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[1990-09-14-NJPW] Great Muta vs Hiroshi Hase


Loss

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  • 2 months later...

Hase is about as bloody as I've ever seen any wrestler. It had the desired effect, as I was way more into this match than I probably would have been otherwise. I've seen these two face each other a few times now, and I think this is the best outing I've seen them have. I'd credit almost all of that to Hase, where their past matches have been more of a mutual effort. It's not that Muta is bad, but Hase gives a really standout performance. Muto busting out THE MIST was so perfectly timed and really heeled him in front of this crowd. Muto ends up attacking him with ... something awfully big ... and then does a moonsault on him post-match. I loved everything about this.

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Well there is definitely an argument to be made after this match that should have been named the Hase Scale, but I guess for whatever reason the '92 match is the more famous match.

 

I didnt like that match as much. I thought the first 10 minutes was pretty pedestrian and they finally kicked it into second gear with the bladejob. This was a great match in terms of setting up a rematch. I watch most puro in vacuum. I try to do my best to learn the story concerning the match, but usually I am just watching matches without context. This match helped me understand the '92 match so much more. Without having seen this match, I felt Muta was more of a babyface trying to battle back against the blood-thirsty Hase ('92 match), but then I was having trouble reconciling the rest of the match with that segment.

 

Now that I watched this match, I felt Hase was totally justified in wanting to fuck up Muta in the worst way. I guess this match is very similar to when people finally get to watch Savage/Steamboat from Toronto as it adds a lot of context that elevates the enjoyment of the rematch. I watched the '90 and '92 matches back to back and I definitely preferred the '92 match because the intensity and heat was ratcheted up due to how well the '90 match set the table.

 

I do have some questions about the storyline in between this match and the rematch (since they are more than two years apart). I know that Muto/Chono fought Hase/Sasaki for the tag titles. I really liked that match the first time I saw it a couple months ago, but I dont remember Hase specifically targeting Muto any more so than he would Chono. My questions are did Hase/Muto(a) have matches in between the '90 and '92 matches that continued the feud? How separate are the Muto and Muta characters treated? Like is Hase just pissed Great Muta, but still respects Keiji Mutoh? Or does everyone just realize that Muto is a batshit dude and Muta/Muto are treated as one, where Muto busts Great Muta for special occasions?

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Slightly hard to explain... but Muta was the heel side of Mutoh's personality. He typically worked over the top heel as Muta in the early-mid 90s, and dusted it rarely. The irony of course is that "Muta" was the one that won the IWGP the first time, and tended to heel it up. The other irony was that the 1992 match with Hase was wrestled semi-straight before Hase got his "revenge" all those years later.

 

Flip a coin on which is better. I liked the 1992 match more at the time, and generally since, for (i) Hase's payback and (ii) that despite all the bloodbath, they still worked a match around it (i.e. brought the "wrestling spots"), right down to the clean stretch run. 1990 was a bit more garbagey, which is perfectly fine in the context of Muta being a batshit heel.

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This is worked very on-the-level for the first several minutes, which just adds to the effect of the big left turn this match takes when Hase gets busted open on the outside. Hase does a fantastic loss-of-blood sell but won't stay down, then makes a pretty amazing comeback with some hot near-falls of his own. Muta finally has enough after eating an exploder suplex, and we get the Mr. Fuji/Rick Martel finish with the green mist replacing salt as Hase flies off the top turnbuckle. That pisses off the crowd something fierce, and then Muta throws the referee out of the ring and pulls out a stretcher from underneath and goes to town on Hase with it, finally drawing the DQ. One could question New Japan booking a CO and DQ finish for each of the two big matches on this show at this point in puroresu history, but both finishes are effective in their own way.

 

Great stuff. Maybe the only thing holding it back from MOTYC territory was some of that "more distracted than hurt" selling that Mutoh would make an artform out of.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

First thought was that Hase had his throat slashed the way the blood was spraying out over his torso. Hase is a mess. Power elbow and Gotch piledriver but Hase kicks out. Muta uses the green mist, beats up the referee and brings in a weapon to get disqualified. Strong match but continues the string of non finishes in Japan matches.

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  • 2 weeks later...

1st half was straight up good quality wrestling. Then Hase did a meaty blade job. Not as bad as Muta in '92 but still tasty. It then turned into a fight and a beating. Good stuff, although they could have continued wrestling and ended up with the same quality of match. Just would've been less memorable.

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  • 2 years later...

This was a neat little scientific march for a while until Muta said "the hell with this" and rammed Hase into the ringpost. Then it became a war of attrition, as Muta struggled to put the plucky Hase away and Hase struggled to pull the upset before he bled out. Then Muta got frustrated and started attacking everyone in sight, giving Hase the win by DQ but also assuring that he'd need help back to the locker room.

 

This was an effective way to show Muta as the crazy side of Keiji Muto, which NJPW would apparently continue to do from time to time over the years. I liked how he showed off both the green mist and the red mist during the introductions; it reinforced the notion of his unpredictability. So did his choice of weapon to beat Hase down with; the only time I've ever seen a stretcher used as a weapon is in a stretcher match, and even then it's only for a shot or two. Muta used it like he wanted Hase to wear it home around his neck.

 

Impressive blade job from Hase. It's one of the best I've seen outside of ECW.

 

This is a good one if you want to see a different side of Muta than the one WCW promoted. This version could have really given Sting or Luger fits if he'd chosen to remain stateside. The question is: Would Ole have booked him this way? Based on what we've seen from him so far, I doubt that he would have been smart enough.

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  • 1 year later...

Best match for Muta/oh this year, and Hase was so good here. Tons of fire and really worked hard. I thought he was bleeding from the neck for a minute. Well timed mist and the attack with the patio umbrella worked for the match. I'm trying to think what other NJ matches have been this good. Oh, the Sano/Liger match I liked better. This might be top 3 though.

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  • 10 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Hase really makes this match something special. From his slick-as-catshit movements and takedowns in the early goings to him trying to fight through the heavy crimson mask with the crowd at his back, just an awesome performance from Hase. He manages to piss off Muta with slaps and gets tossed out of the ring and split open on the ringpost. Then, back inside the ring, Muta spikes him with a fucking Gotch-style piledriver. Hase’s trying to hulk up but missing opportunities to turn things around, as Muta looks to put him to sleep. But when he does finally turn it around, it’s fantastic – the Northern Lights suplex hold, the suplex onto the floor, the way he staggers in for that awesome uranage. But instead of going for the cover, he makes the mistake of climbing up top, which allows Muta to spray him with the mist. Then Muta loses his cool and gets himself disqualified but he gives zero shits for Hase or the ref or the fans, and hits his moonsault anyway because he’s Muta.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1990-09-14-NJPW] Great Muta vs Hiroshi Hase
  • 5 months later...

The Great Muta vs Hiroshi Hase - NJPW 9/14/90

The match that makes the case that it should actually be named the Hase Scale not the Muta Scale as this predates the more famous rematch by two years. Even though, I prefer the rematch, this match is great in its own right. After re-watching a ton of Great Muta in New Japan last year, I became quite a Muta mark. He is this Horror Movie Monster come to life that stalks his prey, bloodies them and does not sell shit. I think Muta was still crafting the character and we did not get as much as bizarre and violent we would later, but this is still great. I thought everything pre-bladejob was perfectly fine, but nothing stellar. Hase hit a couple big spots. Muta hit his back handspring elbow and used his deathlock, but then Muta rammed Hase's head into the ring post after Hase slapped the paint right off Muta's face, which pissed Muta off. Hase comes up and OH MY GOD! It is a fucking murder scene on his chest. Muta is just in his element as the Slasher movie villain. Biting the cut, slamming it into hard object, power Muta elbow, piledriver all that good stuff. Hase is great at selling all this. He is on jelly legs stumbling and bumbling. I loved Hase's primal roar that preceded his big comeback. What a comeback it was! Hits an excellent backdrop driver,  splash from the top, his patented Northern Lights Suplex, some great work outside to get some payback, a BIG TIME Urnage, but when he went up for the coup d'grace Muta sprayed Green Mist in his eyes! Muta attacked the ref with some metal scaffolding triggering the DQ, but he hits the backbreaker and then moonsaults Hase on top of the scaffolding to put over this hot, new heel wildman charatcer. 

I would definitely check this out before the '92 match as it will enhance an already excellent match and make you cheer Hase harder to get his revenge. Muta had not quite reached the peak of his heel powers, but he was close. This match is much more than epic bladejob by Hase it featured strong work on top by Muta and an impassioned comeback from Hase. **** 

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  • 9 months later...

Excellent stuff. The Great Muta gimmick can be hit and miss with me here but Muta was in full swing with his mannerisms, the difference in style and offence he did compared to his Keiji Muto matches. All was a big hit with me. Him kicking Hase’s ass, causing Hase to bleed heavily. Him throwing some great offence like his chops and back fists was great to see. Hase was a great contrast to Muta. Very straight laced, super babyface here - he great at rallying the crowd behind him, mounting fiery comebacks, along with the face soaked look he had half the match. Hase even was selling when on offence, occasionally stumbling around and upping the urgency of his offence to end the match. Muta getting DQ’d at the end was a perfectly fine finish as well. Protects both guys at this stage. ****1/2
 

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