THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE # 68
MAY 11, 2003

Snack On Danger, Dine on Death II

Come on, did you really think I was going to do a tribute to the Road Warriors in commemoration of their upcoming tryouts with the WWE? Nope, this article focuses on a bunch of puroresu death matches in a similar vain as my first �Snack on Danger, Dine on Death� installment. In this article I�ll take a look at 7 matches from FMW, IWA and Big Japan from the mid-90s garbage wrestling peak era. Unlike the last article, this one is a more accurate representation of the death match genre in that the quality of the matches ran the gamut from absolute sucktitude to near-classic, and the matches in this article vary significantly in their quality as well.

11/13/94 No Rope Barbed Wire Fire Match: Terry Funk & Hiroshi Ono vs Shoji Nakamaki & Nobutaka Araya

They had barbed wire on two sides of the ring while on the other 2 sides were several cauldrons strewn on one rope each side, which contained the fires. Not the most insane setup for a fire match, but interesting enough. Standard stuff early with the wrestlers trying to push their opponents into the fires. Nakamaki got the better of Ono as Araya came so close to whipping Funk into the fire. Nakamaki hit a really cool (or hot!?) tope suicida on Ono in which he jumped over the flames as he dive. Nakamaki DDTd Ono on the floor. Araya dropkicked Funk, who staggered slightly into the flames but quickly rebounded. Funk kinda rammed Araya�s head into one of the cauldrons but not directly into the fire. Funk landed some punches as sparks shot down from over the ring, as they would every 2 minutes. Nakamaki pushed Ono�s head into one of the flames and hit him with a chair. Funk won an exchange of blows with Araya, who staggered into a side of barbed wire. Funk sliced Araya open with the barbed wire and choked him with it as more sparks flew. Funk gave Araya a neckbreaker and one of the cauldrons fell off its rope to the floor. Funk then rammed Araya�s head into that cauldron. Funk crazily tried to pick up one of the flaming sticks from the cauldron but kept dropping it. He chased someone around ringside with the flame. Nakamaki DDTd Ono but Funk then rammed his head into a cauldron. Funk repeatedly pushed a bloody Nakamaki�s head into the cauldron as more sparks flew. Ono DDTd Araya for a near fall as Funk pounded Nakamaki. Funk gave Nakamaki a spinning toehold as Ono applied one to Araya as well. Nakamaki punched Funk to escape and Funk staggered into a cauldron. Araya kicked Funk but Funk punched him and threw him out of the ring. Ono gave Nakamaki a Russian legsweep for a near fall. More sparks flew as Ono applied a choke sleeper on Nakamaki. Funk hit Araya with a chair at ringside and pounded him amidst a sea of chairs. Araya fought back and repeatedly hit Funk with a chair, then threw a bunch of chairs onto Funk. Ono applied a cross armbreaker on Nakamaki. Araya pounded Ono and he and Nakamaki double suplexed him. Araya gained a near fall on Ono and powerbombed him after which Nakamaki gained a near fall. Araya applied an STF on Ono as Funk hit Nakamaki with a chair. Funk hit Araya with the chair and then started hitting the cauldrons with the chair as well. Nakamaki gave Funk a couple headbutts but Funk countered a piledriver with a backdrop. Funk piledrove Nakamaki and then piledrove him on a flaming stick from one of the cauldrons for the pin at 12:17. A good death match. You had your share of push-into-barbed wire or fire spots, but they mixed in enough wrestling and action sequences to make it work. Araya was pretty bland and while his work was fine for this setting, he really offered nothing of much value. Ono seemed like a pretty decent worker from the matches I�ve seen him in, and this was no exception as he mixed in the best wrestling spots of the match. Nakamaki was always a crappy worker, but intense and carryable with the right opponents. His tope over the flames was the match�s one really cool spot. Funk was the star of the match with his antics, and he would always do something to keep the match interesting during down times, such as playing with fire or hitting the cauldrons with a chair. By the standards of mid-90s death matches this was certainly better than average. **1/4

1/10/96 No Rope Barbed Wire Spider Net Death Match: Hayabusa, Masato Tanaka & Koji Nakagawa vs W*ING Kanemura, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga & Hido

Two sides had barbed wire in place of the ropes, the other two sides had barbed wire spider nets on the floor. Hido and co. attacked their opponents as they entered the ring. Early action saw some standing exchanges and teasing of barbed wire spots. Kanemura kicked Tanaka and whipped him into the barbed wire. Hayabusa pounded Matsunaga and elbowed him. Kanemura chokeslammed Tanaka for a near fall as Nakagawa gave Hido a bunch of chops. Kanemura DDTd Nakagawa. He and Matsunaga failed to push Hayabusa into a barbed wire spider net. Matsunaga pounded Hayabusa and pushed him into a side of barbed wire. Tanaka dropped Kanemura gut first across the barbed wire and dropkicked him to the floor. Tanaka then dove over the barbed wire (which had caved in some under Kanemura�s weight) onto Kanemura at ringside. Hido hit Nakagawa with a ladder. Hido and Matsunaga clotheslined Nakagawa with the ladder. Hido hit Tanaka with the ladder and he & Matsunaga clotheslined him with the ladder. Kanemura slammed Tanaka onto a table on the floor. Matsunaga gave Hayabusa some kicks. Kanemura climbed the ladder in the ring and splashed Tanaka through the table at ringside in an insane spot by 96 standards. Matsunaga hit Nakagawa with the ladder. Hido kicked Hayabusa and the heels brought pieces of the broken table into the ring. Hido sliced Nakagawa�s head with a table piece as Kanemura whipped Tanaka into the ladder. Tanaka missed a clothesline and Kanemura gave him a great released German suplex for a near fall. Nakagawa DDTd Hido and broke a piece of the table over his head. Kanemura avoided the barbed wire but Hayabusa then knocked him into the barbed wire with a spin kick. Tanaka charged but crashed into the barbed wire when Kanemura moved. Tanaka countered a German suplex and Nakagawa dropkicked Kanemura into the barbed wire. Tanaka bulldogged Kanemura for a near fall. Hido kicked Nakagawa but missed a clothesline and Nakagawa German suplexed him for a near fall. Matsunaga hit Nakagawa and Tanaka with a barbed wire bat. Hayabusa ducked a bat shot and gave Matsunaga a spinning mule kick. Hayabusa gave Matsunaga a fisherman buster for a near fall. Tanaka gave Kanemura a tornado DDT off the ladder for a near fall. Hayabusa jumped off the very top of the ladder and moonsaulted Kanemura for a near fall. Kanemura blocked a suplex into a barbed wire spider net but Tanaka held him and Hayabusa dove over the net onto him. Kanemura whipped Hayabusa into a sea of chairs. Kanemura gave Tanaka a face front suplex onto the barbed wire bat for a near fall. Matsunaga cut several strands of barbed wire off the ring and wrapped them around Nakagawa. Hido and Kanemura powerbombed Tanaka from the ring into a barbed wire spider net on the floor. Kanemura clotheslined a barbed wire wrapped Nakagawa for a near fall. Kanemura tried to whip Hayabusa into a ladder Hido and Matsunaga were holding but Hayabusa dropkicked the ladder into them instead. Nakagawa tackled Kanemura as Hayabusa whipped Hido into the barbed wire. Hayabusa gave Matsunaga a falcon arrow for a near fall. Matsunaga blocked a suplex and DDTd Hayabusa. Hido piledrove Nakagawa as Tanaka got dumped into the barbed wire spider net again. Matsunaga and Hido then dumped Hayabusa into the other barbed wire spider net on the floor. Kanemura hit Tanaka with a piece of the broken table. Hido and co. gave Hayabusa a spike piledriver onto a piece of wood from the table for a near fall. Kanemura powerbombed Hayabusa for a near fall. Hayabusa countered a powerbomb with a huracanrana. Matsunaga then powerbombed Hayabusa for the pin at 16:14. All but 3 minutes aired, and this was outstanding by death match standards. You basically had a combination of a vintage FMW barbed wire match and a vintage FMW 6-man tag main event. The barbed wire elements kept the action content in check a bit, but all 6 actually compensated by using the gimmicks to their advantage in doing spots they wouldn�t do in a typical 6-man. Hayabusa�s leap over the barbed wire net was an example, as was Hido wrapping barbed wire around Nakagawa as he was beating him up. While their mobility was somewhat limited, the use of a ladder made up for that, including Kanemura�s splash of Tanaka through a ringside table, which would still register as a spectacular spot today. Tanaka and Kanemura were the best workers as you�d expect, and Hayabusa chipped in his share of athletic spots on offense and violent bumps on defense. They went to near falls several minutes before the finish, and a number of them were great in that they were so sudden and believable and drew great heat. Actually the crowd was hot throughout. One of the first great FMW matches of their 96-98 peak era, maybe even the very match that ushered in the glory days. ***3/4

12/13/94 Barbed Wire Board & Spike Nail Death Match: Shoji Nakamaki & Hiroshi Ono vs Leatherface & Super Leather

The setup looked quite spectacular, with thousands of thick nails protruding into the ring from wood boards tied into the ring ropes. Of course this almost guaranteed limited action and mobility from those involved. Spectacular entrance by Leatherface and Leather as they ran through the crowd with chainsaws in hand. Action began outside the ring but quickly entered the ring. Nakamaki and Ono double suplexed Leatherface. Ono fought with Leather at ringside. Leatherface sliced Nakamaki�s head open with a barbed wire board. Leatherface pushed Nakamaki into the barbed wire board and then kinda pushed his head into a board of nails in another corner. Leatherface and Leather attacked Nakamaki with punches. Leatherface pushed Ono�s head into a bunch of nails. Leather whipped Nakamaki into a barbed wire board in the corner and gave him a fist drop for a near fall. Ono was whipped into the barbed wire board and Leather gained a near fall. Nakamaki headbutted and DDTd Leatherface for a near fall. Ono attacked Leather and pushed his head into some nails in the ropes but Leatherface attacked him. Leather powerbombed Ono but Ono whipped him into a board of nails in the corner. Ono back suplexed Leather for a near fall. Leatherface powerbombed Ono. Nakamaki was whipped into a bunch of nails in the ropes as was Ono. Leather gained a near fall on Ono but Ono whipped him into the nails. Ono gave Leather an enzuguiri and pushed him into the nails in the ropes. Leatherface sent Ono into the barbed wire board in the corner. Leather pushed Nakamaki�s head into a bunch of nails. Leather and Leatherface whipped Ono into the board of nails and gave Nakamaki a double team powerbomb for a near fall. Leather high kicked Ono. Leatherface tore off a segment of a board of nails from the ropes and sliced Nakamaki open with it. Leather pushed Ono into the barbed wire board. Leatherface held the nails segment over Nakamaki and Leather legdropped it. Leatherface continued to attack Nakamaki with the nails segment until Ono intervened. Leather attacked both opponents with the bunch of nails. Leatherface pushed Nakamaki into more nails and Leather legdropped Ono. Leather took the fight with Ono out of the ring as Leatherface pounded Nakamaki. Nakamaki fought back with headbutts and Leatherface fell back into the board of nails. Nakamaki rolled up Leatherface for a near fall but missed a corner splash and ran into the board of nails. Ono threw a fireball at Leatherface and Nakamaki rolled him up for the pin at 12:46. Crazy post-match action saw Ono powerbombed onto the board of nails. Leather then placed the barbed wire board on top of Ono�s body and Leatherface gave him a lame but dangerous top rope splash. Terrible from a technical standpoint, but given who was involved you just couldn�t reasonably expect anything different. Leatherface was never worth a damn as a worker, and his new �incarnation�, Super Leather, wasn�t much better. Back in 1994 IWA was an upstart group trying to put itself on the map, and it drew attention by coming up with death match concepts and setups that would equal or surpass what FMW and old W*ING fans were used to. It that regard they succeeded here as the nails (and volume of them) used looked quite spectacular and dangerous, and there was more than enough blood to go around. However, the focus was almost always on the nails, which kept any action sequences to an absolute minimum. After a while the work just got too repetitive with wrestlers pushing each other into the nails over and over and over again. Funny thing how the post-match action (and even that�s a stretch) was of better quality than the work during most or all of the actual match itself. From the few matches and clips I�ve seen, most CZW death matches, which is the category today I�d most closely compare this match to, smoke the hell out of this crap, and that�s not necessarily saying much. DUD

3/30/95 No Rope Barbed Wire Lumberjack (?) Match: Great Nita vs Big King Pogo

Two sides of the ring had barbed wire as usual, and two sides were kept open, and those open sides were where a bunch of wrestlers stood on the floor. Nita backed Pogo into the barbed wire and tackled him a few times but Pogo threw him out of the ring. The wrestlers threw Nita back into the ring. Pogo threw Nita into the barbed wire and hit him with his sickle a few times. Pogo then put the sickle in Nita�s mouth and did more damage. Nita blocked another shot with the sickle and kicked Pogo a few times. Nita grabbed the sickle and repeatedly hit Pogo with it. Nita sliced Pogo�s head open with the sickle repeatedly. Nita hit Pogo in the gut with the sickle again but Pogo blew green mist in his eyes. Someone sprayed the sickle with what looked like a blowtorch and Pogo threw Nita out of the ring. The heels threw Nita back into the ring and Pogo jabbed him in the back with the sickle. Pogo drove the sickle into Nita�s back for a while and threw him out of the ring again. Pogo rammed Nita into the barricade and into a piece of wood back in the ring. Pogo went to hit Nita with a barbed wire bat but Nita blocked him with the wood. Nita hit Pogo with the wood and broke the piece over his head repeatedly for a near fall. Nita DDTd Pogo on the barbed wire bat for a near fall and hit Pogo with some lame bat shots. Pogo backed into the barbed wire on one side of the ring as Nita continued to hit him with the bat. Pogo moved and Nita ran into the barbed wire. Pogo then torched Nita with a fireball for a near fall. Pogo cut some of the barbed wire off the ringposts and wrapped it around Nita�s body. Pogo then grabbed a flaming barbed wire bat and hit Nita with it for a near fall. Pogo put the flaming bat on a piece of wood on the mat and bulldogged Nita onto them. Nita blew mist in Pogo�s eyes and hit him with the flaming bat 3 times. Pogo grabbed the bat and hit Nita. Pogo then threw another fireball at Nita�s back and hit him with the bat for a near fall. Pogo then grabbed a huge machete, came down on Nita�s neck (lamely) with it and pinned him with the machete across his neck at 13:48 (9:54 aired). As you�d expect. High on violence and very low in amount of quality action. In fact, I�ve seen better Onita-Pogo matches than this. The few near falls in the final minutes were the only thing this match had going for it. They spent too much time using the sickle, which looked stupid because all they could do with such a weapon is slice each other up or take lame shots with it, neither being conducive to producing a worthwhile match. Pogo was never anything special in the ring, but by this point he was really crappy with limited mobility. The only times Pogo was watchable by this point were the few times he wasn�t focused on the match�s violence quotient. And this was certainly not one of those times. Nita wasn�t much better himself. 1/4*

12/21/95 Barbed Wire Spider Net Glass Crush Death Match: Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Jason The Terrible & Hideki Hosaka vs W*ING Kanemura, Hido & Super Leather

Barbed wire was coiled throughout the ropes Caribbean style on each side of the ring. On the floor were two barbed wire spider nets, in which there were also these large plates of glass. Action started with mostly standing exchanges and wrestlers pushing each other into the barbed wire. Matsunaga tried and failed to knock Leather into the glass/barbed wire spider net. Leather gave Matsunaga some headbutts and tried to suplex him from the ring into the spider net but Matsunaga suplexed him into the ring. Leather and Matsunaga traded blows as the others fought near the barbed wire. Jason pounded a bloody Kanemura as Leather whipped Matsunaga into the barbed wire. Hido pounded Hosaka and headbutted him in the crotch. Kanemura charged but Hosaka dumped him over the top rope, but Kanemura avoided the glass and barbed wire spider net by landing on the apron. Leather gave Matsunaga a neckbreaker. Hosaka blocked a suplex to the barbed wire and glass and traded blows with Kanemura on the apron. Hosaka kicked Kanemura and nearly slammed him from the apron into the glass and barbed wire spider net. Kanemura kicked Hosaka but Hosaka caught him and slammed him from the apron into the glass and barbed wire spider net on the floor. Jason and Hosaka pushed Kanemura into the barbed wire and glass on the floor. Leather vertical suplexed Matsunaga for a near fall. Matsunaga and Hosaka gave Kanemura a double slingshot suplex on the barbed wire in the ropes. Leather DDTd Matsunaga as Jason pulled Kanemura, who was on the apron, into the barbed wire. Matsunaga tried to throw Leather into the other glass and barbed wire spider net but Leather held onto the ropes. Matsunaga gave Leather some kicks but Leather remained on the apron. Leather gave Matsunaga a bunch of headbutts and Hido bulldogged him from the apron into the glass and barbed wire spider net on the floor. Leather whipped Jason into the ropes and Jason almost flew out of the ring into the gimmicks. Hido and Kanemura spike piledrove Hosaka on a flattened table. Hido spin kicked Jason, Leather chokeslammed him onto the table flat on the mat and Kanemura gave him a top rope splash for a near fall. Jason was then placed on the table and Leather drove him through the table with a top rope splash for a near fall. Matsunaga gave Leather some kicks as Hosaka gave Hido a huracanrana. Hosaka also gave Kanemura a huracanrana. Jason corner splashed Hido as Leather slammed an attendant into the crowd. Hosaka gave Hido a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. Matsunaga broke a piece of glass over Kanemura�s head and a piece over Hido�s head too. Matsunaga sliced Hido open with the glass. Leather hit Jason and Hosaka with what looked like a huge wooden toothbrush with nails instead of bristles. Leather attacked Matsunaga with the nails. Hido placed a plate of glass on Matsunaga�s chest and Leather shattered it with the toothbrush of nails. Leather gained a near fall on Matsunaga. Matsunaga fought back and whipped Leather into the barbed wire but Leather then moved and Matsunaga crashed into the barbed wire himself. Leather pounced on Matsunaga in the ropes and gave him a second rope axhandle on the apron. Matsunaga dumped Leather back into the ring and kicked him. Hosaka and Jason then knocked him into the glass and barbed wire spider net with a double clothesline. Jason powerbombed Hido and Hosaka gained a near fall. Jason and Hosaka gave Hido a sloppy powerbomb/neckbreaker combo and Hosaka gained a near fall. Matsunaga powerbombed Kanemura as Jason gave Hido a lariat. Leather wandered aimlessly throughout the crowd with barbed wire stuck in his hair. Jason gave Hido a northern lights bomb for the pin at 14:42 (12:44 aired). Pretty much what one might expect again. Lots of blood and violence and not too many good action sequences, but not bad. In terms of style this wasn�t entirely different from the spike nail death match. However, the barbed wire in place of nails made for somewhat increased mobility while the glass and barbed wire spider nets added a variety to the violence the nails match lacked. There was plenty of pushing people into barbed wire and teasing pushing each other into the spider nets, but overall the action didn�t seem monotonous. You had at least 3 solid-good workers here (Kanemura, Hosaka, Hido), and they were on opposing teams which better enabled them to carry the action. The spider net gimmicks were really cool back in late-95 and were incorporated well into the match. including several fairly intense exchanges on the apron. What made the match a worthwhile death match was that the best action content was in the last 3 minutes, including some good near falls. Still, there was too much standing around and punch/kick work for this to be a �good� match. Decent death match though. *3/4

7/19/96 No Rope Barbed Wire Board Scaffold Free Fall Death Match: Seiji Yamakawa & Kendo Nagasaki vs Mitsuhiro Matsunaga & Shoji Nakamaki

Nagasaki pounded Matsunaga as the others left the ring and pushed him into barbed wire strands. Nakamaki threw Yamakawa into a sea of chairs. Matsunaga kicked Yamakawa a few times. Nakamaki gave Nagasaki some headbutts as Matsunaga threw Yamakawa into some chairs. Matsunaga rammed Yamakawa into some scaffold support structure on the floor. Matsunaga pounded Nagasaki in the ring but Nagasaki rammed him into a scaffold beam. Yamakawa attacked a bleeding Nakamaki on the floor and Nagasaki sent Matsunaga crashing through some barbed wire strands to the floor. Nagasaki rammed Matsunaga into the scaffold support as Nakamaki rammed Yamakawa into a barbed wire board in the ring. Nagasaki pushed Nakamaki into a barbed wire board in the corner. Matsunaga gave Yamakawa an overhead suplex through a barbed wire board propped against the scaffold. Nagasaki attempted a cross armbreaker on Nakamaki as Yamakawa hit Matsunaga with the broken barbed wire board. Yamakawa stomped the barbed wire board repeatedly over Matsunaga�s chest. Nakamaki slingshot Yamakawa through barbed wire strands on one side of the ring for a pop. Nakamaki backed Nagasaki into a barbed wire board in the corner. Matsunaga rammed Yamakawa into the scaffold and gave him a roundhouse kick and an ax kick. They climbed up the scaffold and fought as Nagasaki sent Nakamaki into a barbed wire board. Yamakawa and Matsunaga reached the top of the scaffold as their partners fought on the mat. Yamakawa pounded a bloody Matsunaga atop the scaffold for a while before Matsunaga fought back. Nagasaki placed some barbed wire boards on the mat as Yamakawa tried to knock Matsunaga off the scaffold. Nagasaki climbed up and helped Yamakawa, and Matsunaga fell off the scaffold onto the barbed wire boards below. Yamakawa then dove off the scaffold onto Nakamaki for a heated near fall. Nagasaki hit his partner Yamakawa with a barbed wire bat when Nakamaki moved. Nagasaki was then sent through more barbed wire strands to the floor. Nakamaki wrapped a barbed wire strand around Nagasaki and Nakamaki slammed a barbed wire board onto his chest. Matsunaga then slammed a barbed wire board over Nakamaki (his partner!) and they pinned Nagasaki to eliminate him. Matsunaga hit Yamakawa with a chair on the floor and brought a table in the ring. Nakamaki won an exchange of blows and powerbombed Yamakawa onto a barbed wire board. Matsunaga brought a table into the ring. Matsunaga and Nakamaki kinda dropped Yamakawa on his head in a loose version of a powerbomb and Nakamaki gained a near fall. Matsunaga and Nakamaki placed a barbed wire board across 2 tables and Nakamaki placed Yamakawa on the board. Matsunaga then dove off the top of the scaffold onto Yamakawa through the board for the pin at 14:04 to win the match. A decent match because the scaffold wasn�t their entire focus. They used it for a few main spots and rammed each other into the sides, but not much else. Actually, they used the barbed wire boards, which don�t compromise mobility and action content, just as much. Combine that with some action on the floor and you had work that was reasonably varied. The only time the match dragged a bit was when the wrestlers teased pushing each other off the scaffold, but that was expected and even that segment didn�t last too long. This was Matsunaga�s Big Japan debut, and he worked fairly hard in being the �star� of the match. Nakamaki and Yamakawa had a few nice exchanges and showed good intensity. In hindsight it seems clear they were grooming Yamakawa, then mainly the whipping boy in their big matches, for an eventual big push and they were smart in doing so. Yamakawa, who showed some intensity and potential but not much else, would emerge as one of the best death match workers ever by the end of the decade. The athletic quotient in this match was expectedly low, but everyone not named Nagasaki (who really sucked) worked hard to produce a solid death match. **

9/1/96 No Rope Electrified Barbed Wire Land Mine Double Hell Death Match: W*ING Kanemura, Hido & Hideki Hosaka vs Masato Tanaka, Koji Nakagawa & Tetsuhiro Kuroda

The W*ING group gained the early advantage trying to push their opponents into the land mines. Tanaka and Kanemura had an intense struggle. Nakagawa landed some punches but Hosaka gave him a low blow. Nakagawa slid to avoid being whipped into the barbed wire explosives by Hido. Hosaka kicked Nakagawa. Kanemura dropkicked Nakagawa into a side of barbed wire for the first explosion. Hosaka then gave Nakagawa an enzuguiri and Nakagawa fell onto the barbed wire land mines on the floor for another explosion not even 10 seconds later in a pretty spectacular sequence. Hido piledrove Tanaka for a near fall and got the better of Kuroda. Hosaka and Kanemura attacked Tanaka with a barbed wire bat and Hosaka hit Kuroda with the bat as well. Kanemura hit Tanaka with a chair. He then sat Tanaka on the chair and Hosaka hit him with the barbed wire bat. Kanemura knocked Tanaka out of the chair with a dropkick. Hosaka hit Tanaka with a chair. He and Kanemura sliced Tanaka open with the barbed wire bat and Kanemura hit him with it. Hido continually attacked Kuroda with a chain and Kuroda nearly fell out of the ring for another explosion. Hido headbutted Kuroda in the crotch and Hosaka hit Tanaka with the bat. Kanemura broke a chair over Tanaka�s head and Hosaka gained a near fall. Kanemura gave Tanaka another chairshot and hit him repeatedly with the bat. Tanaka blocked a bat shot with the chair and hit Hosaka with it. Tanaka ducked a lariat and gave Kanemura a blue thunder powerbomb for a near fall. Kuroda fought back and gave Hido a lariat. Tanaka jumped off a chair and gave Kanemura a tornado DDT for a near fall. Kuroda and Tanaka double powerbombed Kanemura for a near fall as Nakagawa was still selling the effects of the explosions on the floor (actually the ground since they were outdoors). Hido attacked Kuroda with the chain as Hosaka punched Tanaka. Hosaka hit Tanaka with the barbed wire bat and he & Kanemura took turns punching Tanaka. Tanaka fought back with elbows but Kanemura gave him a lariat. Kanemura whipped Tanaka into a spinebuster from Hosaka for a near fall. Hosaka powerbombed Tanaka for a near fall. Kuroda. his neck tied up in the chain, tried to fight back but Hido clotheslined and kicked him. Hosaka choked Tanaka with the barbed wire bat. Hido and Kuroda both fell into the barbed wire land mines on the floor as they fought for a big explosion. Kanemura powerbombed Tanaka for a near fall. Hosaka and Kanemura gave Tanaka a double team powerbomb for a heated near fall. Hosaka dropped Kanemura down across Tanaka with a legdrop and Kanemura gained a near fall. Hosaka slammed Tanaka on a chair for a near fall. Kanemura powerbombed Tanaka on a bunch of chairs for a very dramatic near fall as Nakagawa finally returned to make the save. Nakagawa blocked a lariat and gave Hosaka a tiger driver for a near fall. Nakagawa German suplexed Hosaka for a near fall but Kanemura hit him with the barbed wire bat. Kanemura hit a charging Tanaka with the barbed wire bat but then hit Hosaka with it when Tanaka moved and Hosaka fell into a side of barbed wire for an explosion. Tanaka gave Kanemura a roaring elbow and Nakagawa pushed him off the ring into the barbed wire land mines for a dramatic explosion. Tanaka whipped Hosaka into the explosive barbed wire and powerbombed him for the pin. 11:54 aired, and it looked like a couple minutes were edited out. This was a fantastic death match and one of the best matches of the explosion death match genre. Of course this was a great crew of workers who had great chemistry from working with each other so many times. The gimmicks did limit their mobility some and prevented this match from being a classic, especially since you had 5 or 6 men confined to a small area. Given the circumstances this match was about as action packed as you could ask for. But the main strength of this match was a storyline that didn�t become obvious until late in the match. In the match�s insanity highlight, Nakagawa took two explosions within 10 seconds early on. He laid there selling like he was dead for several minutes before slowly coming to and finally saving Tanaka from what seemed like certain defeat. About a minute later he came out of nowhere to knock Kanemura into the barbed wire land mines for the explosion that kinda sealed the match for his team. Combine that with a hot closing stretch with lots of near falls and you get an outstanding death match. ***1/2

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