Shinya Hashimoto vs. Takao Omori

[7.0] "Hashimoto's first game for NOAH was very interesting, although a bit short; it was a good thing they invited him. He's now calling out Mitsuharu Misawa."

[7.0] "Hashimoto is still looking to regain face after being emasculated by Naoya Ogawa, and he's ready to take out all his anger on poor Takao Omori. I thought this was really good! Hashimoto is uncomfortably stiff especially with the Kesagiri Chop and those famous kicks, and at one point he kicks a kneeled Omori right in the face. Credit to Omori for his resiliance and I think it's safe to say that his hope spots were some of the best I've seen in a while, what a pop that was for the Axe Bomber. Hashimoto finishes him in six and a half minutes with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. (3.75*)"

[6.0] "Credited with derailing Omori's singles push but I dunno, man. He ended up doing pretty well for himself after this. He just never became a big time main event star is all. Him being instructed to lay it in against Hashimoto was a fool's errand considering this is a Hashimoto fresh off of the Ogawa decable who is both willing and incentivized to big league him if he tries. No wonder the dude looks so nervous. Omori gets a tiny bit of shine but this is ultimately a Hashimoto showcase and was never intended to be anything else."

[8.0] "This match is great. This is Hash's first match in NOAH, coming in as an outsider against day 1 NOAH guy Takao Omori. Its clear from the get go that these two have absolutely no respect for eachother as the match is about as rough and uncooperative as it gets. Hash mostly dominates here, mercilessly beating Omori for basically the entire match. Omori does make a brief comeback though and my god is it glorious. The crowd are firmly behind him here and they go absolutely berserk when he first manages to back Hash into the corner. From there he is able to nail two lariats and a tiger suplex for two very close nearfalls. Hash is able to quickly regain control though and not long after, he wins the match with a brainbuster. This was a very short match, but Omori and Hash didn't waste any time here and successfully told a compelling story within these 6 minutes. Very good. ****"

[8.0] "Hashimoto got god like reception from the crowd. But Omori was face here. He took beating from hashi and fired with two axe bombers to huge pop. It was short but violent match with hot crowd."

[7.0] "Infamous match for their lack of cooperation but it's surprisingly a lot better than it should be given the circumstances. Omori's axe bombers here look outstanding and the crowd is so behind him getting the win over the outsider in Hashimoto. Omori hitting Fujinami's finish on Hashimoto is a nice touch, considering his history with Hashi. Hashimoto hits the brainbuster for the win. 3.75"

[9.0] "No need to criticize the short match length as it fully maximizes its storytelling within the 6minutes. A violent match fueled by hate and a lack of cooperation."

[7.0] "Very short and to the point. Hashimoto and Omori looked amazing here laying into each other with strikes and big moves. Hashimoto looked especially impressive and scored the win with a very good brainbuster."

[8.0] "I really liked this match, I love short matches where both guys just beat the shit out of each other and this was what happened. While Hashimoto gets an insane reception, Omori is actually the face here due to him being a native AJPW/NOAH guy. He gets a great hope spot where after he's leathered with a gamengiri from Hashimoto, he has to rely on the energy of the crowd to get himself back in, by which point he starts hitting axe bombers, then a dragon suplex for a near fall. He goes for another axe bomber but Hashimoto chops his arm, hits another gamengiri and then a Brainbuster DDT for the pin. Short and sweet!"

[7.0] "Hashimoto in NOAH! The most famous match of his run given the reputation of it. It's ungodly violent and stiff, especially with Hashimoto in the driving seat. I believe the story goes that it was even too much for Omori, who isn't anyone to mess with in his own right and complained, thus ending his NOAH career. But this, Hashimoto is a god and comes off like one in the match. I'm not that aware of Omori's matches but I love his blonde look. He looks so badass and sleazy. The story of the match is very simple and short. Omori fires off slaps and stiff palm strikes and Hashimoto returns with harder slaps and fucking brutal kicks to the chest/neck. Hashimoto dominates the match but Omori doesn't go down without a fight. His little hope spot, which was a few lariats and a dragon suplex pin, gets a ton of heat. It was short but awesome. And the finish was just as violent. One big chop and a brutal brainbuster for the win. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Good match, didn't go too long and it put over Hashimoto as being in a tier above Omori, which was true for both of their respective careers at the times. Can't complain, crowd was red hot."

[6.0] "AKA how to ruin Takao Omori's career. Despite the legacy of the match and the (clear) lack of cooperation towards the end it's really not bad. Crowd is wicked hot (especially for Omori; moreso than for Hash) and both guys go fast and hard but even when it becomes clear there's cooperation issues it doesn't hurt it too bad. Not sure how long it was supposed to go but with the pace they set in the beginning, it was fitting for the match to be the six-minute violent sprint it ended up being. Worth a watch."

[8.0] "A short and stiff match between two legends of Puroesu. Not either mans best match, but a solid addition to their legacies none the less."