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[1984-07-23-UWF] Super Tiger & Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda & Yoshiaki Fujiwara


bradhindsight

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Great match. I liked a lot of things from this tag, with the highlights being:

 

- Super Tiger's kicks were fantastic. He and Maeda trading them created quite the buzz

- Super Tiger aborting a knee drop when Maeda moved and firing off a back spin kick, sending him into the corner

- Super Tiger hits a tombstone on Fujiwara, followed by a diving head butt across the ring (complete with replay)

- Later in the match when he's tagged back in, Fujiwara fires off a bunch of pissed-off headbutts on Super Tiger

- Fujiwara and Takada trading bridges four consecutive times

 

I thought Fujiwara really made Takada and Super Tiger look great. He took most of the damage here, although each match-up brought a lot of energy, which is great when you have big stars like this. The only disappointment here, for me, was the ending stetch with Takada working a headlock over Fujiwara in the middle of the ring for quite some time. Seemed odd that the heel (or more heelish maybe) wouldn't be doing that. Flat ending with Fujiwara hitting an out of nowhere, somewhat pedestrian German suplex on him and using a bridge for the win. I did like that little callback with the bridge to their previous reversals but I'm always a little sour on endings where the guy just kind of takes the move and watches the ref count three without any kind of struggle.

 

This match was ranked 12/75 in the Other Japan 80s poll.

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This is a classic example of a big star tag match. It isn't a shootstyle match (missile dropkicks, top rope headbutts ect), this is your main eventers matching up. Lots of heat, guys getting off their big moves, and setting up your singles matches. The kind of match that would headline a Smackdown PPV. I enjoy stuff like that, although it isn't a match that was particularly high on my Other Japan ballot. This was a nice table setter for Takada v. Maeda and Fujiwara v. Super Tiger which are the big two feuds in the early part of UWF 1. I could see this match making me want to see those singles matches, especially Fujiwara v. Super Tiger. Super Tiger really comes off great here, as it almost feels like he is more over in early UWF1 then he is later. He is also throwing nastier kicks then either Maeda or Takada. Fujiwara is Fujiwara, and he has the charisma that is really need to pull of this kind of star based match.

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  • 1 year later...

Super Tiger & Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda & Yoshiaki Fujiwara - UWF 7/23/84

 

It is hard to call anything that features a tombstone piledriver, diving top rope headbutt and somersault from a guy wearing Tiger Mask shoot-style, but we all gotta start somewhere. Really enjoyable match! All these guys are from New Japan so not so shockingly this feels like a New Japan match. All Japan was always the bomb-heavy more American pro style promotion. Much like the New Japan I have seen this is focused on grappling with the highspots being more along the lines of flashy karate or amateur throws. I can already tell that Fujiwara was a huge omission to my list. His headbutts were fucking nasty. I loved his general dickishness. He was the first to throw a strike, an open hand slap to Super Tiger. I loved his bridge/snapmare sequence with Takada. He was great on the mat and really kicked some Takada ass.

 

The story of the match was that Super Tiger would build up an advantage through his karate kicks and high spots. Then he would tag out to Takada. Takada was totally game and he really tried his best, but he would be overwhelmed by his more experienced opponents. As much as Fujiwara kicked ass in this match and as much as Super Tiger wowed with this highspots, I thought Takada was the MVP of this match. He was a perfect, wet behind the ears white meat babyface. He was just a notch below Fujiwara and Maeda in kayfabe, but he never shied away from the moment. He was going to try his hardest. I loved the finish stretch because after all that grueling action it looked like all of Takada's hard work was going to pay off and he was score a massive upset over Fujiwara. Missile dropkick! Belly to Belly! Fujiwara is able to wrangle him into a German suplex bridge (not really a throw, more of a pinning combination, wonder if the Tanahashi haters will bash him for that) to put Takada down. So close, but yet so far away.

 

Just a quick word on Maeda, did not show me much. He just seemed there. Inoffensive. Really entertaining match. Thought three of the four really contributed different elements and it told a great story. ****1/4

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  • 2 years later...

This sets the stages for two of the biggest feuds in early UWF between Tiger/Fujiwara and Takada/Maeda. Fujiwara is the man here and he makes everyone look money, between his grappling and bridging dance off with Takada or his headbutt barrage to Tiger. Super Tiger is motivated and angsty with kicks. There’s a great spot where he’s laying into Maeda with kicks and goes for the kneedrop, shifting gears midair when Maeda rolls through to his feet to land a solebutt. Maeda is not the standout here for obvious reasons but he does hit a powerbomb! The second half picks up on the offensive front with piledrivers, headbutts (diving and otherwise), and suplexes galore. Takada brings the fire out of Fujiwara after paintbrushing him with slaps and Fujiwara carries that flame through to the finish, pinning Takada with the low bridging German suplex hold.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1984-07-23-UWF] Super Tiger & Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda & Yoshiaki Fujiwara
  • 1 year later...

This was a cool big UWF tag team match. There is still fairly early for the promotion so this was still half way into shoot style but there was still a “New Japan” vibe I got from this. Tiger comes off the rope once or twice to success (he doesn’t as the style progresses). They set up some great match ups down the line - Tiger vs Fujiwara plus Fujiwara v Takada. I thought everyone except Maeda was pretty great in this. Maeda seemed to disappear in favour of highlighting Tiger which was the right choice. I dug Takada a lot. He was the clear bottom rung of the match and worked like such. He held on for the face locks with tons of desperation in fear of Fujiwara getting control. Tiger was a star though. Everything he did the crowd responded to. He threw some great kicks and worked in his usual Tiger Mask style well into the match. Fujiwara was always good as always at selling or dishing out offence. ****

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