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3. Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kenta – NOAH, October 29, 2006
Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA were two of the biggest rising stars in NOAH’s early years. Both were the direct protégés of the company’s biggest stars (Marufuji was Misawa’s protégé and KENTA was Kobashi’s). They were also critically-acclaimed tag team partners for many years, and were known for stealing the show on almost any card.
So when they clashed in singles competition, it was an epic battle pitting two partners and rivals against one another.
Oh, there was also one other caveat as well: Marufuji was the world champion, and KENTA, who suffered from a little man complex, wanted to prove he was more than a tiny junior heavyweight.
This match is out of this world. These two cruiserweights wrestled a heavyweight match, complete with unbelievable reversals and storytelling, as well as some of the craziest offense ever seen in a wrestling ring.
As the challenger, KENTA was trying to show how strong he was, and he did this by kicking Marufuji as hard as possible. While he did this all the time, these particular kicks must’ve been especially painful, because Marufuji was coughing and sounded like he was about to vomit several times during the match. That became a great selling point, as KENTA targeted Marufuji’s abdomen and stomach several times for the rest of the match, which went on for an incredible half an hour.
As was typical of Pro Wrestling NOAH, this match was just as entertaining for its big moves as it was for its storytelling. These two wrestlers showed just how tough they were by hitting terrifying moves on each other.
These included: a Tiger Suplex from the top rope, a diving double foot stomp from KENTA onto Marfuji’s already-destroyed stomach, a Falcon Arrow from the apron to the floor, and a picture-perfect Spanish Fly.
Finally, both men (but especially Marufuji) deserve credit for wrestling such a long match despite a horrible botch occurring. As Marufuji attempted a springboard moonsault into the stands, he landed throat-first on the steel guardrail and kicked KENTA’s face open. Luckily, they managed to cover for this error by putting on one of the best matches of the entire year.
And people say cruiserweights and smaller guys can’t sellout crowds...
