The Moonlight Coming

Shinjiro Otani VS Kazunari Murakami - Zero One 6/14/2001

JJZ: I'm pretty positive we've watched this together many many moons ago. I honestly just wanted to see some Otani. Shinjiro could be such a fucking prick that I knew this would be such a fun match to review. Both guys just throwing kicks and punches with bad intentions. Everything landing so hard that I would've believed for real some got knocked out. Just a wonderful stiff fight that I wouldn't disagree with anyone if they told me it was a shoot. I can't remember if they had a rematch or not? I would assume this built to a huge blow off but I couldn't find anything on YouTube. You followed this fued pretty close no?

CJD: They've had a bunch of matches I'm pretty sure! We watched some from years later, I don't think I've seen this one before though 😍

So if I'm not mistaken this is a rematch from a barnburner these two had on the very first Z1 show. That match gets talked about as an all-timer but in true PIF spirit, I think you've uncovered a real gem here John. This is such a beautiful spectacle. I love love loved Otani casually stepping on Murakami's leg and refusing to get off. And I'm loving this early Zero 1 kick we're on, I'd keep exploring these shows for months if they were easy to find online. This vision of pro wrestling speaks to me. I watched every minute of the post match promo having no idea what was being said. And not needing to.

I Keep Trying To Find A Better Way

Mitsuhara Misawa/Takeshi Rikio VS Naoya Ogawa/Kazunari Murakami - Zero One 4/18/2001

CJD: Sending this one over on your birthday my BFF and cofounder of PIF. This match is all ambiance with a little bit of extra spice and sizzle in the execution we do get. You and I were just talking shop about how early NOAH and Z1 was such a time and place in wrestling history, such a different vibe for the puro scene. It seemed like they might be onto something huge, but regardless of how it all played out, I love going back and revisiting this stuff. I could watch a 10 disc Best of NOAH/Zero 1 Max Crossovers comp. Does that exist? That really should exist. I feel like I should say more about this match. Our current MDTSOCWWKD Champ, Rikio, brings the heat once again!! And I swear we've featured the most random collection of Misawa matches PIF over the years for a legitimate GOAT candidate. Happy birthday my friend!

JJZ: Can't believe I'm gonna say this but these two PIF matches have really changed my opinion of Rikio. This match starts guns blazing with some of the meanest potatoes I've ever seen to Rikios body and head. I thought he was just gonna be getting the shit kicked out of him this match but hot damn I was wrong. He flipped the switch and started shooting right back. Let's call this match what it was CJD. It was a fight. Everyone laying it the fuck in. No one really selling til the finish. Which was so goddamn stiff. Yeah we need so many comps of this feud. This is a must watch match.

El Diablo Is To Blame

Jun Akiyama/Makoto Hashi/Yoshinobu Kanemaru VS Shinjiro Otani/Kazunari Murakami/Tatsuhito Takaiwa - NOAH 12/2/2006

CJD: You've got me feeling those mid 2000s puro feels right now. It seems to me that by the end of the decade Japanese wrestling settled into a landscape that is largely still the same today, but what a ride it was from 2000-2006. These 6 men put in some serious work in that era and this cast of characters plus a classic NOAH 6 man undercard match plus hot interpromotional action and this is about as 2006 as a match can be. We were watching so much NOAH in this time period that either one of us may have seen this match. But I checked my notes and I don't think I ever played it for you at least. And it didn't jog any memories and there's a headbutt that I certainly won't ever forget after watching this time. Not 2021 approved, that's for sure. This is the Murakami I'm used to. This is the type of Otani and Akiyama performance that has both perpetually fighting for spots in my all-time top 10. This is Hashi fighting from under like only he could. This is my kind of pro wrestling through and through and I have a sneaking suspicion it's in your wheelhouse as well.

JJZ: Man, this was the golden era of NOAH. When was the last time you got excited to watch a puro six man? I tried really hard to watch all the NOAH and NJPW six man matches that should have been good over the past few years and they always fell flat with a tempered crowd. But this ain't that. This is heat and anger and toughness and stiffness. Six wrestlers all wanting to put on a bust ass match that no one would be able to follow. This match was full of ass clinching spots and strikes that left me saying "that's gotta hurt!" to myself. I don't know if this was the main event of the show [editor's note - it wasn't] but it should have been. Super fun stuff.

Blue Are The Feelings That Live Inside Me

Yuji Nagata/Kazunari Murakami VS Minoru Suzuki/Yoshihiro Takayama - Big Mouth Loud Illusion 7 8/20/2006

JJZ: First I want to say that I watched this match with my son. Also JJZ. I asked him to give me a quick review of the match for the blog.

JJZito: I'd give this match an 8 outta 10. (For reference he would give Daniel Bryan VS Kofi Kingston from WM 10/10).
I liked their wrestling skills.

JJZ: I knew what I wanted from this match going in and I got it. Super stiff. True heat from the rivalry these guys have had for years with each other. A hot crowd that wanted to watch these four hit each other harder and harder. The elbows between Suzuki and Nagata were worth the price of admission alone. I'd assumed you may have seen this before going in but I was just in the mood for this. I hope it's new to you and that you enjoy it as much as I did.

CJD: This is the last match in Big Mouth Loud history and I think I skipped this show back when because I was disappointed to see them sputter out so quickly. I really liked what BML was trying to do and wanted them to succeed, but like so many upstart Japanese promotions it was a great idea with lackluster execution. It seems like Nagata was playing off an angle a promotion had done previously with a masked Blue Justice character that actually ended up being Gran Naniwa. Would love to see that. No swerve this time and like you said you can sense the competitive rivalry and fun these guys are having squaring off from beginning to end. Loved loved loved Kohei Wada throwing shade at Takayama. Also one of the cooler shining wizard set ups I've ever seen and Nagata firing Murakami up was choice. This is the most reserved I've ever seen Kaz, you told me on the phone that el Hijo de JJZ said he still looked demonic here, but I'm used to him at 11 at all times. Maybe the promotion closing shop had him a bit more reserved. Either way this was a lot of fun and took me back to a feeling in Japanese wrestling where things were very transitional and full of potential.