After last year's show, I was in the mood to watch the following year’s anniversary event as well. It’s probably weaker on paper but the main event should be much better so that’s a plus. Also Taker in Japan is something that intrigues me. Michinoku Pro is probably the best place for him though. He doesn’t stand out as much in regards to his gimmick. He does in size though.
Yone Genjin (w/Miss Mongol) vs. The Magic Man
A short opener between two comedy wrestlers. It wasn’t much of a match, a few moves and the match ends but Magic Man putting on a magic show routine prior to the match is what truly made the match worth having. He popped the crowd with his abilities. He cut an alright promo afterward, declaring Michinoku Pro “Number 1”. **
Chris Candido & The Convict vs. Gran Hamada & Tiger Mask
This was an odd match up. ECW’s Chris Candido teaming with Mexico’s Convict against the Michinoku Boys. We got some cool Hanada offence as well. Some of the punches he threw were so slick and on point. His tornado DDT finish was awesome. Tiger Mask had some cool Tiger Mask moves. He initially had some clunky spots with the convict but grew as the match progressed. Candido looked decent but I’ll be lying if I was to say that he stood out or anything. ***1/4
Satoru Sayama vs. El Satanico
Pretty cool seeing these two face off in 1997. They are a little past time but both are legends of Lucha in their own right. El Satanico had some cool heel work although the crowd didn;t exactly react strongly to it. Sayama was more over and had some of the better spots of the match. Sayama totally commit to the missed tope, lading splat on the outside and him taunting Satanico after he caught onto Satanico’s trap was great. He had some cool kicks and submissions as well. ***1/4
Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Undertaker (w/Bruce Prichard)
This sounds like a promising match up. An Undertaker v A Monk. Two uber characters with a strict way of wrestling. This was pretty disappointing though. I found the match to be quite dull in it’s brawling which got very little heat. Taker was over in his entrance as well. Shinzaki spent the whole time getting beaten down and worked over with few hope spots before Taker put him away. I get Taker looking strong but this was way too much. Shinzaki looked like a chump. DUD
Masato Yakushiji, Naohiro Hoshikawa & Super Delfin vs. Kaientai DX (Dick Togo, Mens Teioh & Shoichi Funaki)
Compared to the year before, this was more down to earth. Less of an Michinoku Pro special and more typical six man tags with a hot finishing stretch. This was more compact compared to last year too but the peaks weren? t as high. Kaientai DX working over Yakushiji was great. They were excellent rudos with their machine like team work, dismissive and arrogant attitudes. The Tecnico side was good in contrast with their flashy triple team moves and their personalities. Yakushuji sold well in the FIP role. Delfin switched the moment back on their side and Hoshukawa had some of the awesome exchanges with Funaki. ****
TAKA Michinoku (w/Victor Quinones) vs. The Great Sasuke
Taka doesn’t seem to have many high profile singles matches under his belt, much less great ones but this is one of them. A career performance for Taka, maybe. I need to watch more of his singles matches though. This is a slow paced match with Taka dishing out most of the offence. I thought his submission on Sasuke was really good. He had some great transitions, blending his scummy but resilient character work in his work. He forced Sasuke to dig down deep to get back control, cutting him off for roughly 25 minutes out of the 28. He had the right amount of flash, skill and malice in his moves. Sasuke worked hard from underneath in turn. Saskue doesn’t have great selling usual but I thought he did a good job here. He wasn’t as spry as he usually is (perhaps due to injury) which enhanced his performance. His comebacks were brief but exciting. The crowd wasn’t great for this but it was never disinterested unlike the Taker match earlier in the night. Great match. ****1/4
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