8/11/91 1991 G-1 Climax Tournament Final: Masa Chono vs Keiji Muto

Muto grabbed a headlock on Chono early. They had a test of strength, with neither man gaining an advantage. Muto took Chono over with the knucklelock, and then applied a headlock. Muto took Chono down but Chono countered with a headscissors. Muto escaped and applied a toehold. Muto worked on Chono's lft leg, and hono tried to counter with a chinlock. Chono did counter with a headscissors, and applied an armlock with his legs wrapped around Muto's arm. Muto went back to the toehold, but Chono maintained his grip on Muto's arm. Muto reached the ropes and rolled out of the ring. Chono tripped Muto and applied a rear chinlock. Muto countered with a wristlock and took Chono down with an armbar. Chono punched Muto but Muto responded with a mule kick. Muto took Chono down and gave him a power elbow. Chono punched Muto but Muto rammed him into the corner. Muto missed a handspring elbow and Chono dropped Muto on his head and folded him up with a back suplex. Chono applied a cross armbreaker of sorts (Muto facing down instead of up) until Muto reached the rope. Chono landed a couple punches but Muto responded in kind. Chono won the exchange but Muto fought back. Muto applied a leglock on Chono. He hooked Chono's legs and went for a Mutolock but Chono tried to reach the ropes. Muto pulled him back to the center of the ring and applied the Mutolock. Muto released the grip on Chono's head but still attacked his legs. He bridged back and reapplied the Mutolock on Chono. Muto then applied a cattle mutilation (!) on Chono. Muto snapmared Chono and applied a cross armbreaker. Chono countered by grabbing Muto's arm and stepped on his face to break the hold. Chono hit two yakuza kicks and knocked Muto off the apron and into the barricade with a third. Chono hit a tope suicida for a pop and then a plancha for another pop. Back in the ring Chono piledrove Muto twice and went for the STF but Muto reached the ropes. Chono went for a piledriver on the floor but Muto countered with a backdrop. Muto then piledrove Chono on the floor near the crowd. Muto hit a top rope dropkick for a heated near fall and back suplexed Chono for another near fall. Muto German suplexed Chono for a heated near fall at the 20:00 mark. Muto gave Chono a cradle piledriver for a near fall and a dragon suplex but couldn't hold Chono for the pin. Muto snapmared Chono but missed a moonsault after teasing a power elbow. Chono scored with a yakuza kick and applied the STF amidst great heat. Chono slammed Muto and hit a top rope tackle or clothesline (camera panned out really far for no real reason), then applied Inoki's octopus hold for a huge pop. Muto struggled but reached the ropes. Chono back suplexed Muto for a heated near fall. Chono went for a suplex but Muto countered with a suplex of his own. Muto then applied his own octopus hold on Chono. Muto snapmared Chono and went to the top rope. He jumped off, Chono tried to dropkick him in mid-air, but Muto sailed over Chono somehow. Muto back suplexed Chono and hit a top rope missile dropkick. After both men sold the damage and fatigue for a while, Chono sprung up and applied the STF but Muto quickly reached the ropes. Muto missed a dropkick but blocked a yakuza kick and nailed Chono with an elbow. Muto gave Chono a backbreaker and went for a moonsault but crashed onto Chono's knees. Chono powerbombed Muto and pinned him at 29:02 to win the tournament. Incredible post-match scene with fans throwing hundreds of pillows towards the ring. A long, grueling match that built to absolute perfection. This was like watching one of those classic long All Japan main events with the slow build and patience in busting out the signature moves. Granted the psychology and selling weren't as deep, but were about as strong as you could ask for. Once upon a time, Masahiro Chono's neck was in perfect condition and he had no physical limitations. And once upon a time Keiji Muto wasn't lazy, weighed 235 lbs tops, and was once of the most graceful athletes ever to step in the ring. So in this match you had perhaps the two best workers of the new breed of New Japan stars to emerge in the early 90s (which also included Kensuke Sasaki and Shinya Hashimoto) headlining what had been at least to that point and what some still consider the best tournament in wrestling history. I can't really pick a standout performer because both men worked well and contributed equally to a match that told a bigger story as a whole than either of its parts. Definitely one of the top 5 New Japan heavyweight matches of the 1990s in a time where the New Japan heavyweights might have actually been a hair better than their All Japan counterparts. ****1/2

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