Golden God Star

Kota Ibushi VS KUSHIDA - NJPW BOSJ 6/4/2010

JJZ: This some bitch is the definition of making every minute count. Thirthteen minutes felt like twenty. Let's talk about the filming of this one. Just using the single cam gave it such an epic feel. Never seen pre Time Splitter Kushida before that I can remember. The potentional for greatness was dripping off of him. With this being a BOSJ match I couldn't tell one way or the other who was going over so this match had a real edge of your seat viewing to it. Both wrestlers busted out with some shit I hadn't seen from them before also. I really loved this one hope you do too mi amigo.

CJD: One of my all-time favorite matches you've ever played forward to me is Ibushi VS Kanemoto from the 2009 BOSJ. And this isn't quite on that level, but god damn if it's not far off. I'd have a hard time telling you what I'd like to see improved in this match. There was a little whiff here, a slight moment of awkwardness there. That's it. I loved how they used every minute. KUSHIDA's technical work and snug strikes were a perfect balance to Ibushi's wild flying and explosive striking combos. Some cool fake outs and really effective false finishes. Not too long, not too short run time... this match is juuuuuussssttt right!! What a fascinating look into a simpler time for the BOSJ.

Pink Pleather PLNCO Power

Atsushi Kotoge VS Kota Ibushi - NOAH 7/22/2012

CJD: I'll tell you what. If you were to watch a round of lightning fast paced matches, this one would fit the bill very nicely. As this built and built in its economical run time you could feel this match mattered to both guys. There was a little extra snap crackle and pop to even minor things like pinning attempts and kick outs. Two creative, unique talents, but they kept things fairly dialed in with a couple of key moments to wow you. And this match caught me at the right time because it really wowed me. A nice show of respect and admiration between the two post match as corny as that is to care about. But I'm a cornball and I do. I don't know JJZ, is this just a lesser version of a million great Ibushi 10 minute matches and I'm in pro wrestling withdrawal with how little I'm watching right now? Or were you also highly satisfied??

JJZ: Man, so this built so much more than I expected. And for it only being like 10 minutes. You nailed it with this match having some wow. I loved the little fake out from Kotoge for the big hip toss off the guard rail but then just a dropkick instead. Ibushi sold the fuck out of it with bumping on the chairs. This era of Kota is by far my favorite. He was great in the main event stuff with NJPW but this shit he was doing was so fire. Kotoge is someone I think was on track to do big things but wandered off the path for whatever reason. Seeing his chemistry with Ibushi cements that to me. When you look back at the talent NOAH had and brought in at this time it blows my mind that they weren't bigger. This was fantastic brother.

You Must Be My Golden Star

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7dyx0i

Kota Ibushi VS SANADA - NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/2019

CJD: Selfish pick on my part here. I know you've watched this one already. You know I'm slowly making my way through the G1 and this is about where I'm at. You also know my time to watch pro wrestling is limited right now so I'll gladly take a chance to get two birds stoned at once. And you also also know that I'm loving me some SANADA. He had one of my favorite matches this year VS ZSJ on the first day of the tournament, and while this isn't on that level, it has some similar elements. You can feel that these guys go out and have exactly the match they want. With Ibushi that can go a lot of different ways, but so far in the G1 I'm buying what he's selling. The difference in his role as the slightly cocky veteran in this match compared to last week where he was such a spunky underdog is remarkable. I hope you don't mind rewatching this one babycakes, I think it's the type of match that warrants revisiting.

JJZ: ALRIGHT! Actually really excited to rewatch this because when you're watching the G1 every day it can turn into a conveyor belt where you miss a lot of the little things. So this is a welcome match for me. Very happy to see this is in my favorite venue in Japan. This is also a great showcase of how far Ibushi has come from junior to heavyweight. These two are in the top five workers in NJPW currently for my money, along with Okada, ZSJ, and Ospreay. A big difference in this Ibushi from the Ibushi in my match last week is his pacing. He for sure slows it down and picks his spots in this match. Both these guys have had huge years in NJPW so this could go either way. Sanada's leap frogs are insane. Dude does not look like he would have hops like that. This match isn't perfect but has a great build with some edge-of-your-seat falsies. This doesn't give the result away since the G1 is a point based tournament but Sanada is my pick to win the G1 next year.

Amazin' Phase Your Days Your Hazy Ways My Falcon Arrow

Koji Kanemoto VS Kota Ibushi - NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors 5/30/2009

JJZ: Alright! So before I watched this match I watched Kanemoto VS Finlay from a 1992 fan cam. I was so excited and had that "hell yeah" feeling that I was about to play forward a wonderful rare match. Well it was just okay and a little sloppy. Then I came across this. With current NJPW I've watched so much Ibushi recently that I was hesitant. I love the shit outta him but I was more in the mood for a mid 90s kinda match. But I said fuck it. Kanemoto VS a young junior is always fun. Right from the bell when I saw the way they squared up I knew I was in for a treat. Kanemoto brings such an anger and meanness to this match while Kota has an "I'm not taking you shit" attitude written across his face. The stiff striking, mixed with the controlled but reckless highspots, mixed with Kanemoto's strong psychology made for a can't-miss-a-moment experience. The crowd is electric and the falsies keep you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy baby cakes.

CJD: Look at you crossing off a bucket list match for me! I seriously have this one on my ongoing "to watch" list. You sneaky goose. It's been a long day and I only have time to sit down to one match with a beer before bed. I'll gladly make it this one. Damn, I expected this to be a bit of a sprint but it was so much more than that. I don't care what weight class, style, era we're talking about, this is great pro wrestling, plain and simple. The dynamic between the grizzled veteran and the fearless upstart is pitch perfect. The fact that you took my Kanemoto BOSJ match VS Naniwa and countered with an even better Kanemoto BOSJ match from 12 years later is bonkers. You made my night with this one, I have nothing but praise for the epic fight these two left in the ring. This is one of my favorite matches I've watched in a while.