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Osaka Puroresu Shodai Oza
Ketteisen: Super Delfin vs. Dick Togo 1/4/00 Osaka Namihaya Dome Sub Arena (1,705 "sellout") From Battle Station Osaka Puroresu 2/2/00 Osaka Puroresu Story ~2000 Nen Sanirassha~i!~ |
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I really liked this match because it was so diverse, yet they brought it all together so it made sense and meant something. It wasn't one of those stupid matches where they want to do different things so they do 10 minutes of UWF submissions and then act like they are both 100% and start rolling out a bunch of flying moves. Well, of course it wasn't, this is Dick Togo we are talking about. He doesn't look like he'd be much, but he can be the king of all the rotten whether he's doing Lucha, submissions, flying, or just giving you a good old fashioned ass whipping. This was just a really solid match that went in all directions. You had to work for your comebacks. In order to change styles, you had to catch your opponent off guard or beat him up enough to exert your will on them. They even did an American spot where Big Dick 296 interfered on Togo's behalf, but it wasn't just there so Big Dick could say he did something for his money, it was a key part of the knee storyline and also saved Delfin's plancha for later. Thus, it had purpose and added to the match. That's what it should all be about. These guys have plenty of nice moves and can chain them together so they just look really good, but why settle for really good when there are roles to play and stories to tell? Plenty of guys can work, but the best wrestlers will always be the ones that engage their gray matter and figure out how to impress people with more than just cool moves. They started off with the technical New Japan junior submissions back and forth then broke into Lucha, highlighted by Delfin giving Togo his corbata on the floor. Togo gained the advantage when Police Me~n pulled Delfin's legs out and held him so Togo could chair him on the floor. Togo used the chair to abuse Delfin's left knee, including a footstomp off the apron with Delfin's knee in between the legs of the metal chair. Togo continued the knee attack with kicks and submissions, of course taunting Delfin constantly. My favorite part was when Togo picked up Delfin's leg, but Delfin gave him an enzuigiri and Togo sold huge so Delfin could get up first without popping up like Super Koji. Delfin tried a German suplex, but Togo threw elbows to stop it. Delfin thought he had Togo when he punched him in the back to open up hooking his arms for a Tiger suplex, but Togo did a reverse kick except it was to the bad knee instead of the balls and then rolled into a hizajujigatame. Delfin also thought he was going to comeback when Togo set his knee up on the middle rope and charged, but Delfin got his leg free and moved out of harms way. When Togo bounced out after crashing into the corner, Delfin knocked him to the floor with a thrust kick. Delfin slowly climbed to the top for his plancha suicida, but Big Dick 296 threw a chair and Delfin fell to the floor after it hit him in the knee. Delfin did do the plancha when he came back by stopping Togo's suplex over the top rope onto a table by knocking him off the apron into the table with his Osaka Rinkai upper. Delfin used his DDT, but Togo landed on his feet to stop the swinging DDT. After Togo got a near fall with a Ligerbomb, he went for the finish with his diving senton, but Delfin got up and fought him on the top rope. Togo won, but Delfin got the last laugh because he dropkicked Togo in midair to stop his diving body attack then got a near fall with a jumping DDT. Both men were really putting over the previous damage by this point. Delfin went for the finish with his Osaka stunner, but Togo kicked him low and got a 2 3/4 with a lariat. Togo hit his diving senton this time, but Delfin actually kicked out at the last fraction of a second. Togo blamed the ref, but figured it didn't matter because no one could kick out of his big move twice in a row. Delfin didn't have to though because he found it in him to roll out of the way of the diving senton. Both men were (acting) so dead that a small package was a legitimate finisher. Togo was finding a way to just kick out no matter if it was a common move or the vaunted Delfin clutch. Finally, Togo avoided an Osaka Rinkai upper, but Delfin thought quick and gave him the Osaka stunner. When Togo managed to stagger up to his feet, Delfin clocked him with the Osaka Rinkai upper to become the first champion. A lot of people wrote Kaientai off when they joined the circus, and with Teio it's rightfully so because he just walks through his matches these days. TAKA & Togo are a whole different story though. TAKA has done some of his best work since returning to Japan, and Togo is always at least good when I get a chance to see him. Both of these guys were among the very best in the world when they left, and I believe that all it took for them to return to that level was someone to actually utilize them. The thing with Togo is that his character is so strong that it's hard for him not to be good. He might not do a tope every night, but his brawling is so credible and he's so good at conveying that he's being so bad that it would still be a good match if he just beat the face down and let them work in some good moves on their comebacks. I'm not sure if a value can be put on playing a role that you are comfortable in because if you have that opportunity than your best will be better and you uninspired will still be you because it's like not even work to be your character. 21:04
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