Shopping Mall Brawl, Big Japan 7/1/95. One of the unique, definitive things to see in the history of pro wrestling. Bizarre, probably illegal given the property destruction, often hilarious, entirely confusing.

Hayabusa & Niiyama vs Gladiator (Mike Awesome) & Ooya, FMW 7/18/95. All kinds of fun. Awesome and Ooya and Hayabusa all rock on offense, Niiyama can take a beating, and then the post-match talking (w/ subtitles) is five-stars. Magnifique!

Mike Awesome vs Hayabusa, FMW 7/30/95. Hayabusa has been thrust into the spotlight as the face of post-Onita FMW. 'Gladiator' Mike Awesome has been with the company longer and wants to establish himself as a key long-term figure by taking down the new 'ace'. Hayabusa almost ends his career in this but amazingly doesn't suffer a serious injury. Be sure to watch the lead-in tag.

Hayabusa vs Gladiator, FMW 9/26/95. Finals of a tournament to determine the new champion after Hayabusa vacated the title a few months earlier. During the round-robin portion of the tournament Hayabusa pinned Awesome with a rana. With English subtitles for promos and a lot of post-match.

Megumi Kudo vs Combat Toyota, exploding barbed wire DM, FMW 5/5/96. Kudo, the hardcore queen, must survive the beastly Combat. Explosions are NOT the most brutal thing about the match, either. This is my favorite FMW DM, and I'm far from alone in that opinion. 277 MB.

Tanaka, Kuroda & Nakagawa vs Kanemura, Hido & Hosaka, W*ING 6/12/96. Oh baby, this is a good one. Great heat, great action, hectic pacing, and for a couple of these guys one of the very best matches they've ever been in.

Tanaka, Kuroda & Nakagawa vs Kanemura, Hido & Hosaka, double hell no-rope barbed wire, FMW 9/1/96. My favorite men's DM from FMW. Fast pace, harsh powerbombs, and a simple but effective face/heel story that leads to a thrilling finish.

Hayabusa vs Taka Michinoku, FMW 11/16/96. Taka does his best, Hayabusa does a mix of amazing spots and spotty selling, it builds to some big nearfalls.

Tanaka, Kuroda & Nakagawa vs Kanemura, Hosaka & Hido, no-rope barbed wire & barbed wire spidernets deathmatch, W*ING 7/13/97. Barbed wire bumps, powerbombs, and combinations of the two.

Masato Tanaka vs Mr. Gannosuke, Double Titles, FMW 1/6/98. Really good match that blends traditional Japanese style with 'hardcore' psychology and a nice high-impact closing stretch.

Minoru Tanaka vs Tajiri, Big Japan junior tournament 2/3/98. Even at this point Minoru was much more accomplished. He won his first round match with an achilles hold, so between that and the Minoru Special there's a lot for young Tajiri to beware.

Gedo vs Tajiri, Big Japan junior tournament final, 2/3/98. Gedo, who seemed to wind up in every juniors tournament in the '90s, won his first two matches with the frogsplash. Tajiri comes in with an obvious vulnerability, and Gedo zeroes in on it. Best Gedo singles match? Heck, I think it might be the best Tajiri singles match.

Hayabusa vs Mike Awesome, FMW 3/17/98. Winner gets a title shot. Their last singles match, since Awesome got hurt over the summer and was gone to ECW shortly after his return in '99. 100 MB.

Gannosuke vs Shinzaki, FMW 4/21/98. Gannosuke has repeatedly mocked and ripped off Shizaki over the preceeding months. Shinzaki is out for revenge, but to do so he must overcome the current champion's willingness to break any and all rules.

Mr. Gannosuke vs Hayabusa, Double Titles, FMW 4/30/98. A highlight for both of their careers.

Hayabusa vs Masato Tanaka, Double Titles, FMW 5/19/98. JIP to the juicy part. When I say they go all-out, I ain't kidding around.

Masato Tanaka vs Kuroda, FMW 6/19/98. Ain't exactly Baba vs Destroyer, but it's good for what it is.

Battlarts vs FMW, 5 vs 5 elimination match, FMW 5/5/99. Polished shoot-stylists heel it up against sleazy garbage wrestlers! The first four eliminated are the ones you want out of the way! Over the top counts, but the last eliminations are proper falls.

Masato Tanaka vs Mr. Gannosuke, FMW 8/20/99. The nefarious Kodo Fuyuki makes for a great heel ref, who is biased but not over-the-top. Finishing sequence is really choice, with a fine balance between high-impact and effective 'sports entertainment'.

Hayabusa vs Mr. Gannosuke, FMW 8/25/99, JIP. Continuing their rivalry.

Tomoaki Honma vs Jun Kasai, Big Japan 3/26/00. Honma is a deathmatch icon, whereas Kasai has done jack-all. Honma has an extra year of experience. Kasai fights a good fight and gets some nice 'young lion' nearfalls, but then keeps going on, until you wonder if maybe he has a chance after all. Honma does a great job here. 73 MB.

Kamikaze vs Masato Tanaka, Big Japan title, BJPW 7/27/01, JIP. Tanaka is by far the biggest name to go after the title, and Kamikaze has never beaten anyone of his stature. Something has to give.

Ohtani vs Sekimoto, Big Japan 12/2/01. Ohtani lowers himself to filthy Big Japan to take on their young punk heavyweight. Ohtani ain't taking no crap from a deathmatch greenhorn. Ohtani ain't taking no crap from deathmatch fans. Ohtani pretty much rules.

Teioh vs Sekimoto, Big Japan title, BJPW 3/30/03. Teioh is great, putting together a well-structured match to complement Sekimoto's explosive power. Really nifty despite the maddeningly silent crowd.

Ohtani & Tanaka vs Kanemura & Kuroda, Fuyuki Army 5/3/03. Rematch from the previous June, only this time Emblem plays the visiting team.

House show, Big Japan 8/21/03. Part 1. They build a house in Korakuen, fight in it, and destroy it. Only in Japan.

House show, Big Japan 8/21/03. Part 2.

Ohtani vs Hido, deathmatch, Fuyuki Army 9/22/03. Ohtani has the edge in skill and power. Hido has the edge in working with barbed wire. Will Hido look good in front of his wife, deathmatch icon Megumi Kudo? No really, she married him. No REALLY. Korakuen helps this as it is prone to.

Ryuji Ito vs Abdullah Jr. Kobayashi, DM title, Big Japan 12/24/03. Ito took the standard garbage brawl and turned it into a faster-paced, highspot-filled gorefest. Kobayashi, despite his girth, has a knack for bringing structure and build to his DMs. Immensely enjoyable carnage right here.

Ohtani & Takaiwa vs Masato Tanaka & Yoshihito Sasaki, Fuyuki Army 5/5/04. Lots of pride and a good pace. NJ dojo versus FMW dojo!

Kojima vs Kuroda, Fuyuki Army 5/5/04. These two could just go brain-dead and do lariats and no-sell spots the entire time, but instead we get a STORY~ with Kojima as the heel outsider against a hopelessly outmatched Kuroda. Crowd responds perfectly.

Sekimoto vs Ishii, BJPW 2/22/05. A straightforward battle between a pair of short-but-thick muscleheads. Drags at times but it does pick up for the finish.

Hido, T. Sasaki & Kasai vs Ito, Sekimoto & Numazawa, light tube DM, Big Japan 4/29/05. Wow, I know some of my match descriptions were skimpy, but this didn't even HAVE ONE. You can tell this is early in the style based on the heat and reactions for the opening spots. Based on the match length, one of the 'opening spots' is so freaking insane that only Jun Kasai would be party to it. Meanwhile, I don't think you can blame Sekimoto for leaving the DM scene in '06. I would not want broken glass anywhere near my junk, thank you very much. Ito's "nice assist" is a really nifty idea even if they don't totally pull it off, and it sets up a hot ending run.

Kasai vs Numazawa, razor board (and other things) DM, Big Japan 6/8/05. Not for the faint of heart. These two are out of their minds.

Sekimoto vs Kobayashi, light tube DM for #1 contendership to the deathmatch title, Big Japan 11/22/05. Bloody, violent, and yet somehow focused. Not for all but loved by many.

Ito vs Kobayashi, light tube DM, BJPW DM title, Big Japan 12/21/05. Builds very nicely off their 2003 match and Kobayashi vs Sekimoto. Abby Jr > you.

Kobayashi vs Takashi Sasaki, DM title, Big Japan 3/31/06. Likely the best DM in the history of BJPW.

Takashi Sasaki, Ito & Masada vs Kobayashi, Sekimoto & Numazawa, tubes DM, Big Japan 4/1/06. Sasaki and Abby tangle just a day after their war at Korakuen. Sasaki sports a bandage, which is the last thing you want coming into a match like this. The six of them keep the pace up, and we get a sense of who the next DM title challenger will be when it's all said and done.

Sasaki & Nakajima vs Sekimoto & Kakimoto, Big Japan 5/5/06. Kakimoto is a relative youngster from DDT with a power/suplex focus. Sekimoto is the powerhouse of the indy scene for this decade. They go all-out to try and pull off a gigantic upset against the Kensuke Office duo.

Kobayashi & Ozaki vs Y. Miyamoto & Kyoko Kimura, light tube DM, Big Japan 6/4/06. Intergender, but more importantly it's veterans versus cubs. The Kimura/Kobayashi matchup is probably my favorite.

Kasai vs Hyoma, barbed wire DM, Big Japan 6/26/06. Kasai is certifiable, but he does let undercarder Hyoma look good. Still... you do question if Kasai is a masochist.

Kanemura, Mammoth Sasaki & Kuroda vs Sekimoto, K. Inoue & H. Kondo, Big Japan 6/26/06. Welcome to the first in a series of tags involving these wrestlers. Kanemura is a hardcore icon, Kuroda is less iconic but certainly established, Mammoth is a crafty powerhouse, Sekimoto is brute force, and Inoue and Kondo are out of their league but fight like crazy to be competitive. Lots of classic puro 6-man elements at work to make this quality.

T. Sasaki vs Numazawa, DM title, Big Japan 6/26/06. Numazawa's career match, and a strong follow-up to the March title bout.

T. Sasaki & Ito vs Numazawa & Kasai, DM, Big Japan 7/14/06. Bloody fun - literally.

Mammoth Sasaki & Kuroda vs Sekimoto & K. Inoue, Big Japan 8/18/06. Another matchup that can't help but work.

Masato Tanaka & Kuroda vs Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki, Big Japan 9/10/06. It's allllll about Tanaka and Sekimoto dishing out everything they can at one another.

T. Sasaki, Numazawa & Badboy Hido vs Kasai, Teioh & Inematsu, Big Japan 10/13/06. Additional DM-y goodness!

T. Sasaki, Kobayashi & Badboy Hido vs Kasai, Numazawa & Teioh, Big Japan 11/27/06. A DM that includes quite a bit of storytelling. Trust me here!

T. Sasaki, Kobayashi, Shadow WX & MASADA vs Kasai, Numazawa, Teioh & Miyamoto, light tube DM, Big Japan 1/2/07. Plenty of big spots, and an interesting spotlight on young Miyamoto who was trying to earn his way into the company. My favorite DM of '07!

Mammoth Sasaki & Kuroda vs Sekimoto & K. Inoue, Big Japan 3/25/07. Slowish start, great great finish. 130 MB.

Ito vs Kobayashi, BJPW DM title contendership match, 4/30/07. Not as good as the first two but still worthwhile for the fan of the light tube DM.

Kanemura, Mammoth Sasaki & Kuroda vs Sekimoto, Obata & Hi69, Big Japan 5/20/07. Obata gets absolutely crushed and it's awesome. 159 MB.

Kanemura, Kuroda & Hi69 vs Sekimoto, Mammoth Sasaki & K. Inoue, Big Japan 5/28/07. More BJPW 6-man goodness! 156 MB.

Kanemura, Kuroda & Imai vs Kasai, Numazawa & Masada, Big Japan 6/26/07. My love affair with BJPW 6-mans featuring a clear underdog continues!

Mammoth, Shadow WX & K. Inoue vs Sekimoto, Hi69 & Obata, Big Japan 6/26/07. More BJPW 6-man akshun! Clipped very neatly in the middle. Mammoth delivers a hellish powerbomb. Get on it!

T. Sasaki vs Ito, DM title, Big Japan 7/8/07. Their third and (for my money) best title match.

Nakanishi, Yujiro & Hirasawa vs Sekimoto, Mammoth Sasaki & K. Inoue, Big Japan 7/30/07. New Japan invades! Interpromotional hate on a grand scale! One of my favorites from '07.

Ibushi vs K. Inoue, indy junior title, BJPW 1/2/08, JIP. One would be tempted to think that Ibushi carries this, but I'd say Inoue actually has the better performance.

Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki vs T. Sasaki & Miyamoto, tag titles, BJPW 1/2/08. A clear story, plenty of effort, and a hot finish. One of the most widely-enjoyed puro bouts of the '08!

Miyamoto vs Kimura, Big Japan 5/4/08. An intergender deathmatch that works because Miyamoto isn't jacked and Kimura isn't girly. These two came in together, but since then Miyamoto has been going up against the company's best. Can Kyoko make it competitive, or dare I say, pull off a huge upset?

Ito vs Shadow WX, deathmatch title, Big Japan 5/4/08. Shadow held the title three times early in its history, but hasn't had so much as a title shot in five years (since Ito became the deathmatch ace). He's still a powerhouse, and this match is more suited to his style than the usual 'hundreds of light tubes' title bout. That said, Ito is the man to beat.

Mashimo & Madoka vs Teioh & Shinobu, BJPW tag titles, Big Japan 5/23/08. One of the very best puro matches of 2008! I know, I wasn't expecting that either, but TRUST ME. Korakuen gets behind the home team, especially undercard mainstay Shinobu, as they seek to reclaim the tag belts from K-Dojo.

Kasai & Numazawa vs T. Sasaki & Y. Miyamoto, Big Japan 6/23/08. Big ol' deathy match.

T. Sasaki & Miyamoto vs Sekimoto & Kobayashi, hardcore match, Big Japan 7/27/08, JIP. Coming in I had no idea who would win, and the finishing run is enough to keep you guessing. ABBY~

Teioh, Onryo, KUDO & Shinobu vs Oishi, Oosugi, Senga & Yuki Sato, Big Japan 10/27/08. Men's World brings the quality lucharesu action.

Sekimoto & Mammoth Sasaki vs Yoshihito Sasaki & Shinya Ishikawa, Big Japan 1/2/09. Shinya, still a rookie, hasn't done much besides absorb beatings (as the pre-match video package shows). Yoshihito hasn't done much since returning from injury. They're facing the much bigger tag champs, so how can they be competitive? Answer: fighting spirit and force of will. Big Japan does an underdog story better than anyone in Japan.

Miyamoto & T. Sasaki vs Kodaka & Takeda, Big Japan 1/4/09, JIP. A good deathmatch that plants seeds for better things to come.

Y. Miyamoto & T. Sasaki vs Y. Sasaki & Shinya Ishikawa, Big Japan 3/12/09, JIP. I'm assuming this was slow in the first half, but the part after we join it sure isn't. Hot hot finish. Shinya is a runaway rookie of the year as far as I'm concerned.

Masato Tanaka & Sekimoto vs Atsushi Ohashi & Yuji Okabayashi, Big Japan 3/12/09. Mammoth Sasaki got hurt, and Sekimoto managed to get a decent replacement. Okabayashi is the buffest rookie since Lesnar and he looks like a star in the making.

Y. Miyamoto & T. Sasaki vs Masashi Takeda & Isami Kodaka, light tube & double board deathmatch, Big Japan 3/26/09. Isami started out with Miyamoto, but his lack of size (to put it mildly) and a big injury kept him from progressing. Takeda is from tiny indy Style-E. As the underdog of underdogs they take a huge beating but get the crowd behind them. Works on more levels than just carnage, oh and there's plenty of that too.

T. Sasaki, Takeda & Daisuke Harada vs Y. Sasaki, Shinya Ishikawa & Ryuichi Kawakami, BJPW 4/1/09. Ah, 'Strong BJ'. So good. Takeda and Yoshihito hating on one another, Kawakami dishing out brutal elbows, Harada of Osaka Pro getting to do something a bit more intense than he normally would in happy-go-lucky OPro; it's 99.5% goodness!

Ito & Shuji Ishikawa vs Masashi Takeda & Isami Kodaka, light tube & double board deathmatch, Big Japan 4/28/09. More goodness from Isami and Takeda. Ishikawa looks good as a big man dishing out punishment, and Ito metes out some hard strikes. If you liked the March tag with the underdogs, you'll like this.

Tanaka & Sekimoto vs Y. Miyamoto & T. Sasaki, Big Japan 4/28/09. Being that this is a non-deathmatch, Miyamoto and Sasaki are at a significant disadvantage. Tanaka and Sekimoto make the hole even deeper with smart, focused work in the middle. Will power and experience prevail, or do Miyamoto and Sasaki have enough heart to steal one?

T. Sasaki vs Kawakami, Big Japan 5/3/09. Sasaki mostly does hardcore matches, and Kawakami is one of the lesser 'Strong BJ' members, but somehow they click as opponents. Takashi delivers a lot of punishment but Kawakami is able to fire back quite well himself. They improved on this a year later.

Dick Togo vs Shinya Ishikawa, Big Japan 5/3/09. For some reason I kept skipping over this on the DVD, probably because the crowd isn't good. Togo, however, is very much good. He leads young Ishikawa to a rock-solid vet-versus-young-lion match while also adapting to the hard-hitting nature of 'Strong BJ'.

Miyamoto & Takeda vs Okabayashi & Shinya Ishikawa, hardcore match, Big Japan 5/5/09. Four young stars show why Big Japan's future is in better shape than most promotions in Japan.

Sekimoto vs Y. Sasaki, Big Japan 5/5/09. They faced off before at bigger shows in Zero-One, but for some reason I like this more. They keep it simple and it works.

Y. Miyamoto & T. Sasaki vs Masashi Takeda & Isami Kodaka, Tag League final, light tube DM, Big Japan 5/28/09. Takeda & Kodaka sneaked into the final due to an injury. This one goes a bit long but if you liked the other tags with them you'll like this.

T. Sasaki vs Abby Jr Kobayashi, Big Japan 6/8/09. Not on the same level as their '06 match but good in the same ways. KENZAN~

Sekimoto vs Okabayashi, Big Japan 6/29/09. Super-simple teacher vs student power battle. Okabayashi should change his name to OKA, because otherwise he's going to cause tongue sprains at Korakuen.

Kodaka & Takeda vs Sekimoto & Okabayashi, tag titles, Big Japan 7/29/09, JIP. The young, scrawny tag champs did well in a deathmatch setting. Can they handle the powerhouses with their bare hands? Can rookie Okabayashi do well in his first title match?

Sekimoto, Okabayashi & Y. Sasaki vs Shuji Ishikawa, Shinobu & Madoka, BJPW 8/28/09. I love the dynamic of having one side be all powerhouses and the other having two scrawny juniors. Shinobu really shines, and the final minutes are something else.

Kasai & Numazawa vs Miyamoto & Takeda, barbed wire board & light tubes DM, BJPW 9/21/09. They go all-out for a house show. Don't see this type of effort from other promotions on smaller events these days.

Y. Sasaki & Shinya Ishikawa vs T. Sasaki & Kankuro Hoshino, BJPW 9/28/09. A really fun sprint. Hoshino just earned a contract and has a strong showing, but the real key is the fast pace.

Ito vs Kasai, razor board & barbed wire cactus & light tubes DM, BJPW 11/20/09, JIP. The surprising pick for Tokyo Sports Match of the Year.

MASADA vs Kamui, Freedoms 12/25/09. A real car wreck of a match, but that's what makes it an unqualified must-see. To answer the question you might ask after watching the match: it's Kamui's.

Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki vs Okabayashi & Shinobu, BJPW 2/13/10. There was pretty much no way I wasn't going to like this. It isn't the sort of overwhelming match they could have had at Korakuen, but it's still a very solid effort.

Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki vs T. Sasaki & Kobayashi, Big Japan 3/19/10. Yoshihito brings the HATE! Abby Jr brings the EFFORT! Korakuen Hall brings the REACTING TO STUFF!

Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki vs K. Hashimoto & Takumi Tsukamoto, BJPW 3/22/10. I'm not entirely sure how it came to be that a non-televised Big Japan midcard match with an obvious result became more interesting and rewarding to me than your average big show main event, but here we are. They bring the effort while keeping it simple.

T. Sasaki vs Kawakami, BJPW 4/1/10. At first this seems like a rather run-of-the-mill singles match, with the underdog getting some offense and a nice nearfall. But then when you'd get the "veteran comes back easily and wins" part, Kawakami instead keeps plugging away with his elbow smash, and...?

Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki vs Shuji Ishikawa & Okabayashi, BJPW 4/1/10. A big tag for Shin Kiba, and after about the 5 minute mark they deliver a big match performance! There's a reason why a rematch was done at Korakuen in July.

Sekimoto vs Hoshino, BJPW 4/3/10. A solidly worked small-show singles match. Hoshino, currently a hardcore division fall guy, is actually better-suited to 'Strong BJ' style.

Y. Sasaki & Sawa vs K. Hashimoto & Takumi Tsukamoto, BJPW 4/3/10. I figured this would be reasonably enjoyable 'vets vs young lions' action, and indeed that's what it is!

Sekimoto & Y. Sasaki vs T. Sasaki & Miyamoto, Big Japan 5/28/10. This matchup turned out to be quite good in 2008, and it's still good today. The Sasakis go at it, and Sekimoto nukes lil' Miyamoto a couple times.

Ito, Kobayashi & Shadow WX vs Kasai, Numazawa & Takeda, deathmatch, Big Japan 5/28/10, JIP. Abby and Takeda go at it in a darn good finishing run.

Y. Sasaki vs Kazuki Hashimoto, BJPW 6/16/10. 'Rookie punishment' matches rely on having a veteran who can dish out punishment and a rookie who shows fire in response. This match has both and thus is effective!

Necro vs Y. Sasaki, hardcore match, Big Japan 6/25/10. A big-match effort at a 'house show'.

Necro & Miyamoto vs Shuji Ishikawa & Hoshino, Big Japan 6/27/10. Ishikawa and Hoshino look like brothers but as near as I can tell are not. As you might expect this one is all about Necro. A tad bit too much wandering around outside the ring, but it pays off in a major way.

Y. Sasaki vs T. Sasaki, Big Japan 6/27/10. A heated, hard-hitting hatefest stemming from the May tag with them on opposite sides. One of the very rare instances of fans at Korakuen Hall not matching the intensity of the wrestling.

Sekimoto & Mammoth Sasaki vs Yoshihito Sasaki & Okabayashi, BJPW 8/29/10. Hard-hitting, as 'Strong BJ' has come to be known for. Drags a lil' in the middle but the home stretch is dandy.

Sekimoto, Y. Sasaki, K. Hashimoto & Takumi Tsukamoto (orange tights) vs Okabayashi, Shinobu, Kazuhiro Tamura (lil guy) & Masato Shibata (tubby guy), BJPW 9/15/10. Fast-paced, action-packed, and topped off with some nasty lariat bumps. Strong BJ: the most reliable thing in 2010 Japan!

Sekimoto, Y. Sasaki & Kawakami vs Okabayashi, Kazuki Hashimoto & Takumi Tsukamoto, BJPW 9/19/10. Lots of stiff shots, including Kawakami's reliably hard elbows. A wonderful underdog dynamic in that Oka's team is far less accomplished than Sekimoto's. Most of all, a breakout performance from the semi-mohawked Hashimoto. This one is a 2010 highlight!

Sekimoto vs Okabayashi, BJPW 1/2/11. While not quite as good as the '09 match, it works in the same way: a straightforward power battle. Okabayashi shows some growth from the last time as the finishing run progresses. As they ready themselves to advance on All Japan, the question is whether the bald juggernaut can finally top his teacher.

Sekimoto, Okabayashi & Kawakami vs Y. Sasaki, Shinya Ishikawa & Masashi Ohtani, Big Japan 2/12/11. Masashi is in just his third match and is understandably a bit green. He takes his lumps like a man, and if anyone can give lumps it's those three. Kawakami vs Ishikawa is interesting since both of them rely so much on having nasty elbow smashes.

Sekimoto & Okabayashi vs Hama & Soya, All Asia tag titles, BJPW 4/28/11. You know during the entrances that this one will be special. Korakuen Hall is a-rockin', and the Dai Nihon faithful are riled up in support of the home team. Great Kojika is on hand to do ceremonies, being a multi-time holder of the titles. Hama is on the young side, and very much on the morbidly obese side, but he has enough presence and ring smarts to be 'the heavy' in a match with three powerhouses. This goes a couple minutes too long considering how much weight everyone is carrying, but the crowd heat, the action, and the big finish are enough to make this a 2011 highlight.

Y.Sasaki & Shinya Ishikawa vs Kawakami & K. Hashimoto, Big Japan 5/27/11. For as much as I've enjoyed the 'Strong BJ' division over the last couple years, I was skeptical about this. Kawakami as a team leader? No Sekimoto, Okabayashi or Shinobu? But it works, thanks to the non-stop intensity of Yoshihito and the spunk of wee Hashimoto.

Ito, Kobayashi & Shadow WX vs Miyamoto, Isami & Kankuro Hoshino, DM, Big Japan 5/27/11. The light tube matches got really same-y over the years, so this one mixes in a few other bits of carnage. The main reason I'm hosting it is for Hoshino, who has been the division's punching bag over the last couple years. Here he's given the spotlight, and good ol' Korakuen senses that this isn't going to be a run-of-the-mill 6-man.

Sekimoto, Okabayashi & Shinobu vs Y. Sasaki, Shinya Ishikawa & Kawakami, Big Japan 6/27/11. Shinobu and Yoshihito have been known to go nuthouse on each other in the past, and they do so again here. What makes this different from the past is the BIG finishing run between the two of them.

Okabayashi & Shinobu vs Y. Sasaki & K. Hashimoto, Big Japan 7/25/11. More of the Yoshihito vs Shinobu feud, plus Oka throwing his weight around and K-Hash being his spunky self. Lots of fun without taking up a lot of your time!

Ito & T. Sasaki vs Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino, Big Japan 7/25/11. Hoshino won the May main event but fell short in a title match against Ito. He gets the spotlight at the end once again in this, as the question of whether he can avoid a return to jobberdom lurks just beneath the surface. The latest bit of weaponry is a pile of mini cinder blocks, and it adds a new wrinkle to the match.

Y. Sasaki & K. Hashimoto vs Shinobu & M. Ohtani, Big Japan 8/20/11. Ohtani is the weak link in more ways than one but he does try, and the other three are spiteful enough to make it work. This initially looked like it might be the end of the Sasaki/Shinobu feud, but thankfully the hatred survived their decision to team up.

Sekimoto & Okabayashi vs Kobayashi & Takeda, tag league, BJPW 10/23/11. YOUR annual 'Abby Junior all-effort workrate extravaganza'. Takeda is good as well, but I'm all about the world's least probable sling blade. The dude is about 3% worse execution away from making the whole thing fall apart but he threads the needle in my opinion. Then again I can often tolerate '90s Baba. Oh and those Sekimoto and Okabayashi dudes are in this.

Y. Sasaki & Shinobu vs T. Sasaki & K. Hashimoto, Big Japan 11/22/11. Yoshihito and Shinobu have been an 'odd couple' team, often fighting each other as much as their opponents. That would tend to point to this match being about whether T-Sas and K-Hash can overcome Hashimoto's young lion status and win thanks to having better teamwork. Instead, the match is all about HASHIMOTO and his bad attitude. Why can't guys in New Japan and NOAH show 5% of his fire...

Sekimoto & Okabayashi vs Suwama & T. Soya, All Asia tag titles, Big Japan 12/18/11. With the location changed, the roles shift. This isn't a heat-fest like the April A.A. defense, but it's still in line with the plenty-good match these teams had four weeks earlier. Young Soya adapts well, Suwama is aggressive, and once again we get the right finish. Plus it sets up a singles match to kick off 2012.

Sekimoto, Okabayashi & K. Hashimoto vs Akebono, Hama & Nakanoue, Big Japan 2/2/12. Strong BJ versus SMOP, you should now be familiar with. Once more it's K-Hash who just BRINGS IT and has the charisma to make you want to stand up and cheer (or boo). I hope this kid sticks around.