The third part offers the first IWGP Heavyweight Championship match of the year, as Antonio Inoki faces Riki Choshu. Before his title match, however, Choshu has a big match against "Cowboy" Bob Orton on February 1st. We also get a fun Handicap Match with Vader and Saito. For those following along with the New Japan TV 1988 set sold, I am putting the events in correct order so I might not be going in exactly the same order as what the DVDs are. Here is the complete line-up:

February 1st at Soka City Sport Healthy City Commemoration Gymnasium:
- 1988 Top of the Super Jr. League: Hiroshi Hase vs. Shiro Koshinaka
- Bob Orton vs. Riki Choshu
- Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Owen Hart and Buzz Sawyer
- Big Van Vader and Masa Saito vs. Seiji Sakaguchi and Antonio Inoki

February 4th at The Osaka Prefectural Physical Education Hall:
- 1988 Top of the Super Jr. League: Hiroshi Hase vs Keiichi Yamada
- Handicap Match: Vader and Masa Saito vs. Yamazaki, Osamu Kido, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Antonio Inoki vs Riki Choshu

Just a friendly reminder that a lot of the matches are clipped, and I will make a note of it when they are. Let's get started.

February 1st at Soka City Sport Healthy City Commemoration Gymnasium:

Hiroshi Hase vs. Shiro Koshinaka
This match is part of the Top of the Super Jr. League. JIP, with Hase applying the cross armbreaker onto Koshinaka. Koshinaka gets out of it and rams Hase into the turnbuckle before delivering a running bulldog. Cover, but it gets a two count. Koshinaka applies a crab hold into a single leg crab hold, but Hase makes it to the ropes. Koshinaka picks up Hase and puts him in the Tree of Woe before stomping him until he falls off. Irish whip by Koshinaka but Hase kicks him when he goes for a back bodydrop. Irish whip by Hase to the corner and he hits a running elbow, he then goes to Irish whip Koshinaka to the other corner but Koshinaka reverses it and delivers a hip attack. Irish whip by Koshinaka and he hits a second hip attack. German suplex hold by Koshinaka, but Hase gets a shoulder up. Koshinaka picks up Hase and goes for a slam, Hase reverses it with a small package, but Koshinaka rolls it over into a small package of his own for a two count. Punch by Hase and he goes for a suplex, but Koshinaka puts Hase onto the top turnbuckle. Koshinaka joins him and hits a superplex, he rolls Hase over and applies the Mexican Surfboard. Hase gets out of it, Irish whip by Koshinaka but Hase sneaks in a backslide for a two count. Koshinaka picks up Hase and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Hase lands on top of him. Northern Lights Suplex by Hase and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Hiroshi Hase

Match Thoughts: More of a Super Jr. League match then we have seen thus far, although still obviously quite clipped. What they showed was fine... they had a good back and forth going that kept you guessing on who was going to pick up the victory. The League is almost over, and this win pushes Hase towards the top of the pack. Score: N/A

Bob Orton vs. Riki Choshu
Orton punches Choshu to start the match, and Choshu falls out to the apron. Orton jumps out of the ring and elbows Choshu in the throat before pulling him out of the ring. More punches by Orton on the floor, but he returns to the ring after a moment. Choshu slowly follows, and Orton elbows him in the head some more. Kicks to the head by Orton and he delivers an atomic drop. Cover, but it only gets a one count. Choshu tries to fight back but Orton punches him into the ropes. Neck crank by Orton, but Choshu pushes Orton back into the corner. Chops by Choshu, Irish whip to the corner but Orton boots Choshu in the mouth when he charges in. Cover by Orton but it gets a two count. Orton picks up Choshu but Choshu grabs him and hits a kneebreaker. Stomps by Choshu and he applies the Scorpion Deathlock. Orton gets out of it, mounted punches by Orton, Irish whip and Orton delivers a dropkick. Orton throws Choshu out of the ring, he then goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits an ax handle down to the floor. Irish whip by Orton into the guard rail and he throws a chair into the ring. Orton returns to the ring, Choshu gets onto the apron and Orton suplexes Choshu over the top rope onto the chair. Orton calls for the piledriver, he picks up Choshu but Choshu back bodydrops out of it. Backdrop suplex by Choshu, he goes off the ropes and delivers the lariat. Choshu grabs the chair and hits Orton in the back with it, he then hits him again as the referee tries to stop him. Choshu hits Orton a third time and then dumps the referee out of the ring when he tries to grab the chair. The referee calls for the bell, so either Orton won by DQ or the match was tossed out.

Post match: Choshu continues his assault and throws Orton out of the ring. Orton grabs a chair but doesn't get back into the ring

Match Thoughts: Not bad, but it seemed odd that Choshu snapped the way he did as while Orton had cheated a bit it didn't seem enough to justify that type of reaction. Orton sure is being protected, its interesting that even towards the end of his career he had enough of a reputation to not drop falls to some of New Japan's biggest stars. Nothing wrong with it at all, I just wish it could have been longer and had a more logical conclusion. Score: 5.5

Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Owen Hart and Buzz Sawyer
Fujinami and Sawyer start things off. Fujinami quickly rolls up Sawyer and gets a two count, leading to Sawyer bailing out of the ring to re-group. Sawyer returns after a moment and tags in Hart. Fujinami tags in Kimura, they circle each other, tie-up, hammerlock by Kimura and he applies a wristlock. Hart rolls out of it and gives Kimura an uppercut and the two trade blows. Kicks to the stomach by Hart but Kimura pushes him into the ropes and gives a clean break. Tie-up, wristlock by Hart but Kimura monkey flips out of it. Tie-up again, side headlock by Hart, Kimura gets out of it and pushes Hart to the mat while applying an arm lock. Back up, Hart body slams Kimura but Kimura keeps the arm lock applied. Kimura tags in Fujinami, Fujinami picks up Hart, scoop slam and he goes for the leg but Hart pushes him off. Tie-up, Hart drives Fujinami back and makes the tag to Sawyer. Sawyer clubs Fujinami in the back, Irish whip, but Fujinami dropkicks Sawyer out of the ring. Sawyer gets back in, tie-up, wristlock by Sawyer and he hits a drop toehold. Sawyer bites Fujinami in the back and throws Fujinami out of the ring. Fujinami returns but Sawyer tags in Hart. Fujinami tags in Kimura, Irish whip by Kimura to Hart and he hits a back bodydrop. Irish whip again and Kimura delivers a kick to the leg. Kimura picks up Hart but Hart dropkicks Kimura out of the ring. Pescado by Hart, he picks up Kimura and tries to Irish whip him into the railing, but Kimura reverses it. Kimura gets back in the ring first with Hart slowly following, Kimura rams Hart into the turnbuckle but Hart blocks the second attempt and delivers a rounding body press from the top turnbuckle for a two count cover. Kimura manages to tag in Fujinami, Irish whip by Fujinami and he hits a drop toehold. Fujinami applies a Mexican surfboard, he releases it after a moment and picks up Hart before hitting a side headlock takedown.

Hart returns to his feet but Fujinami tags in Kimura, snapmare by Kimura and he applies a headscissors. Hart rolls out of the headscissors and picks up Fujinami, backbreaker by Hart but it barely gets a two count. Hart tags in Sawyer, and Sawyer hits a vertical suplex onto Kimura for a two count. Sawyer picks up Kimura and delivers a gutwrench slam, cover, but again it gets two. Belly to belly suplex by Sawyer, cover, but again Kimura kicks out. Sawyer tags in Hart, and Hart applies a crab hold. Kimura gets out of the hold and delivers a back kick to Hart, and he makes the tag to Fujinami. Fujinami picks up Hart, Irish whip, and Kimura connects with the dropkick. Crab hold by Fujinami but Hart makes it to the ropes. Hart tags in Sawyer, but Fujinami drives him back and tags in Kimura. Diving knee drop from the top turnbuckle by Kimura, Irish whip, and he nails the Inazuma Leg Lariat. Cover, but Hart breaks it up. Irish whip by Kimura, but Sawyer shoulderblocks him down and hits a powerslam. Cover, but Fujinami breaks it up. Sawyer picks up Kimura, Irish whip, but Kimura knees Sawyer in the head and tags in Fujinami. Dropkick by Fujinami but Sawyer tags in Hart. Fujinami puts Hart in the Scorpion Deathlock by Sawyer quickly breaks it up. Scoop slam by Sawyer onto Fujinami while Hart goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Fujinami kicks Sawyer off and throws Hart from the top turnbuckle to the mat. Fujinami picks up Hart and delivers a backdrop suplex, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami

Match Thoughts: The last two minutes or so are really enjoyable, but it was a rough road to get there. The bulk of the match really lacked structure, as the selling was poor and there were too many tags to allow any type of hot tag or desperation to get the crowd riled up. The worst example of selling is when Sawyer connected with three big moves but Kimura was back on his feet within 15 seconds tagging out... that was their best chance to get the crowd really into it by dragging out the big tag but they completely missed it. The end was hot though, with fast action, big moves, and Hart getting pinned when he got isolated away from the muscle of the team. Sadly the rest of the match wasn't nearly as interesting or intense. Score: 4.5

Big Van Vader and Masa Saito vs. Seiji Sakaguchi and Antonio Inoki
Vader and Inoki start things off. Punches by Vader, Irish whip, and Vader delivers a Vader Attack. Vader picks up Inoki and applies an armbar but Inoki gets out of it and puts Vader in an armbreaker. Military press slam by Vader and he goes for a splash, but Inoki gets his knees up. Inoki tags in Sakaguchi while Vader tags in Saito. Wristlock by Sakaguchi but Saito gets him into the corner. Sakaguchi reverses positions with him and they struggle for position. Saito tags in Vader, and Vader punches Sakaguchi into the corner. Sakaguchi reverses it and knees Vader in the head. The two trade blows, kick to the stomach by Vader but Sakaguchi throws him into the corner. Sakaguchi tags in Inoki, they tie-up, and Vader clubs Inoki in the corner. Vader tags in Saito, backdrop suplex by Saito onto Inoki and he goes for a Scorpion Deathlock but Sakaguchi runs in and breaks it up. Saito gets Inoki back into the corner but Inoki fights out of it with a series of punches. Inoki tags in Sakaguchi, knee by Sakaguchi and he delivers a hiptoss. Irish whip by Sakaguchi and he knees Saito in the chest. Saito manages to tag in Vader, and he trades blows with Sakaguchi. Irish whip by Sakaguchi but Vader knocks him down with a Vader Crush. Vader waits for Sakaguchi to get up, tie-up, armbar by Sakaguchi and he tags in Inoki. Inoki comes off the top turnbuckle with a chop to Vader's arm and he applies the cross armbreaker. Sakaguchi comes in the ring and applies a cross armbreaker to his other arm, but Saito quickly breaks it up.

Headbutt by Vader onto Inoki but Inoki gets Vader back into his corner and Sakaguchi snaps his neck over the top rope. Vader comes back with clubbing blows to Inoki, Irish whip, and Vader delivers a lariat. Throat thrusts by Vader and he tags in Saito, who kicks Inoki repeatedly in the back. Inoki gets away from him and tags in Sakaguchi, Saito clubs on Sakaguchi, snapmare, and he chokes Sakaguchi with both hands repeatedly. Saito tags in Vader, Irish whip by Vader and he shoulderblocks Sakaguchi, but Sakaguchi doesn't go down. A Vader Attack does the trick, snapmare by Vader but Sakaguchi gets out of the way of the elbow drop and tags in Inoki. Vader clubs Inoki hard in the head, Irish whip by Vader but Inoki avoids the body splash and hits a back bodydrop. Armdrag by Inoki and he delivers an enzigieri, sending Vader out of the ring. Inoki goes out after him but Saito runs over to help Vader. Inoki rolls back in the ring with Vader slowly following, and Vader puts Inoki in the Tree of Woe. Sakaguchi comes in the ring to protect Inoki, and he lets Inoki down out of the corner. Vader charges Sakaguchi but Sakaguchi stops him and drives Vader to the mat. Saito runs in and attacks Sakaguchi, and both he and Vader club Sakaguchi. Vader throws Sakaguchi out of the ring and goes out after him, while Saito and Inoki battle on the other side of the floor. The referee is counting and both wrestlers are counted out.

Post match: They continue brawling for several minutes until the dojo wrestlers break them up.

Match Thoughts: An acceptable match and main event, but man New Japan tag team matches were structured different then most other tag matches I have seen. Anything resembling long term selling is completely thrown out the window, and even the short term selling is suspect. There were many times they seemed to be on slightly different pages which led to some slower awkward moments, but the inclusion of Sakaguchi might have caused this as up to this point Vader/Inoki and Saito/Inoki had been wrestling pretty consistently the last few months and had pretty good chemistry. The end was expected as all four of these guys were extremely protected in New Japan. The real moment of the match was Sakaguchi running into the ring to protect Inoki when he was in the Tree of Woe, the crowd reacted perfectly to that entire segment and it really put over how much respect Sakaguchi has for Inoki. Vader was fun as always even if Sakaguchi didn't take his moves as well as Inoki does, and overall it was decent but far from a must see match. Score: 6.0

February 4th at The Osaka Prefectural Physical Education Hall:

Hiroshi Hase vs Keiichi Yamada
This match is part of the Top of the Super Jr. League. Yamada slaps Hase to start the match, sending Hase reeling back. Clubs to the back by Hase but Yamada reverses positions with him and applies a hammerlock. Wristlock by Yamada, reversed by Hase, but Yamada reverses it back. Hase dropkicks Yamada off and both men return to their feet, Hase twists on Yamada's ankle but Yamada delivers an enzigieri. Armbreaker by Yamada, he picks up Hase and delivers a second one. Crowd starts a "Yamada!" chant as he picks up Hase and gives him a third armbreaker. Keylock by Yamada, Hase tries to slam his way out of it by Yamada keeps it applied. Stomps to the arm by Yamada, he picks up Hase but Hase avoids the dropkick. Hase goes off the far ropes but Yamada moves out of the way and Hase falls out of the ring to the floor. Yamada then goes up to the top turnbuckle and sails out onto Hase with a plancha suicida. Yamada picks up Hase outside the ring, steps beside the mat and delivers a piledriver. Yamada returns to the ring with Hase slowly following, scoop slam by Yamada and he applies the crossface chickenwing. Hase wiggles to the ropes to force a break, Yamada picks him up but Hase delivers a quick backdrop suplex. Hase picks up Yamada and puts him on his shoulders before hitting a gutbuster. Hase picks up Yamada and throws him out of the ring, he drags him back up and drops him stomach-first onto the guard rail. Again the loud Yamada chants rain down (I had no idea Yamada was so popular) and he eventually rolls back into the ring. Hase picks him up and hits another gutbuster before hitting first a standing double stomp and then a diving double stomp from the second turnbuckle. Cover, but it gets a two count. Scorpion Deathlock by Hase, Yamada crawls to the ropes and reaches them to force a break. Hase picks up Yamada and hits a sidewalk slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Yamada rolls out of the way of the diving elbow drop. Irish whip by Yamada and he nails a cartwheel into a crossbody for a two count cover. Scoop slam by Yamada, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving headbutt. He goes back up top again and this time hits a diving elbow drop. Cover, but Hase gets a shoulder up. Snapmare by Yamada and he again applies the crossface chickenwing, but again Hase gets a foot on the ropes. Tombstone piledriver by Yamada, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Hase is up and throws him off. Hase picks up Yamada and delivers an overhead belly to belly suplex, he then goes up to the top turnbuckle but Yamada has recovered and joins him. Superplex by Yamada, but Hase grabs him in a small package and picks up the three count! Your winner: Hiroshi Hase

Match Thoughts: Finally a full match is shown from the first Super Jr. League and they really delivered. The crowd was really hot for it, the action was crisp, and its fun watching Yamada hone the skills he would use to rule the world as Liger. Hase needed a win here to stay in contention while Liger was already out but still was fighting for his honor. The Shooting Star Press was already "the move" as the announcers mentioned it periodically and the feel was always that hitting it was the only way he would beat Hase. Course, Hase stopped him when it looked like he was going for it and picked up the win not long after. I had no idea Yamada was so loved by the fans, to be honest, as the crowd was just going nuts for him throughout. Really fun match. Score: 8.0

Handicap Match: Vader and Masa Saito vs. Kazuo Yamazaki, Osamu Kido, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Vader and Yamazaki start things off. Tie-up, but Vader pushes Yamazaki back and poses. Tie-up, clubs to the back by Vader and he gives Yamazaki a vertical suplex. Vader picks up Yamazaki, Irish whip and he crushes him with a Vader Attack. Yamazaki falls out of the ring but returns at 11, with a little help from Vader. Vader picks up Yamazaki, Irish whip from the corner and he hits a second Vader Attack. Knee to the stomach by Vader and he tags in Saito. Scoop slam by Saito and he tells Yamazaki to tag out, so he tags in Fujiwara. Fujiwara pushes Saito into the corner and goes for the armbar, but Saito shakes him off. Chop by Fujiwara but Saito kicks him in the stomach. Fujiwara falls out to the apron, Saito rams him into the steel near the post but Fujiwara shakes it off. Fujiwara returns to the ring, kicks by Saito and he punches Fujiwara to the mat. Saito goes for a vertical suplex but Fujiwara reverses it and tries to lock in the Fujiwara Armbar, but Saito gets out of it and tags in Vader. Vader and Fujiwara tie-up, Vader pushes Fujiwara into the corner and chops him in the chest. Punches by Vader, Irish whip, and he delivers a lariat. Elbow drop by Vader, he picks up Fujiwara and throws him out of the ring. Vader follows him out and headbutts him at ringside, but the headbutt doesn't effect Fujiwara. Vader slides Fujiwara back into the ring and returns as well, club to the back by Vader and Fujiwara tags in Kido. Kido goes off the ropes but Vader knocks him back with a Vader Attack. Punches to the head by Vader and he tags in Saito. Irish whip by Saito and he delivers a lariat. Saito goes for the Scorpion Deathlock onto Kido but Fujiwara comes in the ring and breaks it up. Kido rams Saito's head into Fujiwara's before tagging in Yamazaki. Kicks to the head by Yamazaki and he delivers a vertical suplex to Saito. Saito hits a quick backdrop suplex however and makes the tag to Vader, punches by Vader but Yamazaki comes back with kicks. Another punch sends Yamazaki to the mat however, Irish whip by Vader and he knocks Yamazaki to the mat with a Vader Attack. Military press slam by Vader, cover, but Kido breaks it up. Saito comes in and puts Kido in the Tree of Woe, and Vader nails Kido with a running shoulderblock while he is hanging upside down. Vader picks up Yamazaki, Irish whip, and knocks him out with a lariat. Cover, and Vader gets the three count. Your winners: Vader and Masa Saito

Match Thoughts: Ah Vader. Getting to watch so many matches back when Vader was pretty green but still kickass is a lot of fun. He was just killing Yamazaki, but he didn't show that much more respect for the old guys either. Vader never really got hurt, but Saito took some damage, which is realistic as Fujiwara and Kido aren't pushovers so they shouldn't just be squashed. Fun little match that got the point across that Vader and Saito are two of the baddest guys in New Japan. Score: 6.0

(c) Antonio Inoki vs Riki Choshu
This match is for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Dropkick by Choshu to start the match and he levels Inoki with a lariat. Choshu goes off the ropes again and hits a second lariat, and Inoki falls out of the ring. Choshu joins him and throws Inoki into the guard rail before kicking him in the stomach. Choshu rams Inoki into the ring post a few times before getting back into the ring. Inoki barely makes it back in, and Choshu stomps him in the back of the head. Choshu throws Inoki back out to the floor, but Inoki returns after a moment. Choshu attacks Inoki as he gets on the apron however, and Inoki falls back down outside the ring. Finally Inoki manages to get back in the ring, Irish whip by Choshu and he knees Inoki in the stomach. Another knee by Choshu, he picks up Inoki and throws him into the corner. Choshu stomps on Inoki before ramming him into a different corner and throwing him out of the ring again. Inoki gets back on the apron but Choshu grabs him and rams him into the post. The referee tries to stop Choshu, and while the referee is talking to Choshu, Inoki connects with an enzigieri over the top rope. Inoki punches Choshu in the ring, he picks up Choshu and throws him out of the ring. Inoki follows him out and he throws Choshu into the guard rail. Inoki returns to the ring with Choshu not far behind him, Inoki goes up to the top turnbuckle and punches the bleeding Choshu in the face. Irish whip by Inoki and he puts Choshu in the cobra twist. Choshu hiptosses his way out of it and delivers a backdrop suplex. Scorpion Deathlock by Choshu but he releases the hold and kicks Inoki in the back. Choshu goes for the Scorpion Deathlock again but Inoki punches Choshu before he can get it applied. Choshu continues bleeding everywhere as Inoki goes for a piledriver, but Choshu reverses it with a back bodydrop. Choshu goes off the ropes but Inoki avoids the lariat. Kicks to the leg by Inoki and he slaps on the figure four leglock. Choshu eventually makes it to the ropes to force a break, but Inoki continues kicking him in the leg. Enzigieri by Inoki and he applies the Octopus Hold, but Choshu rolls out of it. Both wrestlers slowly get up and Choshu hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Choshu picks up Inoki and applies the Octopus Hold himself, but Inoki gets out of it. Dropkick by Inoki, he picks up Choshu and hits a vertical suplex for a two count cover. Inoki picks up Choshu and delivers a backdrop suplex of his own, and both wrestlers are slow to get up. Inoki grabs Choshu and applies the Octopus Hold again, Choshu grabs the rope but Inoki pulls his arm back and keeps the hold applied. Choshu gets two fingers on the ropes but he can't fully grasp them and the referee calls for the bell. Your winner and still champion: Antonio Inoki

Match Thoughts: Interesting match... not bad necessarily but definitely different. It was humming along fine until the end, but the end didn't make a lot of sense. Maybe the commentators explained it, but it seemed when Choshu fully grabbed the ropes the hold should have been broken. I can understand that two fingers isn't enough, but the whole hand should have been. There was also one really noticeable botch in the middle of the match that took the crowd out of it for a moment. Inoki was 45 at this point but still had the crowd even though his skills were diminished. The intensity was definitely there but overall it just fell a little flat to me. Score: 5.0

Final Thoughts:

Best Match: Hiroshi Hase vs. Keiichi Yamada. Just a really exciting and hot Jr. Heavyweight match and an example of how good Yamada already was even before he donned the Liger mask.

Worst Match: Bob Orton vs. Riki Choshu. Nothing on these shows was bad, but this match was the most disappointing as it had a non-ending and they are capable of a much better match then this was.

Most Notable: An Antonio Inoki title defense during his last run with a championship title.

Back to 1988 New Japan Year in Review

review completed on 3/7/08