TAPE 453
Quality: EX (Master Convert)
Length: 5.25 hrs (2 DVD)
INOKI BOM BA YE 2000 PPV - 12/31/00 (This is the PPV version of Inoki's 1st annual MMA/pro hybrid
event. Everything on this show is a work, but Inoki brought in MMA/Pride guys to work with
pro wrestlers and they end up doing a combo of shoot-style and pro-style stuff in almost every
match. Kind of an odd concept, but one that ends up working well. I'd heard a lot of bad
stuff about this show prior to watching it, but I ended up highly entertained. Lots of fun to
watch. I've got a master convert so quality is EX.)
Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Justin McCully (McCully seems oddly reticent at striking Fujiwara,
hitting him with these girly slaps that wouldn't hurt a flea)
Akira Shoji & Kaoru Uno vs Great Sasuke & Daijiro Matsui (***1/2 - lots of fun! They start
out working shoot-style, then Sasuke tags in and one of his opponents does a pro-style move
and the crowd gives a big "OHHHHHH" and it heats up from there. Really good match, with
surprisingly adept pro-style work from the shooters)
Bas Rutten & Alexander Otsuka vs Naoki Sano & Ricco Rodriguez
Shinya Hashimoto vs Gary Goodridge
Naoya Ogawa vs Tadao Yasuda
Mark Coleman & Mark Kerr vs Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka (It's too bad that Coleman didn't
work UWFI, he'd have been awesome. I'm a big critic of his often boring MMA style in
shoots, but here he shows some great throws and suplexes, as does Kerr, who also would've
been good in UWFI. ***)
Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kendo Kashin (By far, the most disappointing match on the card. They go
well over 20 minutes, with a lot of it being unfocused nothingness. Crappy finish too.)
Nobuhiko Takada & Keiji Mutoh vs Ken Shamrock & Don Frye (This is the match where Mutoh debuts
his bald head look, to a big pop from the crowd. Good match, but the finish blows chunks.
Shamrock & Frye look like they've got some heat between them here...)
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