This review was commissioned by OrphanStar over on my Ko-fi account.
Last week, Tadao Yasuda passed away at the age of 62. Cards on the table, I don’t know his work all that much, hence why this commission has jumped to the front of the line. In the wake of his death, it’s a good time to dip my toes in and get a feel for a legacy that has left pro wrestling fans somewhat divided throughout the years. In wider circles, Yasuda’s often pointed to as a symptom of that nebulously used phrase “Inokiism” that plagues 2000s New Japan. His brief transition reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion is notable for how often it graces the bottom of championship reign rankings for that particular belt as well. Others look on his overall legacy–and the 2000s of New Japan as a whole–with much kinder eyes. When in doubt, there’s nothing left for us but to return to the footage and draw our own conclusions.
In this bout, we see the end of Yasuda’s IWGP Title aspirations. The previous year, Yasuda found himself right at the top of the heap, defeating Nagata for the title in a tournament final while riding the wave of momentum from a legitimate MMA victory against Jerome Le Banner. Yasuda wouldn’t be long for the gold though as less than two months later, Nagata would take the title from him to kick off an extended year-long plus reign.
Here in April 2003, Yasuda’s no longer the Cinderella story champion but a full on heel. Makai Club has formed around him in the wake of his title loss and they’re in full force at his side for this match. Nagata’s no longer on the come up, trying to shake off his losses in MMA, but is fully established as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, seeking to fend off this changed version of Yasuda. It will be the last time that Yasuda ever challenges for the IWGP gold.
The initial moments of the bout reflect the dynamic established in their first two title matches well. Yasuda’s working to use his size advantage and power to get Nagata down on the mat and work towards a choke. Variations on chokes granted Yasuda that big win against La Banner and the title, so much of his offense is structured around getting into those positions. Worth noting is how efficiently Yasuda draws heat from the crowd in these early segments, with big boos being drawn for simply shoving the referee out of the way or punching Nagata in the ribs. To his credit too, Yasuda’s smart enough to soak in that heat when given the opportunity, really giving the match the room it needs to let those reactions swell.
That said, Yasuda’s offerings here are somewhat limited. Even as far as keeping things simple go, Yasuda’s no offensive master here. His punches are fun and well-time but lack a little oomph and his mat work holds little wonder outside of the innate tension he’s built around those match-winning chokes.
That said, even with a simpler arsenal, Yasuda and Nagata together are able to accomplish a good amount here. For one, they’re able to convey just how far Nagata has progressed since (literally) choking against Yasuda in 2002. Nagata’s far more capable of slipping his way free of Yasuda’s grasp on the mat and even makes stronger in-roads to other strategies like trying to cut down Yasuda by going after a leg. Yasuda even shows flashes of some subtle leg selling here even when the leg work doesn’t become much of a narrative thread for what’s to come.
What does become a strong narrative thread is the presence of Makai Club at ringside. The match hinges on Kazunari Murakami at ringside. He distracts Nagata to help Yasuda cut off the champion’s momentum, and then later on pisses off the champion enough that Nagata rushes at him on the floor for a scrap. Makai Club swarm Nagata at this point with Yoshihiro Takayama at ringside having to clear the ring and the attack leaves Nagata badly wounded, having tapped one of his famous gusher-style bladejobs.
It’s a beauty of a bladejob, deep and immediately covers Nagata’s face and all the way down to his chest. From this point on, charming as Yasuda is, it’s fully the Yuji Nagata show. The blood loss selling from Nagata is fantastic here, always staggering about in the final stretch of the match, and really having to work twice as hard to get anything in on Yasuda. He leans against the ropes for support and it really feels like it takes the last bits of his strength to make headway by doing things like using repeat enzuigiris to knock the big man down. It also adds a greater layer of tension to Yasuda’s performance here. The wound gives Nagata a clear weakness that Yasuda uses to cut him off and the blood loss compounded with Yasuda’s match-ending chokes make for some great closing tension. It also means that things like a late match low blow carry a little more tension than usual.
But really it’s just a joy to see Nagata endure. The blood loss even plays in his favor at some points, making his face slick enough to slip out of a Yasuda sleeper. But he’s just fantastic nearly falling over himself trying to cut the big man down and when he starts getting the bigger bombs in, it’s impossible not to root for the man. The match takes on a more visceral turn than their 2002 bouts with it no longer being a question of strategy and timing but of sheer survival as Nagata tries to headbutt his way to retaining his title.
As a first taste of Tadao Yasuda as a worker, it’s a charming one. He’s a larger heel working well to maximize his function in the match and serving as the foil to Nagata’s fiery babyface performance. A truly great match, the best in the Nagata/Yasuda title trilogy. Rest in peace to a champion.
Rating: ****
