[1997-04-29-FMW] Hayabusa vs Mr Gannosuke (Hair vs Hair)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I love Hayabusa's entrance music and want an mp3 of it! Pretty cool match. I could see Gannosuke as a foreign heel in an 80s territory, coming in for a brief house show run with Dusty Rhodes. I didn't care for the early stages of this, as I think these guys are good enough to just work a straight up wrestling match without the weapons shots and keep my interest. But that's what the match eventually came, and that's when it become solid. This match does represent one of my favorite things about FMW -- even with all the garbage wrestling, the psychology here is more American-style than in any Japanese promotion and maybe even more than a lot of ECW.

 

Big post-match angle, as Hayabusa does some type of tear-filled promo after the match while Gannosuke sulks over his loss. He offers a handshake and Gannosuke teases it before attacking him and ripping off his mask. He's about to set Hayabusa on fire (!!) when Jinsei Shinzaki makes the save and Gannosuke bails, but grabs a house mic on the way out to vow that this isn't over. Good match and I loved the angle. They keep playing that awesome Hayabusa theme, which adds so much to the moment.

[FLIK]

as Hayabusa does some type of tear-filled promo

Short version

 

Since they were buddies since college, Hayabusa wanted Gannosuke to rejoin the FMW side when he returned to the company whear as everyone else hated him for abandoning the promotion after Onita left so post match Hayabusa offers Gan the chance to not shave his head and join him again which he refuses.

[Childs]

I enjoyed Gannosuke playing a traditional scumbag heel and dishonoring the stip. But I probably liked the post-match better than the match itself. Hayabusa certainly had some physical tools and plenty of courage. I just never felt the emotion he displayed afterward in the performance. He just seemed like a guy attempting highspot after highspot.

[Kevin Ridge]

Hayabusa was just running through his move set during this. Go-go style? Felt like a video game. FMW has changed since the early yearbooks. A few weapon shots aside, they are still mostly trying to wrestle in the ring. Hayabusa taking a page out of the Onita playbook with a post match tearful promo. Mr. Gannosuke beats him up for that and then takes his mask!! Take that. There is no crying in wrestling. Hayabusa’s theme is cool and fits in during the post match angle.

[soup23]

This was filled with cool stuff but I was left cold as it felt rushed for a big stipulation match. Part of that may be that they knew what the ending angle would be so they didn't want to blow everything here but I also was not crazy about the ending angle and Busa being blatantly unmasked in this fashion.

[FLIK]

but I was left cold as it felt rushed for a big stipulation match

Only goes 12+ mins, their shortest match ever not counting their rookie stuff

 

and Busa being blatantly unmasked in this fashion.

Hayabusa was more of an alter ego type thing then a traditional "masked mystery man" gimmick, like Muta/Mutoh. Everyone had allready seen him unmasked multiple times and knew he was the former Eiji Ezaki so in that sense it wasn't a big deal.

[soup23]

I know he had been unmasked before but in regards to Liger whne he gets his masked ripped, its a big deal. This may have catapulted their feud, but it felt like a massive cheat to me. I never appreciate a stipulation match ending when the winner receives the thing he put up at stake.

[PeteF3]

I agree with Kevin and Chad on the rushed nature of this. I didn't really see any psychology at all--it was total move, kickout, move, kickout, move...same issue as the Champions Carnival finals. They did hit their stuff well and they have a cool variety of stuff, both guys, but...I didn't feel much emotional connection to what was going on. And the weaseling out on the stips was very Cornette-in-SMW, and in this case that's not a good thing. FMW's golf announcers absolutely kill me, too. Shinzaki's save was well done, at least.