I Called Him Yoshinibu Kanemura For Years

Disobey (Kotaro Suzuki/Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (c) VS Gedo/Jado - NOAH GHC Jr Tag Championship 10/3/2009

JJZ: Every time a NOAH match from the this era is in front of me I assume I've seen it. But I'm pretty damn sure I've never seen this before. I've always love the NJPW VS NOAH stuff. The crowd is always extra energized and you can feel the heat through the screen. The bloodshed in this match is the vein of the story. It's a basic storyline line played to perfection. The heels slowed the match down and drained the babyfaces' will. While the home team brought spirit and excitement with everything they did. The comeback from Kanemaru was edge of your seat viewing. Jedo and Gado really made me hate them. I honestly wanted Suzuki to spike the fuck out of either one of them. I really liked the finishing stretch and hope you do as well.

CJD: This match took place 4 months after Misawa died and in some ways the shadow of that tragedy feels more important to the match than anything else that happens in it. I guess that's how NOAH was in general for a long time afterward, but something about this match with the combo of Suzuki and Kanemaru, a dream team of their junior division, Kotaro one of Misawa's top students, going up against the evil invading heat machines in a bloody proving ground type match. This felt like a catharsis for the crowd in a time they badly needed any sort of diversion. And I think Gedo and Jado milked every last drop out of that situation. To the point that watching it now and expecting something more in the vein of the early 2000s NJPW VS NOAH feud, I did feel like this was a little too deliberate. But for the crowd that night, on a tour called Misawa Always In Our Hearts, it was probably just right. Suzuki was a great hot tag here bringing that fire. Kanemaru probably loved the chance to play face in peril after watching Kikuchi make an art out of it for years and years on the apron. And man did he get some color. I bit on a few nearfalls too, this match definitely took me on a ride. It didn't blow me away but not every match needs to. Fun watch.