by Daniel Johnson
Mikami vs. Hiromu Takahashi
During ring introductions for this bout from NJPW’s NEVER endeavor, Hiromu Takahashi shouts out to the crowd while Mikami is stone faced. This hints just a tad that Takahashi is going to get his ass beat. True, it is not nearly the ass beating that Toru Yano would later give him, but an ass beating nonetheless.
Actually while Mikami does indeed pound on Takahashi for a good deal of this match, the entire bout is pretty even barring the last sequence. Takahashi targets Mikami’s legs early and on the other hand Mikami seems dead set on making Takahashi tap with an arm bar. After some mat wrestling Mikami hits a shoulder block and Takahashi catches Mikami with a drop toe hold. Mikami then attempts to clamp on an arm bar again, but Takahashi keeps getting to the ropes. Takahashi fights back by giving Mikami a big chop, which starts an exchange of strikes between the two. Takahashi wins this encounter, but the battle is far from over. Mikami changes his offense to instead focus on Takahashi’s back. Instead of having the mindset of Ole Anderson and Arn Anderson and methodically chipping away on Takahashi’s arm, he will now apply the same logic to his foe’s back.
Before the bout ends Takahashi hits a dropkick so nice that he has to nail it twice. However, it is not long before Mikami clamps on a Boston crab. Although Takahashi at first makes it to the ropes, Mikami then delivers a side walk slam, gut wrench suplex and slam before locking it on again for a victory.
In more recent NJPW news, the full card for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 (just over a week away) has been announced.
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