New Japan 80s Top 30 Countdown! Match #27

Match #27: Shinya Hashimoto vs. Victor Zangiev, 4/24/89

Damn these two dudes look completely unfuckwithable when their names are announced.

I won't ever be able to say enough about how awesome this match is. Opening matwork is grimy and looks really ill-natured. Zangiev's ankle pick on Hash, with Hash hopping around on one leg while Zangiev drives him down, then forces a locked in Indian deathlock was a thing of beauty.

Of course, I thought I knew beauty..but then I saw the greatest overhead belly-to-belly suplex ever thrown by man. Zangiev just hoists him up and over and the crowd loses it. Hash takes a powder and Zangiev just calmly breathes, urging him back in.

Hash has my favorite pants in wrestling.

Zangiev wrestles him down and the fight for an armbar, with Zangiev REALLLY looking like he's leaning back hard on it, really making Hash clasp those hands tight.

Zangiev takes a Hash kick to the chest (I'm picturing Hash kicking one of those kilogram-force measuring machines like Ivan Drago broke in Rocky IV) and he don't like that one bit. He fails to block a second, but then captures the leg on the thrid, cradles the neck and just drills Hash with a badass capture suplex.

Zangiev locks in a really nasty armbar, really hyperextending the elbow, wrenching the wrist so Hash can't clasp, just wrenching it in as the tendons in his neck bulge. Hash reverses out with an awesome headscissors counter and the crowd justifiably loses it. Zangiev's subsequent escape from the headscissors brings an even bigger pop.

Hash smothers him to the ground and goes for a crucifix, but Zangiev powers through with a modified Samoan Drop, and Hash takes another powder.

And then Shinya Hashimoto spits in Viktor Zangiev's face.

Oh. Fuck.

If Daniel Day-Lewis method acted how to react when having an opponent's spit projected onto his face, I don't think he would come close to approximating the picture perfect facial expression that is Zangiev's reaction.

It starts as dead, shark eyes with no expression whatsoever...and then we start to see teeth from under that mustache...and then a slight scowl as the brow furrows and daggers come out of his eyeballs. He looks like he's going to grab Hashimoto by the beard and bite his fucking nose off.

He rushes in and clinches and Hash tries to elbow out but Zangiev dumps him right on his fucking head with a belly to belly! He picks Hash up for more and Hash eyerakes out!

Hash lands some kicks and staggers him, then rolls through with a stiff standing spin kick, then drags him into the center and locks on the most painful figure four I've seen applied. Zangiev fighting to get out of it is like something I've never seen, desperately trying to unhook his legs from Hashimoto's, but it's no use. It's on too snug and he's too far from the ropes and taps.

This was so great, so hate-filled, so intense, so perfect, and this was only Zangiev's 2nd match!! 2nd match EVER! Fucking FRIGHTMARE is considered a hot rookie prospect these days. Frightmare.