The Bad Blood of Yuji Nagata vs. Kensuke Sasaki

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Regardless of one thinks of the quality of the work itself, the 2000s are a famously tumultuous time for Japanese wrestling. Larger forces such as the stagnation of the national economy combined with the growing popularity of mixed martial arts led to several major changes to the indomitable pro wrestling institutions of the 90s. Perhaps most notable to today’s match is Riki Choshu, once one of the key members of the New Japan office and head booker for much of the company’s great success in the decade prior, getting fired from the company. In response, Choshu established his own new promotion, Fighting of World Japan Pro Wrestling, which has its own short lived and crazed history. All that’s best discussed elsewhere, but the important thing is that former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kensuke Sasaki followed his mentor to World Japan.

By the end of 2003, World Japan was already falling apart. Sasaki, positioned as the company’s top star, left over growing financial issues within the company that allegedly included him putting up millions to further company operations. Not long after, Sasaki would be back home in New Japan.

There, Yuji Nagata waited for him.

Nagata quite famously remained true to New Japan for the entirety of his career. His work toiling towards the upper reaches of the card in the early 2000s would lead to him becoming one of the company’s defining figures of the decade. With people getting fired or leaving right and left, Nagata stuck through it all. So when a turncoat comes crashing back in to snatch back spots Nagata’s been grinding for, there’s an obvious animosity there.

Despite having left World Japan, Sasaki’s position as a traitor freelancer contrasted against Nagata’s loyalty means that there’s an air of that classic interpromotional tension in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2004. The match itself is billed as a LIFE OR DEATH FIGHT! which speaks how powerful this particular matter of pride is for both men.

As a match, these two keep things incredibly simple, and that’s a credit to them both.

There’s enough bad blood from the build up alone that nothing feels lost when they immediately start going to the striking at the bell. It’s not long though before the real core of the match reveals itself. After bringing a chair into play on the outside, Sasaki pays for his dastardly tactics when Nagata kicks the chair right into his face. Sasaki gets busted up bad pretty much immediately and to Nagata’s immense credit, he wastes no time in attacking the cut even as a babyface. Punches, headbutts, knees to the head.

Sasaki does much of the same. Quite notably, his attack on Nagata does feel a lot more malicious. He lariats Sasaki in the back of the head which sends Nagata’s skull right into the steel ringpost. Real nasty spot there, no hands up to protect him, just full trust and flesh on steel. Truly disgusting, you can hear the impact. Nagata’s no Kazusada Higuchi though so when Sasaki continues the assault by battering him into the post, Nagata opens up as well.

Quite simply, both men hit absolute fucking gushers and it rules.

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At one point, the camera even zooms into Nagata laying down on the mat and one can see the blood pooling on the mat as it pours out of Nagata’s head. It’s gross, one of those truly special visuals that only pro wrestling can deliver at the peak of its powers. Nagata seems to have hit a deeper cut here, as he’s just pissing blood for the rest of this match. It’s coming off him in rivers, it drenches both men before this is all over, and Sasaki’s not too far behind either. As far as bladejobs go, it’s up there with another of the year’s finest bloodlettings in Jay vs. Joe in the cage.

The match also centers itself on the wounds here. There’s no fucking around, with Nagata and Sasaki both committing to working over the other man’s cut. After Nagata gets busted, a big chunk of the match gets dedicated to a Sasaki heat segment. It’s here we get some great selling from Nagata, the stagger of someone rapidly losing blood, the determination to get back into the fight to turn away the enemy.

It rocks, just classic babyface/heel stuff, really distilled down to the most important element of the entire match.

It’s that sort of laser focus, punctuated with some big kicks in Nagata’s comeback and stiff lariats in Sasaki’s cut offs, that makes the finish feel a little dimmer in comparison. It’s that famous shot of Nagata having Sasaki locked up in a hold down on the mat, blood pouring out of both men. A great still image, sure, and perhaps one you’ve seen circulating about online in passing, but what nobody really says about it is that it’s a rather stagnant end to the match. I understand the idea behind it, Nagata’s finally got a hold on Sasaki and his clinging on until the latter finally gives. In practice, it’s much duller than expected. Neither man puts too much into the performance of the hold, they’re both rather still for the dramatic finish of something so heated.

It also just goes on too. This feels rude as a comparison, but it can’t help but bring to mind Angle and Shawn from Mania 21.

Finish aside, this still holds. LIFE OR DEATH indeed with just how much of themselves they literally put into this.

Rating: ****1/4