April Anarchy: Shinjiro Otani vs El Samurai - 04/12/97

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Shinjiro Otani vs El Samurai (NJPW): Wow! These guys hate each other! There's nothing fancy about most of this match. They are slapping, punching and kicking each other in the face for a lot of this bout. Once the action escalates to the "move section," the maneuvers feel like a natural extension of their animosity. These are two grumpy people. Beyond that, I think this battle is a fine snap shot of what a great wrestler Otani was. I find him to be the very best of the classic New Japan Juniors, only behind Liger. Otani's body language, selling, facial expressions are all top notch. If you combine his work in New Japan and Zero One, I probably would put him in the top 25 wrestlers of all time.

Click these links to see more great Otani recommendations:

Zero One Wrestling 2007 part 1

Zero One Wrestling 2007 part 2

Zero One Wrestling 2007 part 3

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