NJPW Battle Final 1994
IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: Shinya Hashimoto (c) vs. Hiroshi Hase - NJPW Battle Final 1994 - Day 16 13/12/1994
This is Hiroshi Hase’s 1st IWGP Heavyweight title challenge (and presumably his last) and it’s an absolute blast. The crowd was buzzing when Hase came out. Hase is really under-pushed compared to his opponents when he was maybe the best wrestler in New Japan until he left the company, so him getting a huge spot like this does seem like a big deal. Hase is now sporting a new haircut or the occasion as well, adding the spectacle. The match is definitely Hase’s game, too. The match is mostly grappling that goes back and forth between the two wrestlers, with neither willing to give up so easily, creating this never ending struggle for most of it. It wasn’t particularly complicated; it was more the struggle and each of them presented it that made the mat-work so interesting. To me, it seemed like Hase really wanted to smother Hashimoto and make him tap out Hashimoto, being stubborn, and decided to face Hase head on via the work on the ribs (the double foot stomp needs a mention because OUCH!). This led to the explosive closing stretch. This is where Hase always shines as well. Hase slaps Hashimoto, making Hashimoto ire ack and then the match turns into a nail biting test of who's going to all irst. Hase does get a little overzealous when he pops up after two DDTs but it's an incredible “Holy Shit” moment and Hashimoto reacts really well to carry on his momentum towards his eventual win. Hase’s chops were lethal and he was ready for Hashimoto's barrage but Hashimoto continued on and scored the win with a vile spinning wheel kick and a leg hooked brainbuster. What a classic bout. ****3/4
Year End Awards
Match Of The Year: Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu - NJPW Fighting Spirit 1994 - Day 15 17/02/1994
It was a close battle between this match and the last match I watched, Hase/Hashimoto. Both were excellent, top quality matches and both felt like the biggest matches of the year but Hashimoto/Tenryu is more significant in the way it elevated Hashimoto from the champion to THE GUY in New Japan. Tenryu came into the match after defeating Inoki in the Tokyo Dome, so Hashimoto beating him was huge. Or that reason alone, it gets the nod. MOTY.
Wrestler Of The Year: Shinya Hashimoto
Looking at my match listings, it was wondering about who is going to be the New Japan WOTY. but once I sat down to actually write it, Hashimoto was the only one that seemed right. Tenryu main evented the Jan 4th show against Inoki and had the aforementioned MOTY but he had only 4 matches in New Japan. He was out. And the rest were pretty even on who was the best wrestler so it came down to significance once again. Hashimoto had plenty of great matches but his role in the promotion makes him stand out above all.
Feud Of The Year: Tatsumi Fujinami vs Shinya Hashimoto
In reality, it’s likely Chono vs Power Warrior but I can’t for the life of me find anything involving those two post the G1. So we’re left with a small feud that has a little booking creativity that could've gone wrong. Having an ageing Fujinami win against your crowned top guy seems like insanity (and more undermining, if you want to be cynical) but it's worked perfectly in the match that it turns into a stroke of genius that actually puts over Hashimoto when he regains the title in 5 minutes. Plus a feud that gets the best out of 90s Fujinami is always a good thing.
Most Disappointing Match Of The Year: Power Warrior vs. Masahiro Chono - NJPW G1 Climax 1994 - Day 5 07/08/1994
So lame. Chono in recent years had some classics in the G1 and then he gave us this. Power Warrior wasn’t that much better. Quite disappointing.
Top Five Matches Of The Year:
1. Shinya Hashimoto vs. Genichiro Tenryu - 17/2/1994
2. Hiroshi Hase vs. Shinya Hashimoto - 13/12/1994
3. Antonio Inoki vs. Genichiro Tenryu - 04/01/1994
4. Shinya Hashimoto vs. Tatsumi Fujinami - 04/04/1994
5. Jushin Thunder Liger vs. The Great Sasuke - 16/04/1994
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