2018 Ongoing MOTY List: Fujiwara Tortures a Tiny Tub

52. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Gota Ihashi Choshu Produce 7/10

PAS: Ihashi looks like a Japanese Josh Gad and gets straight up mauled by our boy Fujiwara. Ihashi isn't afraid to throw hard slaps, and really puts Fujiwara over, flopping like a fish on headbutts, and screaming in agony when Fujiwara is twisting him about. There is a great spot near then end, where Fujiwara gets a leglock reversed into a cross arm breaker (Fujiwara totally fed him, I think I could have even pulled off that mat reversal) and Fujiwara gets pissed and mangles Ihashi ankle, so he could take his back, then unloads some nasty slaps, and a gross headbutt before finishing him off with the Fujiwara armbar. Fujiwara is ageless, he comes off as big a badass here as he did in 1986.

ER: Neither of us had seen long time DDT worker Ihashi before, and not only is the guy a nice chubbo, but he's officially great because he's also like 4'7". Fujiwara has never struck me as a super tall guy, and he's over a head taller than Ihashi. What a little tank! Ihashi rushes Fujiwara at the bell and Fujiwara catches him immediately in a can opener, and holds it until the ref finally forces a break, with Ihashi screaming the entire time. Fujiwara works for the armbar that he coincidentally shares a name with, and Ihashi dishes out a bunch of headbutts to punish him. The headbutts weren't very good, for a guy who seems like he throws a lot of headbutts. They were those Big Show style headbutts where he just headbutts the back of his own hands a bunch. The wind up is good, but his hands just cover too much ground and it looks to obvious. Grabbing a guy's head with your hand and headbutting it is a good look, just as Funk grabbing a guy by the back of the head to wind up a punch always looks great, but you have to be a little sneakier with your close up magic. Anyway, Fujiwara takes a bunch of them and completely saves them, by not selling them at all. And in the moment of the match, Fujiwara casually walks to the ring apron, gingerly unwraps the padding from a ring bolt, and then headbutts it a couple times. Yep, that's what you're in for Ihashi. Ihashi bumps around for Fujiwara, fires in some nice shots and some good grounded palm strikes, but it was all in the name of getting steamrolled by a near-70 year old legend. I liked how Fujiwara treated him after the match, showing him respect, shaking his hand, and then raising his bum wing (which Ihashi sold great).


2018 MOTY MASTER LIST

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE FUJIWARA