NJPW Hyper Battle 1997

NJPW Hyper Battle 1997

 

Keiji Muto, Kensuke Sasaki, Lord Steven Regal, Manabu Nakanishi & Shinya Hashimoto vs. nWo Japan (Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Marcus Bagwell, Masahiro Chono, nWo Sting & Scott Norton) - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 12 - 20/03/1997

It took me awhile to get that this was elimination rules but this is. How fun. The early stages are typical for this stipulation. Frequent tags, people coming in and out. It doesn’t have a substantial sequence until Muto and Chono get into the ring, although Buff’s posing got over with the crowd and made his stand out. Chono and Muto lead to bigger things such as Kensuke Sasaki getting swiped by Muto which knocked him on the apron. As a result Sasaki comes in and hits Muto with a lariat, which causes Muto’s elimination. Big surprising result and so early on. Rather than stay, Muto walks backstage in a huff. More hints that Muto is losing his edge and not himself (N.W.O!). The match is fine but isn’t very exciting. Nakanishi and Sasaki get eliminated by NWO Sting and Bagwell in uninpressive fashion. What is key is the NWO’s dominance at this point. 5 vs 2. Hashimoto stiffs everyone who steps in front of him and Regal is able to roll up Tenzan for the pin. Hashimoto continues on his mission to brain and kill everyone, kicking the match into its much needed second gear. Regal again follows up by pinning NWO Sting aka Stink. But he falls victim to the numbers game as the NWO members gang up on him, and he’s gone. Hashimoto is in trouble but the crowd suddenly comes alive when The Great Muta shows up!!! Chono is thrown off initially but resumes leading the assault. Hashimoto’s great in these sequences fighting 1 against 3. He’s diving out of the way of moves, throwing himself at everyone and his selling…is superb. Then came time for Muta to get involved. Chono invited Muta to attack Hashimoto but he instead misted Chono in the face and got a rapturous applause. Despite all this, it got too much and Norton pinned Hashimoto. Big angle with a plausible finish. The match was very ordinary until half way through but still lacked the energy and drama of previous versions of this match. ***1/2

Satoshi Kojima vs. Hiro Saito - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 15 - 25/03/1997

A solid match. Saito is no longer a top tier worker but he can do a decent job in these small matches. Kojima doesn't exactly shine in this match but he is fine all the same. Kojima wins to make it 1-0 New Japan. **1/2

Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Manabu Nakanishi - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 15 - 25/03/1997

Nakanishi, raw and wild, quickly attacks Tenzan and gets a head start on Tenzan. He pretty much dominates this match but fails to get the job done. Tenzan gets the win but not before he gets dumbed on his head. **1/4

Lord Steven Regal vs. Marcus Bagwell - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 15 - 25/03/1997

A waste of Regal but Bagwell seemed to be getting over and they are suited opponents. A few funny comedic spots but like I said, it's a waste. **

Kensuke Sasaki vs. nWo Sting - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 15 - 25/03/1997

Another fine but underwhelming match. Jeff Farmer is huge. Sasaki isn't exactly small but he looks tiny in comparison. Sasaki still beats him though. **1/2

Keiji Muto vs. Masahiro Chono - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 15 - 25/03/1997

This starts out hot. The NWO attacks Muto on the floor while Chono waits inside. Chono takes advantage but Muto is able to get some offence in and even things up a little. There is a great exchange of kicks which led to a cool dragon screw counter by Muto. But at the end of the day, Chono is able to outwit Mutoh, low blowing him and hitting the Kenka Kick to win the match. Muto loses again! ***1/4

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Scott Norton - NJPW Hyper Battle 1997 - Day 15 - 25/03/1997

This series has been a bit of a dud but the last two matches were a great finish to it and make it worthwhile. This was a simple yet brutal match. Both men sell well to show the effects of the match. Both batter each other with force. It only goes 11 but that’s all this needed. Norton gets a super strong win to end the series 4-2. The crowd seems to have been stunned by the win, probably because Hashimoto got pinned by Norton on the 20th too. Strong push for Norton along with the NWO. ***1/2