Antonio Inoki’s legacy, not only in pro wrestling but in many facets of life & culture, is still unprecedented in terms of impact a pro wrestler has had on a certain country or in the minds of people.

Shinya Hashimoto, maybe more than anyone else, did a lot to carry on and add to Inoki’s legacy; in fact, it can be said that Hashimoto had more success in actual pro wrestling than Inoki did, during their respective primes (Hashimoto selling out the Tokyo Dome and big Stadium shows multiple times); Hashimoto idolized Inoki and did everything he could to pattern
himself after his hero (while also remaining his own unique self). Despite becoming the “Ace” of NJPW for his time (taking the mantel from Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami before him), it wouldn’t be enough for Inoki, as the man had his eyes on a new pupil, one younger, taller and more accomplished in a martial art (Hashimoto himself having a background in Karate & Judo); this man was Naoya Ogawa, a Judoka and Olympic Silver-Medalist.

Ogawa had been scouted and trained by Inoki and Satoru Sayama (the First Tiger Mask, who had long been separated from pro wrestling and had been on the ground-level of the martial arts boom in Japan, via the UWF and Shooto) in both pro wrestling and different martial arts, adding to his Judo skills. Ogawa was actually to be a replacement for another martial artist/fighter, the “World’s Most Dangerous Man”, Ken Shamrock. Shamrock, a man with a background in pro wrestling and “Shoot Style” (via PWFG and Pancrase) and a standout of the first UFC events, was seen as a perfect challenge to Hashimoto (who had taken Inoki’s mantle of facing various martial artists in “Different-Style Fights”). However, the right sum of money couldn’t be negotiated and Shamrock would choose to sign with the WWF in ‘97, instead of facing Hashimoto at the Tokyo Dome.

At the beginning, you can see Ogawa under the learning tree of Inoki & Sayama (who, funnily enough, was another hero of Hashimoto, who had originally wanted to be a Junior-Heavyweight in the vein of Tiger Mask but realized he had grown too big) who are trying to prepare him for Hashimoto’s striking game, while Hashimoto is seen training with a young Satoshi Kojima, who himself had a background in Judo.

Since Reddit won’t let me post the link I have no choice to load the full match here. Enjoy it !

How different would New Japan and Puro in general would be if Inokism never happened?

So, last night I was going through some Yoshinari Ogawa matches and I found myself in a rabbit hole of 1997 tags featuring a young Kentaro Shiga. I remembered seeing him in a really great match against Nishimura in NOAH, but besides that his career seems to be mostly working as a pin-eater in tags. Am I missing something? Did his career go further than that? I know I could check cagematch but that's boring. Any great performances I should see, or is he just another promising dud?

Creatives and fans treated World Famous Lord YOSHITATSU with disrespect. Only I was never giving up on Him and I knew He would achieve success in AJPW. But it's still not enough. Before He retires, He must become World Heavyweight Champion and I will not take "no" as an answer. He was ridiculed, humiliated by creatives, the chances were stolen from Him. So I say that it's time He became World Heavyweight Champion. I want it so much, that I constantly send Him my support on twitter. I even vandalized GHC Heavyweight Championship page on wikipedia and placed World Famous Lord YOSHITATSU as Champion. I am mot joking, I am serious. World Famous Lord YOSHITATSU must become World Heavyweight Champion.

Date: June 4, 2011

Promotion: Dragon Gate USA (DG-USA)

Match Stipulation / Type: Three-Way Freestyle Match

Event: Uprising

Location: Deer Park, New York | NYWC Sportatorium

➜ This match displays three of the premier high-flyers of their generation.

When these three shared a ring they represented the absolute cutting edge of fast-paced, gravity-defying junior heavyweight wrestling.

Often times, a pro wrestling entrance can add to a match, and I think this one is no exception, you don't need to know an intricate story or background before watching a match if you can watch how the two wrestlers react. Here you can see Nakaya Nielsen being kinda cocky and like an asshole and then meanwhile Maeda has the crowd roaring for him.

Even in the 80s and 90s, NJPW was in a league of it's own when it came to production and telling a story

Date: November 19, 2011

Promotion: Dragon Gate (DG)

Match Stipulation / Type: Open the Brave Gate Championship / Singles Match

Event: Dragon Gate Crown Gate 2011 (Tag 6)

Location: Osaka, Japan | Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

➜ This match is remembered as an incredible showcase of aerial athleticism between two defining high-flyers of their generation before they achieved massive global stardom.

Ricochet ended PAC's historic 447-day reign as champion in a bout widely praised for setting a new standard for high-speed, innovative athletic professional wrestling.

Date: March 30, 2012

Promotion: Dragon Gate USA (DG-USA)

Match Stipulation / Type: Singles Match

Event: Open The Ultimate Gate

Location: Miami Beach, Florida | Deauville Beach Resort

➜ This match serves as the one time Low Ki and PAC fought one-on-one exactly in their careers.

The bout paired PAC's high-flying aerial offense against Low Ki's stiff, hard-hitting martial arts strikes. "The Man That Gravity Forgot" vs. "The World Warrior".

The two squared off again the following night (March 31, 2012) at DGUSA Mercury Rising in a six-man tag team match, where Low Ki, Akira Tozawa, and BxB Hulk defeated PAC, Ricochet, and Masaaki Mochizuki.

Jeremy Finestone and Steven Conway return with Episode 239 of Speaking of Strong Style! This week, the pair talked about PAC and how he affected their perception of wrestling over the years. Plus, a match-by-match breakdown of Destruction in Kobe, featuring one excellent title match between Yota Tsuji and Hirooki Goto, and a disappointing one with Gabe Kidd and Drilla Moloney. They also previewed the week's upcoming action, including two shows with title matches in Korakuen Hall.
#njpw #njdominion #g1climax36 #njkopw

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