Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,069
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Ishii
Jan 8, 2019 22:22:37 GMT -5
Post by Mozenrath on Jan 8, 2019 22:22:37 GMT -5
He's built like Etrigan the Demon: short and stout, strong and tough.
What are some must-watch matches and feuds? I know he's had great wars with a lot of guys, and he's been presented as very credible from what I've seen, but I've only been following NJPW in any seriousness the last 2-3 years. I'd love to hear what you folks think.
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Post by honsou on Jan 8, 2019 22:28:47 GMT -5
All of his matches with Shibata were great.
The first three matches with Omega were incredible, especially the first one where he reverses a One Winged Angel into a god damn Stunner.
He had a match in Rev Pro vs Keith Lee shows just how compelling a simple match can really be
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Ishii
Jan 8, 2019 22:39:35 GMT -5
Post by DASH 243✅ on Jan 8, 2019 22:39:35 GMT -5
He had a match last July vs. Goto that was great.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 27,959
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Post by chazraps on Jan 8, 2019 23:04:27 GMT -5
I liked his 2016 match with Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) and the way ROH booked him as a complete monster against Roderick Strong, ending in a big moment for Bobby Fish.
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Jan 8, 2019 23:17:46 GMT -5
Ishii is like a brick shithouse made to house other brick shithouses. I love him.
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Rave
El Dandy
Perpetually Bored
Posts: 8,110
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Ishii
Jan 8, 2019 23:49:28 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Rave on Jan 8, 2019 23:49:28 GMT -5
Anything with Shibata or Makabe.
As much as I hate giving that shitbag any positive mention, Elgin had at least one excellent match with him as well.
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Ishii
Jan 8, 2019 23:55:51 GMT -5
Post by Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! on Jan 8, 2019 23:55:51 GMT -5
Any of his matches with Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Tomoaki Honma, Katsuyori Shibata, Minoru Suzuki, or Zack Sabre Jr.
He's good at this wrestling thing...
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Post by Tea & Crumpets on Jan 9, 2019 2:28:46 GMT -5
Ishii is like a brick shithouse made to house other brick shithouses. I love him. I always think of him as what would happen if Toshiaki Kawada had a baby with Mrs Potato Head. He's this short, dumpy mofo who can kick your ass, and everything from his moveset to selling reminds me a lot of Kawada.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,069
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Post by Mozenrath on Jan 9, 2019 2:29:53 GMT -5
Ishii is like a brick shithouse made to house other brick shithouses. I love him. Ishii strong? Listen bud: he's got radioactive blood!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Ishii
Jan 9, 2019 2:58:57 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 2:58:57 GMT -5
Any of them, except when he faces a Fale. That was my first exposure to him and it made me think he wasn’t any good. Good gravy I was wrong.
Personally, I would seek out with 2017 g1 match vs Yuji Nagata, and his 2018 g1 matches against Omega, Ibushi and Goto. Also his g1 breakthrough match vs Tanahashi. I forget the year, 2013 maybe?
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Post by BRAINFADE on Jan 9, 2019 3:12:35 GMT -5
Really, you can't go wrong with the vast majority of his G1 matches over the past four or five years. The guy just turns into a machine in that tournament.
Ishii is just phenomenal. I have no problem in placing him as one of the top 10 wrestlers in the world today, and he is comfortably in my list of top 20 bell to bell wrestlers of all time.
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Ishii
Jan 9, 2019 7:44:11 GMT -5
Post by HMARK Center on Jan 9, 2019 7:44:11 GMT -5
In Japan, when the G1 comes around they refer to Ishii (and I'm not directly translating here) as "the Machine that revs up every summer". The man is a G1 beast, so you can't go wrong with his performances there.
His NEVER feud with Makabe, his violent rivalry with Shibata, any G1 matches he's had with Goto, and his recent matches (2017-2018) with Omega are aces.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Jan 9, 2019 9:52:46 GMT -5
I think he has more 5 star matches with more varied opponents than anyone.
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Ishii
Jan 9, 2019 10:50:55 GMT -5
Post by corndog on Jan 9, 2019 10:50:55 GMT -5
Any of his matches with Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Tomoaki Honma, Katsuyori Shibata, Minoru Suzuki, or Zack Sabre Jr. He's good at this wrestling thing... His match against Ibushi was my favorite of the G1. Of course the Shibata feud for the NEVER Openweight Title was amazing. But basically anytime the guy goes in the ring with a talented individual, it's going to be at least a good match.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Jan 9, 2019 11:10:40 GMT -5
His match against Okada at G1 Climax 26 is a classic, one of my favorites from either guy. Also his WK9 fight against Togi Makabe.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 11:11:06 GMT -5
Ishii vs Goto from this past G1 sold me on him.
The thickness.
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Post by Tea & Crumpets on Jan 9, 2019 13:55:36 GMT -5
I think he has more 5 star matches with more varied opponents than anyone. Probably related to this but it also helps that a lot of his matches are very differently structured. He's not just got an insane workrate he's a great storyteller too, and as I already said one of the best sellers in the game. If he was a few inches taller he could legitimately be a guy you build the company around, put him in with anyone and it'll always be different and he'll always deliver.
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Ishii
Jan 9, 2019 14:26:02 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by The Spelunker! on Jan 9, 2019 14:26:02 GMT -5
Other than specific ones mentioned, the G1 special match between him and Omega with the rope bite. One of the greatest desperation moments I’ve seen in a match.
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Ishii
Jan 9, 2019 14:27:28 GMT -5
Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Jan 9, 2019 14:27:28 GMT -5
I really love how even if in New Japan he's eternally in that "credible upper midcarder and nothing more" spot where he gets to be a hurdle for main events to overcome at best, western fans have embraced him just as much as the home fans and he's found success with RevPro. He just has this universal appeal and in a company with a bit less concern over image, he's able to rise to the top on those merits
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Post by HMARK Center on Jan 9, 2019 15:00:55 GMT -5
And it's fascinating how Ishii is one of those guys in NJPW who, in some ways, might be appreciated a bit more internationally than he is at home.
That's not to say he isn't popular in Japan, but simply put he isn't a talker, which hurts his standing compared with some other guys, similar to what hurt KUSHIDA's standing with some fans; put him in a setting where there's a language barrier and his physicality does more of the talking for him, and his smash mouth style takes on an extra layer of significance, I think, and you can see that in how over he is in the West. It's why he'd probably make a great US champion, particularly once NJPW is running stateside shows more consistently with their offshoot branch; you know he'll be over as hell over here if they want him to spend a few months touring around.
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