By R.W. Andrews
Part IV: A Painful Goodbye
After falling short at the G1, Minoru Suzuki gets a chance to prove that his Madden cover misfortune has been nothing more than a fluke. He gets another match against Yuji Nagata – one that could even the series and very well keep him in the hunt for another title shot. But Nagata also has his sights set on climbing back into the title picture, and what better way to stake that claim than by proving his dominance against a fellow master of the craft.
Match 6 – Yuji Nagata vs Minoru Suzuki
Wrestle Kingdom 7 at the Tokyo Dome
January 4, 2013
The Tokyo Dome is more gorgeous than ever, the entrance adorned with a massive screen offset from a wall of blue spotlights flanked by two towering walls above the NJPW Lion’s Head. A man in a white cowboy hat begins to hit licks off of a guitar. The camera pans right, revealing Ayumi Nakamura (per the internet) draped in all white, her hair cropped short in a Fish Called Wanda cut. Her vocals meld seamlessly with the strings to form a live rendition of Kaze Ni Nare as the spotlights strobe blue and red. Suzuki strolls out to a dome singing as one, his fist raised high to bump knuckles with the songstress championing his cause. As he makes the long trek to the ring, he points to the upper deck with that familiar sly grin. He knows what’s coming, soaking in the tonality of a unified front before striding between the ropes. Just an amazing entrance, one that has given me my first case of wrestling goosebumps since I stumbled across the replay of Nakamura/Ibushi from Wrestle Kingdom 9.
The World pantses Nagata one last time, shafting him again on a proper entrance. Instead we get a close-up of his face before he races to the middle of the ring to meet his old rival. They trade positions on the ropes until Marty intervenes, albeit for only a gasp as they quickly reconnect and try to gouge the other’s eyes. Suzuki scores first with a forearm before Nagata strikes with a snapmare and a stiff kick to the back. Suzuki follows suit, snapmaring and stiffing Nagata before placing his boot atop his chest and demanding that Marty counts the pin. Before the ref’s body has even flopped on the canvas, Nagata is back to his feet. Suzuki smirks in response, proving once again that his personality is woven so deeply into the fabric of this feud.
They have a staredown as the crowd erupts over the prelude to a Batsu. Forearm by Suzuki, forearm by Nagata, forearm by Suzuki, forearm by Nagata, they exchange five more, boot to the face by Suzuki, boot to the face by Nagata, boot by Suzuki, Nagata decks Suzuki with a boot to the face and the game is unexpectedly called as Suzuki slides outside. An apron armbar is for naught, leaving Suzuki at the mercy of three more hard kicks snugly delivered on the floor. Taichi, who I had no idea was even lurking off the coast, gets Nagata’s attention so Suzuki can sneak up on him.
Nagata eats the rail before getting kicked to Level 2. As Suzuki steps through the gate, Marty backs him away, which is when Taichi officially punches the clock. He smacks Nagata across the back with a chair before Redshirts converge to eat steel one after the other. Taichi lands another shot on Nagata as Suzuki comes back to get a stomp in before coercing Marty away. Another Redshirt takes a spill and the camera finds Nagata on his hands and knees, returned back to Level 1 with the chair gift wrapped around his neck. Suzuki returns to waffle him across the back with the chair before stopping for a quick photo-op with the ringside paparazzi.
With Marty busy ushering Taichi to the back, Suzuki begins choking Nagata with the chair. Suzuki, after a brief crotch to belly button encounter with Marty, finally rolls into the ring and orders the crowd to clap for Nagata as he struggles to get off the floor. Nagata enters at eleven, his presence met by a side headlock and a headbutt to the temple. A kneebar leaves him channeling his inner Yano in order to carry both his and Suzuki’s weight to the ropes amidst the sound of Suzuki’s boisterous, Sagat-like cannon cackle. He really does have a great laugh.
A stiff kick to the chest leaves Nagata curled in a ball, damn near knocked out as Suzuki steps on him and raises his hands triumphantly in the air. He tries for a front face lock, determined to Belzer the F out of Nagata, but is countered with an exploder and three kicks that leave him slouched in the corner. Another exploder is cut short by a guillotine, but Nagata counters with a release German transitioned to a crossface. Well played, Sir! The old master grabs Nagata’s boot, countering with a leg lock that sends Nagata kicking his way out of a disastrous end.
Suzuki goes back to a familiar combo – knee to the face, snapmare, sick sounding PK. Nagata can still play the old notes as well, sitting up before Suzuki can reach down to grab him. Another PK strikes swiftly, and again Nagata sits up to a round of Suzuki’s condescending applause. Nagata fires back with forearms, but runs straight into a dropkick that spreads a smile across Suzuki’s face. He drops Nagata to a knee with a succession of slaps before crossing him over and hauling in a sleeper. Nagata fights through multiple fades, the last of which makes Suzuki spin him around for a Gotch Piledriver. Nagata fights out, but Suzuki knees him in the face and tries again. Nagata fights out again, back-dropping Suzuki off of him and chasing him down with a flying knee.
Nagata goes back to attacking Suzuki’s arm, tagging it with a kick before shoving him to the mat for a seated armbar. Taichi hits the apron, his body sent flying into the rail from a boot to the face. Nagata turns into a slap to the face. A damn hard slap. They engage in a Batsu – twelve slap exchanges in total before Nagata kicks Suzuki on the arm, Suzuki slaps him back, a follow-up kick sends Suzuki dancing for a timeout, the two trade verbal jabs before Suzuki slaps Nagata, kick by Nagata, slap by Suzuki, slap by Nagata, slap by Suzuki, kick to the arm by Nagata, and three more dumps Suzuki to his knees before the fourth sweeps him to the mat! A hell of a game played by both men!
Nagata locks in the seated armbar, fighting against Suzuki’s attempts for the ropes. He screams while wrenching back, his body just a hair out of position to stop Suzuki’s successful egress. Nagata tries for a backdrop suplex, but Suzuki clings to the ropes for dear life to block it. Suzuki gets a sleeper off of a crossover, but Nagata reverses and smacks the absolute shit out of him! Dominant hand! Suzuki is sent wobbling back, his defense shields down for Nagata to slide in and stick him to the mat with a backdrop suplex. Floating over for the pin, Nagata holds down Suzuki’s shoulders as Marty hits the deck. 1, 2, 3!!!
Winner: Yuji Nagata
Impressions:<//b> Although I’m going to miss this feud, the final chapter was brilliantly written. They took portions from the prior three matches and doled them out perfectly – minus that sick chair shot to the face in the first match. Taichi was nice enough to tag Nagata on the back and leave it at that. The crowd’s reaction to the final meeting was so fitting to the effort they put in. The Batsu Games were cheered wildly and the closing moments brought out a raucous, tweeter singeing response. And they sure as shit deserved it. Another physical fight. Another resilient performance from Nagata that placed the crowd in the palm of his hand. Another showcase of Suzuki’s infectious personality and hard-nosed style that sets him so far apart from the rest of the roster. I couldn’t have asked for a better sendoff for two masters of the craft, both standard bearers at the art of inflicting pain.
Overall Winner: Yuji Nagata 3-1
Batsu Winner: Minoru Suzuki 6-4
So, what to take from all of this? For one, I have gained even more respect for Yuji Nagata than I already had. Sure, I’ve always been in awe of his after hours escapades, but the more I’ve seen his in-ring work the more I’ve realized exactly how physical that bastard is willing to get. Going toe to toe with Suzuki and looking equally as deadly is no small feat. I used to see him as simply an old timer sniffing around the NEVER division and being saddled in NJPW’s hundred-man tags. Oh how wrong I was. I love his work today, but in the aughts this sick son of a bitch might have been one of the best in the company. Just thinking about all of the other matches New Japan World has on deck featuring him has me excited to keep digging. To keep learning. Yuji Nagata is a perfect example of what I love about discovering New Japan. What have I missed? Have I seen him at his peak? Is this his signature feud? And that’s the point. Every time I embark on a new quest, those same questions keep popping up. As long as they do, New Japan will have me hooked.
Now to Suzuki. I’m likely way off target on what I’m about to type – keep in mind that I’m still only just scratching the surface of NJPW’s past – but it seems to me as if Suzuki isn’t the uber-villain that I suspected him to be. Slight shades of grey aside, he checks all the boxes of a hero – just ask the crowd terrified to say otherwise. For as much as he loves to kick the shit out of opponents and chuckle at their pain, he’s also an amazing showman that the crowd absolutely adores. No matter how much he cheats, they cheer. No matter how much he loses, they have his back. No matter who runs in his inner circle, they support the man who drew that circle. And much like the questions laid out in the prior paragraph, I need each and every one of them answered for the great Minoru Suzuki. Have I seen him at his peak? Is Nagata his signature feud? And my favorite Suzuki question of them all, what else have I missed?
The matches themselves were all spectacular. These two guys work so well together. Given the hard-hitting nature of each bout, it’s no wonder they wrestled every other year…ish. I thought that the 2007 match might have been the best in-ring wise, though all were wrestled at an extremely high level. Seated armbars and sleepers be damned, they managed to vary each match up just enough to make them feel stand-alone unique. My favorite moment still might be Nagata slapping Suzuki mid-tirade, only for Suzuki to button it up long enough to pin Nagata down and start throwing haymakers while picking up right where he left off in the speech. That was spectacular. They also made good use of the refs – tossing Pudgy, Marty, and Red Shoes around when they needed to show that they wouldn’t let the stripes interrupt the flow of their rage. Check out each installment in chronological order and you’ll probably be watching them from best to worst. But keep in mind, there really wasn’t a “worst”. They were all memorable and made this feud an epic one.
Oh, and speaking of epic. A huge takeaway from this whole endeavor is this: I need to go back and watch more Masato Tanaka. Holy shit! The strikes, the speed, the blood, the seat of a damn chair flying into the f—ing crowd! Ahem, the next track in my NEVER Openweight Love Song playlist. But that’s for a later article.
Coming Soon: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega Part I – The Demise of Dodon
I don’t tweet, but feel free to sling those bottles via @RWAndrews0. I’m sure all feedback will be positive and constructive.
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