by Daniel Johnson
Masayuki Kono and Ryota Hama vs. Seiya Sanada and Manabu Soya
The tag team of Kono and Hama reminds me of Owen Hart and Yokozuna if they were a less organized face duo. Whereas Hart and Yoko would do the double teaming behind the ref’s back through ample use of heel distractions here Sanada and Soya put their boots to Kono for large sections of the match with no interference from Hama. The funniest part of this is when you realize why Hama isn’t helping. If you look for it then at least once out of the corner of your eye you will see Hama try to slowly enter through the ropes only to be stopped by a ref that is about a third of his size. Meanwhile Sanada and Soya are all but reenacting that scene from Deliverance on Kono.
Still, the big man gets his shots in and takes some hits as well. Of course acknowledging the realism needed for the match Hama will only sell when Sanada and Soya are double teaming him. So with all this double teaming it kind of comes off as a tornado tag team bout with no tags needed…for the heels anyway.
The move of the match has to be when Sanada and Soya manage to suplex Hama. Even with two men doing the lifting it is still surprising that they are able to get Hama in that maneuver. To paraphrase Chris Jericho, “their lower backs will never, ever be the same again!”
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