Yuji Nagata

Some great photos.

I was kind of expecting the Yuji Nagata match because it was technically, you know, like TNA co-promoted.

I was kind of expecting that to wiggle its way into the list, which main event of Wrestle Kingdom 2 and is a really, really good match.

I really like that one.

Until he does the indie run, he's basically just like, that's these companies.

That's all he does, right? Don't be an NTNA.

So it was cool we got that as just a piece of history and stuff like a Yuji Nagata match at Tokyo Dome.

You can check that out.

Oh, and this week in history, this little tidbit is specifically for you, Mr. YLP.

So, Zach, in New Japan, Scott Norton won the IWGP title from Yuji Nagata.

And this is your once-in-a-blue-moon New Japan moment on this show, although I did watch destruction, or whatever the last New Japan show was, where Kenny Omega came out.

It's very good.

And we have Mike Tenay, they tell us that he's joining for the first three matches tonight.

And our opening contest is Yuji Nagata-

Oh, by the way, just to mention, um, the opening music was Marc Mero's theme.

Right.

It was odd.

There you go.

Uh, so our opening contest is Yuji Nagata versus Ultimo Dragon.

Uh, get a good start with a spin kick from Ultimo getting the advantage.

It does.

[laughs] 2002, same day, Yuji Nagata defeats Kazuyuki Fujita for the IWGP World Heavyweight title in Tokyo, Japan.

Mm.

2006 CZW, Last Team Standing is what their, uh, their show was called from the ECW Arena.

Yeah.

Yeah, bro, um, uh, what's my man's name? Uh, fucking Yuji Nagata and C- s- uh, um, Satoshi Kojima we would agree are, like, legendary wrestlers.

Yes.

But they never were the mega stars that Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Muto were because-

It's Chicago Professional Industrial Exhibition Hall in Kanazawa.

Osamu Nishimura over Yuji Nagata.

Tatsuo Shigoro versus Kojima.

Hiro Saito versus Masukurisu.

But there were the rookies that are getting their debuts here.

Takamichi Sezawa, which Dave has it totally wrong here.

And Yuji Nagata, both debuted on October 11th.

Both were amateur wrestling national champions.

I did not watch the subsequent stuff, which involved Illusion beating Takagi for the right to challenge anywhere, and then challenging Mao.

You didn't want Yuji Nagata versus Jun Akiyama?

I didn't, no.

Which only went, what, nine seconds? Oh, no.

saw...

Yeah, probably, because I looked at that at first.

I was like, oh, we didn't watch, like, a 12-minute match between Yuji Nagata and Jun Akiyama? Like, no, it was 12 o'clock when the pinfall happened.

Yes, I was like, I thought I saw something on social media or in the Discord, the VUW Discord, that was like, oh, this is only a nine-second roll-up thing.