Crazy MAX vs Michinoku Pro 25 years later - Part 2
The invasion continues with two incredible six-man tags and a couple fun singles matches.
Before this match is a tag team match worth watching, Masaaki Mochizuki and SASUKE vs Gran Hamada and Tiger Mask IV. It’s not a classic but features some fun action and ends with Hamada tapping out Mochizuki, which is maybe the first time I’ve seen Mochizuki tap out before? I’m probably forgetting some other times but they’re not coming to me right now.
This CRAZY Max match is the first in this series where I felt like I was really seeing the development of what would become the classic Dragon Gate 6-man tag, the structure used by Crazy MAX in Toryumon, and would be used by Blood Generation in the early days of Toryumon.
CIMA is an absolute house on fucking fire in this match. He flies all over the ring and the outside, particularly with Masato Yakushiji. At one point CIMA busts out a running pele kick, which I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen before, but he nailed it effortlessly. Among other maneuvers between the two. It’s a damn shame they never had a singles match because the chemistry between the two was off the charts.
This stands out from the earlier tag matches because it feels like Michinoku Pro’s home team is really starting to figure out Crazy MAX, and they’re working more well together themselves. They bust out their own three-man sequences like Crazy MAX was already doing multiple times in the match. And they even steal one of Crazy MAX’s own spots, where two guys each take an arm of their opponent and the third guy stands on the opponent’s back. It was nice to see them get some vindication in this match.
But the weak point in this match was Seno, both literally in the story and in terms of workrate. His selling and bumping was baffling at a few points in the match and he just moved mroe awkwardly than anyone else. He did have a pretty powerslam and a bridging German suplex, so I’ll give him that. But he ultimately led to the Michinoku Pro team losing as he ate a pin after Suwa hit him with a diving headbutt. After the match, Fujii adds injury to injury as he hits an awesome stalling chokeslam on Yakushiji. ****1/2.
Bonus: Masaaki Mochizuki vs Jinsei Shinzai - 1/13/1999
Mochi isn’t in Crazy MAX, but he is aligned with them as part of SASUKE Gumi. Plus it’s Mochi, how am I not gonna watch it? He comes hot out the gate throwing himself at Jinsei, breaking out a bunch of stiff kicks and other offense. He’s already doing the triangle kick at this point and it’s as beautiful as ever. But Jinsei is just too much for him at this stage of his career. Mochi goes for a flying kick but Jinsei catches him out of mid-air and drives him into the mat in an awesome moment. Then he gives Mochi a powerbomb and puts him in a modified camel clutch for an instant tap-out at about 6 minutes. Mochi wasn’t quite the imposing figure he would later become here! ***1/4.
The Great Sasuke, TAKA Michinoku & Gran Naniwa vs. Shiima Nobunaga, Judo Suwa & Sumo Fuji 3/13/1999
TAKA has come to visit while the WWF was busy doing nothing with him and is here to rescue Michinoku Pro from Crazy MAX. Alongside him is Gran Naniwa and the recently turned Great Sasuke. The storyline reason for Sasuke’s turn is that Jinsei Shinzaki exorcised the evil from him. The reality is that Super Delfin left to form Osaka Pro with some of the other roster members and the promotion was desperate for faces.
The crowd for this match, which is great, takes it to another level. TARU, the newest Crazy MAX member, leads the rest of the unit out dressed like a YuYu Hakusho villain and CIMA says some shit to rile up the crowd, then they immediately jump Sasuke and Co. to start the match, as streamers shoot off like rockets from the roaring crowd.
Sasuke really is a much better face than a heel, as he’s finally able to run and fly around Crazy MAX, with great sequences between him and CIMA and with Suwa in particular.
TAKA is no slouch either, whipping out some crazy dives and flips to the outside alongside Sasuke and having the crowd eating from the palm of his hand. His and CIMA’s charisma could carry this match alone but combined with their athleticism it puts it over the top.
Combine all of that with Naniwa putting on a great face performance as well, and an incredible finishing stretch, and it’s a great 6-man. After several intense near-falls, Naniwa is able to hit a chokebomb on Suwa for the pin. Crazy MAX skulks to the back as the winning team sends the crowd home happy. CIMA cuts a promo backstage that I’m pretty sure amounted to telling TAKA to go the fuck back to the WWF in America. ****1/2.
Judo Suwa vs The Great Sasuke - NWA World Middleweight Championship - 3/28/1999
This match starts about 55:45 into the video. It’s clipped down to less than 5 minutes unfortunately but what we see is pretty fun. Including Suwa almost dying on a suicide dive to the outside and a failed Shield triple powerbomb off the top rope that Sasuke reverses into a hurricanrana. Sasuke hits a top rope frankensteiner, followed by a bridging German and what the commentator calls a thunder fire powerbomb but looks more like a razor’s edge for the pinfall victory. This was fun but too clipped to really rate it.