Burn With Love! Dragon Soldier B

KENTA/Naomichi Marufuji (c) VS Takashi Sugiura/Kendo Kashin - NOAH GHC Jr Tag Team Championship 7/14/2004

CJD: I guarantee you one of us owns this match on VHS or DVD since it's the same show as Kobashi/Akiyama. And I guarantee you if it was me I skipped this match because of my hatred for Kashin at the time. So I was glad to have a reason to sit down to a big time match from prime MaruKen that I'd never seen before. Hopefully you feel the same way. As a standalone match there's a lot to like, and honestly plenty I wasnt crazy about. Kashin reminded me why I couldn't stand him at the time, as his comedy missed for me as much as it hit. I was dying to see KENTA punt him into next week and unfortunately they never really delivered on that to the level I hoped for. But here is what I will say. Sugiura looks better than he ever had here, in so many different roles and situations, he's simply great in this. The oddball matchup does create an interesting footnote in a historic era of pro wrestling that we love. And let's be honest, it's emerald green mat KENTAfuji doing KENTAfuji things. I don't think JJZ would ever say no to that!

JJZ: Oh man, the chances of me see this are high but I remember nothing about it. You definitely own the DVD since you played Kobashi vs Akiyama for me at one of those nights that we'd stay up all night and watch wrestling. A wrestling night if you will. Kashin is a nice addition with these three guys during this era of NOAH. He really brings sometime different to the table. This match is wild CJD. The shit with Kashin and Sugi is so entertaining and weird at the same time. But even with all that it's such an, oh shit move set. So many big bumps. Super stiff. Anytime you get Sugi and Kenta in the ring together you know you got some taters coming. This was a fantastic pick baby cakes!

What It Takes, Who I Am, Where I've Been

Rob Van Dam VS Kendo Kashin VS Necro Butcher - IGF 8/15/2008

JJZ: I'm not even sure if this match is good. I just can't believe it ever happened. I was definitely entertained by it. I had zero clue how Necro, Kendo and Van Dam would work together, but they pulled off a very fun, physical and ECW style match. I wish it was a THREE WAY DANCE to put it over the top for an ECW clone but I'll take what I can get. On paper I assumed Kashin would be a little left behind during the match but he brought it. Can't wait to hear your honest opinion on this one baybay.

CJD: What in the actual fuck. Only in Inoki Genome Federation. Fujiwara and Hansen at ringside watching this debacle?? Let's fucking GO!! I loved your comment on the phone to me that at first you expected this to be an upload of a video game match. Certainly felt like it. In my honest opinion, this was wayyyyyy better than it had any right being or needed to be. RVD and Necro were there to play and I'm much more receptive to Kashin's antics than I was when we attended Best Of The American Super Juniors live (a little PIF trivia for everyone there). The first 7 or so minutes things were clunky and they were finding the rhythm. When they locked into that groove though they rode it straight to the finish. RVD really played the hits in this one. Necro channeled Brody, Abby, and Kamala simultaneously. The perplexed crowd even came alive by the end. Also you said you wish it was a 3 way dance. But it was! Do you want me to edit that?

JJZ: There were two pin falls?

CJD: Yes!

JJZ: Holy fuck, I watched this on my phone while cooking my daughter dinner. I assumed with all the blood that Necro just got taken out of the match. Goddammit. I don't know how I missed that. You can include all of this in the review if you want.

CJD: I will, and it gave me a chance to jog my memory about one more amazing part of this match. That Dollar Store Hatebreed RVD entrance song! What a choice! I bet he's used it a bunch and I'm just out of the loop, but that was something else.

Forever Forward Fridays

El Samurai/Kendo Kashin VS Dr Wagner Jr/Silver King- NJPW 4/19/2001

CJD: Play It Forward, the only thing than can get me to watch a Kendo Kashin match. I'm not going to lie, after Silver King totally shit cans Dragon Soldier B I actually enjoyed his antics for the remainder of the match. We're straying from our FFF theme a bit here but of all my El Samurai options this felt like the most in the spirit of diversity and representation. I love the connection between Japanese and Mexican wrestling. Two cultures that couldn't be more different but meld beautifully when you put on a pair of tights. I've seen Sammy tag as the 1B to someone like Liger a good amount, or as the vet to an up and comer partner, but I haven't seen a lot of him as The Guy in his team. I thought he was great, the glue that kept this match from almost going off the rails more than once. It's not quite a trainwreck but it's not exactly a four star affair, but either way I thought this was fun as hell. And Dr Wagner Jr screams "motherfucker!!" at one point so there's that.

JJZ: This has Best of (insert junior weight wrestler name here) VHS tape match written all over it. Man this was a fantastic tag team match. A little clunkie at times but so many "Oh shit!" spots. The pacing of the match was super 90s Japanese junior heavyweights. Slow back and forth build to an all out sprint in the end. I thought everyone killed it in this match. Sometimes you can find yourself saying so and so was fine. But not in this one. Everyone brought the A game. Fun shit my guy.