Loss Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 This is the best Fujiwara match on a yearbook so far. He and Kido are a great match-up and the exchanges are really fluid. Fujiwara's selling is fun to watch because it fits the style and isn't overstated, especially when he's back at a standing position after Kido's legwork. Speaking of Kido and the legwork, it's really well done. And I love Fujiwara trying to get out of the headscissors. But as much as I hate to say it, I just don't see what other people see in the guy, at least not at the level at which he's rated these days. He's a great mat worker yes, but so are lots of guys, and I haven't come across anything yet that makes him stand out from guys like Ikeda and Ishikawa, or even someone like a Dean Malenko. Good wrestling is about momentum to me. Wrestler X takes control for an extended period of time, either due his own opening or a mistake from Wrestler Y. I think what is keeping Fujiwara from really standing out to me is that no matter what happens in his matches, both guys are having another standoff a few minutes later and are right back where they started. So as a result, you get nice exhibition stuff, but it doesn't feel like a match. Everything is sold and executed well, but there doesn't seem to be much consequence when either guy gets in a good shot. Kido, on the other hand, was super impressive. He mixed in pro style moves like the neckbreaker and belly-to-back suplex. The finish was also really well-executed. I don't anyone to take this as me being down on Fujiwara. I'm definitely not. I see the appeal. I just don't see why he's quite as highly regarded as he is based on his '93 stuff so far. It's a small sampling, so that may be the only issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditch Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Fujiwara vs Technician tends to be exhibition-y. It's NOT the sort of matchup that makes him great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 May I ask what Fujiwara matches aren't him vs a technician? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 This is far from a great match but I wouldn't exactly call it an exhibition. It's a fairly competitive bout. What's wrong with restarting from a standing position? It's a hell of a lot more realistic than feeding holds. Anyway, I disagree with Ditch completely. I'd rather watch the Malenko match over cartoony pro-style Fujiwara any day of the week. Fujiwara was great at pro-style but I want to see him wrestle. 1993 into 1994 was pretty much the tail end of Fujiwara's run as the best worker in Japan and I don't think this or the Hase match are anything special but the Hashimoto match from '94 is incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Restarting from a standing position often feels like they're starting the match over too if it's done too many times. And that everything that happened before that is no longer important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomk Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 May I ask what Fujiwara matches aren't him vs a technician? Phil's Complete and Accurate list is here: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2009/08/c...-of-all-of.html Fujiwara v Kido is always neat because they do work as equals, but that makes it unusual and not the norm. Majority of his matches v technicicans aren't worked as though both guys are equal. The majority of the matches that Phil lists as EPIC tend to be Fujiwara v a striker. Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Super Tiger UWF 9/7/84-EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Super Tiger UWF 9/11/85- EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Akira Maeda NJ 1/10/86 - EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Akira Maeda NJ 2/5/86- EPIC (this is more techniciany) Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Riki Choshu NJ 6/9/87- EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Kazuo Yamazaki UWF 7/24/89 - EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Nobuhiko Takada UWF 2/27/90- EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Masakatsu Funaki PWFG 7/26/91-EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Minoru Suzuki PWFG 11/3/91-EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Yusuke Fuke PWFG 2/24/92-EPIC Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Shinya Hashimoto NJ 6/1/94 -EPIC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditch Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Certainly that Choshu match stands out. By 'Technician' I mean more a Joe Malenko or Kido, someone who is overwhelmingly matwork. Guys like Takada and Maeda have the striking element. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomk Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 There are more matworkish Maeda or Takada v Fujiwara matches than the ones I listed, Those are worked again less back and forthish than the Kido/Malenko match. Those are worked with one guy having more strength or fire or something else (guy from above v below): not evenly. The matches I pulled out of Phil's list are ones where opponent does less matwork than you get in average Akiyama match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Franklin Posted September 24, 2012 Report Share Posted September 24, 2012 This was a blast, really fun matwork. Kido has been a pleasant suprise in his appearances in the yearbook, I have enjoyed him every time out. Loved the out of nowhere finish, it has been mentioned that Fujiwara is the master of flash finishes and this is a pretty swank one. Not a MOTYC, but fun and recommended viewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenjo Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 A UWF reunion and wrestled in that style. They did a bit of rope running near the end that felt tacked on. Watchable enough but nothing standout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Ridge Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Bit of a weird submission to finish things. Fujiwara seems to be pulling back on Kido's arm with a leg but it looks a bit awkward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 Fun ending--I actually rather liked the switch to total pro-style when they begin trading wrasslin'-style punches (the old "going toe to toe" spot). Fujiwara's constant attempts at going for the wakigatame are an effective way of putting Kido over as a real threat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Some more Fujiwara showcase wrestling. I thought this was some great grappling built around escapes and was worked snuggly and effectively. The problem I had at times was the lack of desperation and escalation within the match. Kido was fairly limited in this setting to me which also hampered things overall. A nice showcase if nothing else. *** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretta Posted September 11, 2016 Report Share Posted September 11, 2016 This was neither fish nor fowl to me. It seemed like they were trying to work a shoot-style exhibition on a normal pro-style card until the final few minuted when we saw a couple of Irish whips and a couple of nice reverse neckbreakers. Overall, this was really tough for me to get into; they should have either worked a total shoot-style match or a total pro-style match. It may be possible to mix the two, but not in the way they did it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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