Dick Togo For Life Homie

Dick Togo/TAKA Michinoku (c) VS Minoru Tanaka/Prince Devitt - NJPW IWGP Jr Tag Team Championship 1/27/2008

CJD: I was really feeling some classic MPro this week but this match came out of left field and totally won me over. I was watching tons of puro around this time so no idea how I missed this the first time around. The Junior IWGP tag title matches always seem to deliver, even in eras where NJPW is hit or miss. The titles change hands a lot so they might not be the most prestigious but the crowd is always hot for them none the less. I know we just featured some Fergal Devitt on the blog not too long ago but this is a different flavor of Balor, clearly the lowest man on the totem pole and he plays it effectively. It seems Minoru Tanaka is having a career resurgence this year which makes me happy. He has always had so much talent, even here he's fairly reserved but still shines in the more veteran role. The 1A and 1B of Kaientai make for great heel champs and mesh so well with the challengers. I know you could make Finn the first two time MDTSOWWKD Champion next week but I'm hoping TAKA is coming instead (motherfucker) or maybe you bring the HEAT??

JJZ: Did not know that Dick Togo ever wrestled in NJPW. Really stoked for this match. I love TAKA & Dick's music mashup. In the blue corner we got a baby ass Prince with Minoru. By the way I'm smoking a cigar and drinking a Yards Love Stout while watching this so I'm pretty much in heaven. Nice little feeling out going on in the beginning. I'm curious what level of TAKA I'm getting in this match. He is looking good so far. Dick too. This match has a classic tag build with nice high spots and falsies. I found myself saying "That's match!" several times. The finish totally surprised me and popped me. Devitt really stood out in this match and it doesn't surprise me how far he went in the company over time.

You Either Die A Prince, Or Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Demon

Prince Devitt VS Dave Mastiff - IPW:UK 1/19/2014

CJD: This match is interesting on a few levels. A few years later in the same promotion this would have been wrestled as much more of a dream match, but here you can tell IPW:UK is more of a mix of families and a small town indy crowd. Mastiff and Devitt wrestle as such but with more of a big match closing section, with the future star playing the touring heel to the local beefy bruiser. I was into the throwback feel of this one, and the opportunity to switch up the great run we just had from Japan.

JJZ: We're getting the Demon. I agree with the kid in the beginning of the match that stated Mastiff is "very large." I'm into this venue and crowd, they're popping at all the right moments. This bout tells a great story had me marking out a few times. When you first shared it I thought I'd seen it before but I was definitely wrong this time. I 100% approve of the 100% Bastard being the new MDTSOWWKD Champion!

Editor's note: This match has been taken down since we originally shared it. We'll check back periodically to see if we can find a new link. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Unknown Fire In My Soul

Naomichi Marufuji VS Prince Devitt - NJPW IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 1/30/2010

JJZ: There are certain matches that I see online and think to myself, I've seen this before, haven't I? This is one of them. Pre Bullet Club Devitt and pre face of NOAH Marufuji meet to battle it out for the IWGP Jr title. These two work extremely well together from the jump, with a crowd that is lit to the tits to see this match. The more experienced 'Fuji takes control early while Prince uses his fire for the title to gain offense. It's like baked chicken, basic, but if cooked perfectly one of the best meals you'll ever eat. There are so many little touches in this match that I haven't seen previously from the two of them. The quality of this video makes me feel like I'm watching a VHS, which I'm enjoying. This match was so much fun to watch. Hope it pops you as much as it did me baby cakes.

CJD: You HAVE seen this match before! We've talked about our friend Mr. H, but let us not forget another good brother, Mr. B, who we've also been staying up until the sun comes up watching pro wrestling with for almost two decades! He showed us this match closer to when it happened and I remember loving it at the time. Not sure if I'm still head over heels about it, but it's a nice piece of work. Marufuji does a great job establishing the hierarchy even though the dynamic is a little weird, with the outsider Champ VS the gaijin. You mentioned last week the scope of Marufuji's career despite the fact neither one of us loved him early on. For me he hasn't quite aged like fine wine yet here, and Devitt is clearly still figuring shit out compared to now, but this is still a damn fine baked chicken dinner with all the fixins indeed.