be taking to him more (there was a "Heat! Heat! Heat!" chant during the match), and more authority is put into his moves. Remember, there was once a masked man who fans considered a disappointment, but with time he became one of the greatest and remains in the hearts of many. That man was Jushin Liger, later renamed Jushin Thunder Liger. This match had tons of action, including a new move by Heat where his victim is draped over the ropes, and he hits a missile dropkick. They traded ankle holds by sliding under each other, a neat counter sequence. In the end, Heat continued to struggle against Kanemoto, falling to a modified Falcon Arrow, where Kanemoto clutched a leg to add impact. After winning the Best of the Super Jr. and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title, both over Minoru Tanaka, Kanemoto sank the same man to capture his third crown of the year. After a slow start, this turned into a really strong match. Although the tournament wasn't memorable, it worked well as a trial for the heavyweight version, and as a feature concept on the series. Finally, it was time for the decisive New Japan vs. Makai Club Vol. 3 match, this one 2/3 falls. This was very important, because the two sides were tied at 1-1, and the winner of this would gain political power for the 12/10 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium event, specifically rights to name challengers for the IWGP belts. The Club wore masks to the ring, even Yasuda, who provoked Nagata by refusing to take it off. Nagata more or less did that for him though. This was another of those matches that was long when you accumulate the match time of falls, but as a whole felt short and fast paced. As is becoming the norm, there was far more heat for this match than any other. The fans were of course solidly behind Shinnichi, cheering their favourites. There was an especially present buzz for Iizuka vs. Murakami, a revival of the big feud from 2000 which Iizuka dominated. Once again, like on 10/26 and 10/27 when representing New Japan, Nakanishi looked like a suitable ace for New Japan, perhaps moreso than the current leader, Nagata. He brought the crowd to it's feet with his hollaring and signature moves, and put Makai #2 away with a picture perfect German suplex hold to take the first fall after nearly 10 minutes. New Japan remained on top in the second fall, but Chono and Nagata made a big mistake by tearing at masks. Nagata got Makai #2's mask off completely, and he had to cover up, but Chono had difficulties taking Super Strong Makai's hood, and threw the referee down in anger. As a result, he was DQ'd, Chono wastefully dropping a fall for New Japan and making things 1-1. The final fall was wild, with a new Makai showing up in a suit, and taking out Team New Japan members at ringside with knee shots. Makai cheated and cheated and cheated, with Hoshino tripping a New Japan team member at one point. Nagata survived a long sleeper hold from Yasuda by reaching the ropes. Yasuda hit a double-arm suplex, and Makai #2 followed with a diving body press. Finally, Murakami leapt on to Nagata, threw a flurry of punches, then quickly hooked both legs for the sudden and surprising pinfall win over the IWGP Heavyweight Champion! The building fell to a hush, as no one had expected that. Although they were incredibly outwrestled, Makai snuck through to victory and won matchmaking rights for the title matches on 12/10 in Osaka! Murakami would be named as Nagata's challenger for the big one following this win, while Yasuda & Yanagisawa would gun for Chono & Tenzan's IWGP Tag Team Title. Another hot main event between the two sides, with Makai leaving this tour again on top. Not really essential viewing for anyone but New Japan diehards, but a decent show. They didn't present huge matches like the other TV tapings on the tour, but the main event was important in setting up the traditional December show in Osaka. The Jr. Triathlon Survivor final was very good, and there was some other solid action, including the New Japan vs. L.A. Dojo junior six man tag.
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beat Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto (9:22) when Goto was DQ'd.