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[2017-06-11-NJPW-Dominion] Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito


soup23

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I really enjoyed the Dome match as it is in my top 10 for the year at this point. As a result, this disappointed me a good deal. I thought the beginning was going to have an even more heel Tanahashi which I was all for with him jumping Naito before the bell on the outside and them battling with Naito in his suit. Naito spitting at the crowd was amazing too. Then Naito started working over the arm and it was a great attack, that Tana didn't really seem that affected by throughout the rest of the match. Sure, he cringed here and there but he continued to use the right hand a ton in his forearms and ending match Swingblades. Selling can be objective and I don't think I am overly intense with wanting a limb completely neutralized but that was the focal point of Naito exclusively. Couple that with Tana winning with a Cloverleaf where he worked over the legs of Naito 1/10th of the time as his arm was worked on and this felt like some weird one step forward two steps back booking for New Japan. Tanahashi calls himself the ace but his glory years are done. ***1/2

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I felt this exceeded my expectations and the selling of the arm by Tanahashi really convinced me as a viewer that he was really working off of one arm. I felt this surpassed Okada/Omega II later in the night in so many facets when it comes to continuity and the selling. Both matches are great but I felt that both Naito and Tanahashi's charisma shined through and had me at the edge of my seat at every turn. Probably my 2nd or 3rd best match of the year and we have seen a lot of great ones. *****

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  • 1 month later...

I loved this as a sequel to 1/4 with the build around Tanahashi's partially torn bicep. Tanhashi's selling throughout was tremendous. Felt gritty with the extended brawl pre-bell and all the strikes and slaps. SUPER DESTINO was a great nearfall. I thought the english commentary actively added to this match also. Liked Tanhashi's fiery comeback, although the extended cloverleaf for the finish didn't connect with me (not doubting he did a good job using the dragon whip early as a transition to fight off the arm work). I thought this was great. ****1/2 .

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I really liked the Dome match and feel it often gets overlooked, but I think this slightly outdid their previous encounter. Tanahashi going after him early was great and really liked how he kept the aggression going throughout the match (looked like he was damn near throat-punching him from the mount position). As a whole I felt there was a lot more desperation and urgency to this bout and it fit perfectly considering the story. Naito was great as always and judging by Tana's performances in Long Beach, carried him to something very good.

 

****1/4.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm with Soup as far as thinking that this was below their January match. But, my big problem was this was that it didn't seem like Naito was using the arm to really try to win. He mostly just used it as filler, by yanking on it, and the armbars were nice, but nothing that seemed like it would get the submission. The one time it seemed like he was trying to use the arm to win, when he attempted the Destino after Tanahashi wiped out on the High Fly Flow, Tanahashi blocked it. I thought Tanahashi's selling was great. and he added some smart touches. The knee wasn't worked over nearly as much as it should have been for being the finish, they made up for that with letting Naito linger in the Cloverleaf for a bit before he gave up.

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  • 7 months later...

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW 6/11/17

 

First Fifteen Minutes: Fucking eh! Best first fifteen minutes I have seen out of New Japan in 2017. Hatred, intensity, energy and great psychology. I love that Tanahashi jumps Naito while Naito is still in his entrance get up. We see a pissed off Tanahashi. I don't think I have seen that before. I loved Tanahashi dropkicking him off the apron. Tanahashi has a sleeve on the arm. He European uppercuts Naito and favors his arm. Naito takes advantage. I love how the crowd is booing everything Naito does. Naito goes for an armbar takedown and is able to dropkick the arm. He takes off his entrance gear to do his signature pose! I love it! Naito does a great job of mixing strong psychology with heel tactics. Holding onto a short arm scissors in the ropes, getting boobs. Spitting on Tanahashi, slapping him in the back of the head. Tanahashi cant take it, double legs him and wails on him and they boo! I love the consistency from the audience. One Japanese teenager gives Tanahashi a polite golf clap as he spits on Naito. Awesome! I love Tanahashi getting gnarly. He goes for the leg, but Naito fights it off. Springboard dropkick to the arm. NICE! Naito goes for that signature Jeff Hardy like mule kick in the corner and Tanahashi CATCHES HIM INTO A DRAGON LEG WHIP! I marked out so hard. Single leg trip to the outside. Dragon leg screw. HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE OUTSIDE! Tanahashi goes for the Texas Cloverleaf, but cant get it. Another dragon leg screw, but Naito blocks and wrings Tanahashi down by the arm. I am loving Naito commitment to the arm and being a heel. SWEET running dropkick to the arm. He gets his mule kick right to the arm.

 

Last Ten Minutes: Naito continues the good arm work, holds, attacking in a chickenwing, backbreaker on the arm. Top Rope Frakensteiner, but Tanahashi rolls through. Good hope spot. HIGH FLY FLOW! Crashes and burns. Amazing selling by Tanahashi. I have to say that throughout this match great selling by Tanahashi. Slaps are exchanged. I always forget that a strike exchange has to happen. Tanahashi gets a great Human Capture Suplex out of this. His arm cant hold up. Naito gets a tornado DDT, German Suplex and a Destino. Three head drops, BUT Tanahashi survives! Naito goes for Destino again like at 1/4, but Tanahashi's arm cant hold up. The arm work worked against Naito! Sling Blade! Nakamura's taunt?!? HIGH FLY FLOW! 1-2-NO! TEXAS CLOVERLEAF! Naito taps out. What the hell! A submission victory in Japan, when the hell does that ever happen.

 

New Japan MOTY of 2017. Hiroshi Tanahashi does it again. He is the greatest of his generation. ****3/4

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  • GSR changed the title to [2017-06-11-NJPW-Dominion] Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito

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