Goody Bag 82: Japan is for Lovers

 

Owen Hart v Keiichi Yamada: From NJPW TV on September 14 1987 in Okayama, Japan. Yamada is Jushin Thunder Liger before the gimmick change. I can see why he wanted to wear a mask. And that’s not a shot on his looks, he just looks so much more intimidating, and stands out so much more with it. Yamada dominates early, and lands a somersault senton splash for two. Owen tries going to the arm, but Yamada reverses an armbar, so Owen slams him. Owen uses a bodyslam to set up a stomp, and a pair of uppercuts rattle Yamada. Hart with a vertical suplex to set up a kneedrop for two, but Yamada sweeps the leg, and gets a leglock on. Hart forces a criss cross, but Yamada gets the better of it with a headscissor takedown, followed by an armdrag into an armbar. Hart is in the ropes right away, and pounds Yamada down following the break. Hart with a backbreaker for two, and he gets a modified abdominal stretch on, wearing Yamada down for a backslide for two. Yamada gets his own abdominal stretch applied, but Owen looks to fight free, so Yamada shifts to a leglock instead. Yamada works a grapevine next, then into a figure four to try for the submission, but Hart reverses. Hart rides a Mexican surfboard on, but Yamada escapes, and turnbuckle smashes him. Yamada with a cross corner whip to set up a monkey flip, but Hart lands on his feet, and a reversal sequence ends in Yamada sunset cradling for two. Hart responds with a standing dropkick, and a gutwrench suplex gets him two. Sleeper, but Yamada fights free. Yamada throws a dropkick, but Owen dodges, and drills him with a tombstone. Hart goes up for a flying dropkick, but Yamada throws a dropkick of his own from the ground, and both guys are left down. Yamada is up first, but misses a clothesline, and the resulting criss cross results in a double knockout spot. Both guys stagger up, both throwing dropkicks, both missing. Owen recovers first with a dropkick, so Yamada bails, but Hart is on him with a tope. Yamada recovers with a whip into the guardrail, however, and he adds a suplex on the floor. Yamada tries a vertical suplex back in, but Hart counters to a bridging German suplex for the pin at 8:51. This was pretty much all action. ** ¾ 

Top of the Super Juniors Tournament Match: Hiroshi Hase v Owen Hart: From NJPW TV on January 4 1988 in Tokyo Japan. Joined in progress as Hart uses a bodyslam for two, and he goes to the middle for a 2nd rope dropkick, but Hase throws a dropkick of his own to block. Hart stays on him with a vertical suplex to set up a kneedrop, so Hase bails to break the momentum. Back in, Hase gets a hammerlock, but Hart reverses, so Hase throws a savate kick. A reversal sequence allows Hase a schoolboy for two, and he gets a chinlock on from there, but Hart starts to escape, so Hiroshi shifts to an overhead wristlock. Hart counts to a headscissors, but Hase escapes, so they get into a SLAP FIGHT! Hase wins that one, and delivers an overhead suplex in celebration. Hart is up first, however, and catches him with a dropkick, then throws a knee to keep it going. Owen with a stomachbreaker for two, but another knee gets countered with a schoolboy for two. Hart cuts him off and gets a chinlock applied, then drills Hase with an uppercut and a chop. Hart with a cross corner whip, but Hiroshi blocks the charge in. A criss cross ends in both men looking up at the lights, and Hase is up first with a Saito suplex. Side suplex, but Hart counters to an underhook cradle for two. Hase tries a rollup, but Hart blocks, and catches him coming out of the ropes with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for two. Hart with a backbreaker to set up a dive, but he slips while climbing the ropes, and Hase dropkicks him. Hase stays on him with a backbreaker rack, but Hart escapes, triggering a reversal sequence that ends in Hase hooking a backslide for two. Hart fires back with a bridging German suplex for two, but Hase manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Hase follows up with a lariat, and a bridging northern lights suplex puts it away at 7:56 shown of 13:09. There was enough shown to know it was good. ** ½ 

Rick Rude v Ultimate Warrior: From a WWF live event in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on January 9 1988. with Warrior subbing for Paul Orndorff. Posturing to start, and Warrior powers him around. Rude fires back with punches, but Warrior largely no sells him, and we’re almost five minutes into this, and they’re just stumbling around so far. Warrior calls for a test-of-strength, and gets Rude in a bearhug, but Rick goes to the eyes to escape. Rick with an inverted atomic drop, and he goes to a nervehold. Rude with a flying kneedrop for two, and it’s back to the nervehold. Warrior fights free, and makes the comeback, and a clothesline gets him two, but a charge misses, and Warrior goes flying out. Rude tries to keep him outside, but Warrior keeps trying to get back in, so Rude has to follow, and we get a double countout at 16:35. This was pretty lazy overall, but both guys were working additional shows that same day, including Rude working against Hulk Hogan in Boston, so I get it, I guess. This was definitely not at the level of their later pay per view matches. Not that I was expecting it to be, but still. ¼*

Owen Hart v Kuniaki Kobayashi: From NJPW TV on June 17 1988 in Gosen, Niigata, Japan. Kobayashi hits him with a spinkick the moment Hart enters the ring, and a second one sends Owen to the outside. Kobayashi is on him for a trip to the rail out there, but Hart hustles in, and hiptosses him. Owen with an uppercut to knock Kobayashi to the outside, and Hart follows for a bodyslam on the floor. Owen adds a flying axehandle out there, but Kobayashi catches him with a bodyslam on the way back in, and Kobayashi goes to a modified surfboard. Owen escapes with a leg-feed enzuigiri, and he adds a legdrop for two. Hart with a neckbreaker for two, and a running powerslam is worth two, so Kobayashi bails. Owen looks to go after him, but Kobayashi sweeps the leg from the outside, and bashes Hart’s knee into the post. Kobayashi with a bootchoke on the way back in, and a Russian legsweep gets him two. Kobayashi goes to a cobra clutch/bodyscissors combo, but Hart slugs his way free, so Kobayashi shifts to an inverted surfboard. Owen fights out of that as well, and he lands a piledriver for two. Hart with a butterfly suplex and a missile dropkick for two, and he grounds Kobayashi in a headvice from there. Hart with a vertical suplex to set up a flying elbowdrop, but Kobayashi dodges. Kobayashi with a cross corner whip that he follows in with a kneesmash, and a vertical suplex gets him two. Owen fires back with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for two, and an abdominal cradle is worth two. Hart with a tombstone for two, and a double-arm suplex sets up a flying headbutt drop, but Kobayashi dodges. That allows Kobayashi a spinheel kick to knock Owen out of the ring, and Kobayashi is on him with a baseball slide. Kobayashi tries a suplex in from the apron, but Owen blocks, and hooks a backslide for two. Hart with a series of uppercuts, but Kobayashi blocks one, and hooks him into a backslide of his own at 8:51. ** ½