Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

[2000-07-30-NJPW] Atsushi Onita vs Riki Choshu (Explosive Barbed Wire Death)


soup23

Recommended Posts

I don't know how to rank this match but I loved it. It worked as the death of Onita if it would have been his curtain call. The opening video package is incredible and then Onita makes his entrance smoking and looks like the baddest motherfucker alive. This match had very few moves and in fact Tatanka/OMG that I watched right before might have had more but this match just oozed atmosphere. The crowd is deflated at Onita getting beat but that was the vibe they were going for and it does hold a lot of gravity when he passes out from the Scorpion. Afterwards we get the triumphant press conference of Choshu. This match is example A of two masters of the less is more approach with a dose of absurd with the explosive stipulation. **** (8.2)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

An incredible and brutal spectacle. The video package is indeed awesome. Onita DOES look like the baddest man on the planet walking to the ring. And Choshu repeatedly kills him in violent ways, sending him into the wire again and again setting off the explosions. Onita tries to fight back with awesome punches right to the groin but Choshu overwhelms him and finally makes him pass out.

 

***1/2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I have to admit that Onita's look here was pretty cool. He'd moved away from the Hong Kong action star look to more of a veteran Yakuza look. His entrance was also pretty cool and he seemed to enjoy soaking up the atmosphere. Good thing too because as soon as Choshu arrived you could tell Onita was on a hiding to nothing. The size difference would have been too much for him to overcome let alone the hornet's nest he stirred up by pissing Riki off. Choshu manhandled him the entire bout and the end result was a lopsided bout where another promotional outsider gets squashed like a bug. Choshu was never going to take a bump into the wire or explosives but they could have at least given Onita some shine. Ah well, he talked a good game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

YES. This was incredible. Great contrast for Onita here compared to the Takagi match in terms of atmosphere and how hes able to work in different environments. The Takagi match was worked on the mat with surprisingly tasteful and subtle use of the barbed wire stipulation, whereas this is the exact opposite and about as big a spectacle as youll ever see. Choshu is MEAN here, just running Onita right in to the explosions. Man are there two better big arena wrestlers than these two? One of my favorites of the year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

This was awesome just for the prematch video and Onita's entrance. No one can do a entrance like that man. The trash being thrown at him just adds to it unlike when WCW did it. As for the match, it's what I expected. Lots of blood from Onita and Choshu walking tall. It was like a Lawler vs outsider match where the babyface takes most of the match. I liked Onita getting out of the crab by grabbing on to the barb wire and it exploding in his face. Great spectacle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • GSR changed the title to [2000-07-30-NJPW] Atsushi Onita vs Riki Choshu (Explosive Barbed Wire Death)

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...