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.

The Iceman Cometh

Dean Malenko (c) VS Yuji Nagata - WCW Saturday Night United States Championship 5/24/1997

CJD: I have a confession to make. Even though now he's a personal favorite, in the 90s watching him in WCW I hated Yuji Nagata. I'm sure it was the presentation because watching him here he's very, very good. I remember him being "Token Japanese Wrestler #5" but he really gets a chance to shine here on Saturday Night. And man is Dean game defending the US title. This is one of those rare matches too where Schiavone and Dusty balance nWo and Kevin Greene (RIP) talk with giving the action its due. Schiavone talked about this on AOW, how it was totally up to them to tie the Saturday Night stuff into regular WCW continuity, because everyone else in the company basically ignored it. So kudos to them and to Jimmy Hart who I'm pretty sure booked it most of the way through. Also it's interesting hearing Dusty lay back on his gimmick so much. I cannot wait to see what you come back with from Blue Justice!

JJZ: I wasn't a fan of Nagata's WCW run  at the time either. I don't even remember why to be honest. Based off this match alone I was dumb. I definitely don't remember him ever wrestling in red pants before. I expected a tight mat based match and that's what I got. Watching these guys go back and forth was great. Matches like this are what made WCW Saturday Night special and turned me around on a bunch of guys in wrestling. I think both Dean and Yuji are wrestlers that everyone talks about being great but neither are in the forefront of a wrestling fan's mind when thinking about top guys. After watching this match I wonder why? This was almost a perfect TV match. When given big chances these guys always delivered. I guess some are just missing an it factor? I dunno I feel like I'm rambling. Loved the pick. Excited to showcase Nagata next week.

CJD: With Dean I think it's a relatively short peak. With Nagata I really don't know. The black mark of his failed MMA crossover haunting him as they tried to make him the ace? He has done nothing but climb my all-time rankings as I explore more footage over the years

JJZ: Solid points. The MMA thing always hurt Nagata. Thinking more about the Dean stuff I guess it's pretty simple about his size and lack of mic skills.

CJD: I'm not the first person to say this but imagine if Dean had physically been able to have a Jamie Noble type mid 2000s indy run.

JJZ: JESUS! That would've been spectacular.