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[1999-08-25-FMW-Goodbye Hayabusa II] Hayabusa vs Mr Gannosuke


Loss

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  • 1 month later...

Another awesome WRESTLING match from the stars of FMW. I’m pretty sure this was the best wrestling promotion in the world at this point. They do lots of mat stuff, but they work more of a contrast than in the other matches, with Hayabusa’s high flying countering Gannosuke’s ground game. Gannosuke keeps pulling these out of nowhere counters to Hayabusa’s high flying that are just great. He also does this tremendous tricked out pinning combo. Something happened with the finish - I think the referee messed up - and I’m not quite sure what but it didn’t really bother me that much. Another MOTYC from FMW in a banner year for Gannosuke. Fuyuki comes in at the end to present Hayabusa with a bouquet as part of some ceremony and ends up turning on him. The ring fills with his underlings and he and Gannosuke immediately swarm Hayabusa and strip him of his mask and outfit while putting a dog collar around his neck. Heat for this is insane. Just WHOA.

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  • 6 months later...

I liked this more than some of the other FMW matches on the set. Lots of nutty bumps and moves. Gannosuke took a crazy bump off the ring apron to the floor. Seemed like he forgot to kick out on the finish the first time so they had to do it again. Post match was great with my man Fuyuki destroying Hayabusa. I hope we are getting H soon.

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  • 5 months later...

I finally watched this the other day after Loss recommended Fuyuki in the "Best Spectacle Wrestler" thread and I can't stop thinking about the post match angle. I recently rewatched Flair/Steamboat from WrestleWar for the first time in a long time so I don't want to say this is the best post match angle ever...but...um...2nd best post match angle ever? This was incredible. Must see.

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  • 2 months later...

What an amazing, draining match. I felt like my journey with FMW has climaxed with this. Hayabusa was someone I have been unsure of warming up to but he was great here with his huge highspots. Gannosuke is one of my favorite personalities for the year and his cut offs were very effective throughout the match. There was a ton of stuff in this match and a ton of nearfalls but they milked each one to the max and I was on the edge of my seat for the final ten minutes. That post match angle is also an all-timer and a wonderful piece of business. All hail 1999 FMW. ****3/4

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  • 1 year later...

Finally an FMW match that lives up to the hype. Hayabusa is still like the greatest possible Johnny B. Badd in that he'll seemingly always need a fundamentally strong opponent to really have a classic, but Gannosuke comes through with a really great combination of pacing, matwork, and gradual build to the big bombs.

 

The post-match angle is great just because of how long they milk it--like a reverse of the Mark Henry retirement fakeout. Hayabusa gets a ten-bell salute for the retirement of the name, a tear-filled speech, *then* the big attack.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1999-08-25-FMW-Goodbye Hayabusa II] Hayabusa vs Mr Gannosuke
  • 7 months later...

Godamnit! My version does not have the post-match angle! This sounds excellent!

FMW Brass Knuckles Champion Hayabusa vs Mr. Gannosuke - FMW 8/25/99

I feel like Hayabusa is the missing link between 90s workrate and 2000s workrate. To me 90s workrate is action-based pro wrestling, but still rooted in the fundamentals of presenting pro wrestling as a shoot contest two men are trying to win. Chris Benoit for better or worse exemplifies 90s workrate in my mind. It is always moving, go forward, offensive style, BUT the move have consequences and selling matters. The objective is to win the match and by-product is the fans are entertained. I think the majority of 2000s workrate is the objective is to entertain the fans and the by-product is the moves lose consequence. The spots pop the fans rather than the fans popping for the workers. "This is awesome" epitomizes the idea that the MOVEZ are over, but the wrestlers are not in my opinion. I am not a huge Hayabusa fan, but I dont hate him either. I think he is legitimately a great flier even if he is bereft of psychology at times. He definitely puts his spots ahead of the match and he also is guilty of overly cooperative sequences. I hate reversals without any struggle that lead to an overly intricate spot. There are times when Gannosuke throws him down with a powerbomb and he is hitting the next move. It just reeks of today's matches. Now unlike today it is NOT 100% of the time and some of his spots are legitimately great so I am saying the match sucked. I am just saying Hayabusa is that missing link. As 90s workrate is transforming into 2000s workrate is all. 

I thought the beginning was excellent as Hayabusa was keeping Gannosuke off-balance with his speed using armdrags and a great swandive to the floor. I liked the arm control segment for Hayabusa, good selling from Gannosuke.  Gannosuke is not exactly Randy Orton, but he hits an Ace Crusher when Hayabusa went for a springboard move. I like how Gannosuke targeted the head once he was on top. There is a great sequence where Hayabusa snaps off a rana to create space. He hits a baseball slide, but doesnt get all of it so Gannosuke is able to trip him and drag him out. He hits A MASSIVE POWERBOMB ON THE CONCRETE! I marked out for that! Much to my chagrin, Hayabusa was the one hitting a rana off the apron and then an Asai Moonsault. It was stuff like that that would really undercut the match. It was not so bad to take me out of the entire match, but it did hurt it in my eyes. It really became about Hayabusa high-risk moves vs Gannosuke's power moves. There is definitely some All Japan King's Road that seeps in too with the no-sell suplex pop ups and lariats. It was so en vogue.   Hayabusa was busting out the 450 Splash, Shooting Star Press and Phoenix Splash. Im such a mark for a good 450 Splash. Maybe my favorite move ever. Hayabusa has a great one. I liked how the Shooting Star Press missed great way to put over the high risk nature and give Gannosuke an organic opening. Gannosuke was really able to throw Hayabusa around. Liked the tombstone reversal a lot, always a great spot! A good one for Gannosuke to hit his version of a piledriver! He did the Full Nelson Camel Clutch again that he did to Tanaka. It looks awesome. Someone should steal that for today. Gannosuke's big finish run peaks with his backwards piledriver from the top rope. I didnt feel like the transition back to Hayabusa was well done. Instead of Hayabusa earning it, it just felt "Ok now it is my turn" and he just kicked him in the head. The Phoenix Splash was not his best as he over shot the target and it was knees that hit Gannosuke in the midsection. Falcon's Arrow! It looks like the ref fucks up the finish, but Hayabusa hits another Falcon's Arrow to win it. 

It was entertaining enough. I think WWE fans today would LOVE this match! It is better than the average WWE match today because it does have a real babyface vs heel feel and you do want Hayabusa to win so you rally around him. The transitions could be a lot better. This was a part of their grand Goodbye Hayabusa storyline. I am missing the post-match angle, but apparently it is an all-timer. I gathered Hayabusa retires along with Brass Knuckles Championship, but evil Kodo Fuyuki attacks him after the match and awards himself the new WEW Heavyweight Championship. This leads to the 10th Anniversary show in November where Masato Tanaka beats Fuyuki for the new championship and Hayabusa returns unmasked, a short blond dye job and Stevie Richards shorts to take Mr. Gannosuke who is posing as Hayabusa with get this Shawn Fucking Michaels as the special guest ref. Jesus that sounds so weird and awesome all that same time. I should really track that show down. Anyways, I enjoyed the match, far from perfect, but I think it is really interesting especially in the context of how pro wrestling changed in the next 20 years. ***3/4

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