Syb's Shibata Match Recs
Since there's renewed interest in The Wrestler because of his amazing match with Bryan Danielson, I thought now might be a great time to drop some match recs for him! All of these have links you can watch right now. I also recommend this article about his time on the Japanese Indies/MMA, this summary video of his return arc to NJPW, and this fanvid, which captures his vibe so well (cw: it includes the headbutt spots from Shibata vs. Okada).
Katsuyori Shibata & KENTA vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Go Shiozaki
Of the "Takeover" matches where Shibata and KENTA tagged, this is the one I recommend most often! It's a gritty, hard hitting slugfest, with lots of crazy spots. And as a benefit you get to see two of the all-time greats, Misawa in his late prime and Shiozaki as he's starting to rise as NOAH's future ace. Both Shibata and KENTA are in peak form here.
Katsuyori Shibata & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Atsushi Sawada & Shinichi Suzukawa
I feel like it's only fair to give some context on Shibata's MMA period. Here he is tagging in a "shoot style" wrestling match with one of the all time MMA greats, Sakuraba. I love this match because it feels like it encapsulates 2 things about Shibata: 1. he's a much better pro wrestler than he his MMA fighter. 2. he's (especially in this period) a loaded canon ready to fight at the drop of a hat. I love how excited he is in this. I hate that he jumps so hard he bonks himself immediately on the head. Dumbass (affectionate).
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
I watched quite a few matches from Shibata's "prodigal son returns" arc in NJPW, and this one was the standout to me. Maybe some of the Tanahashi matches are more narratively punchy, but this was my first exposure to Nakamura in peak form, and boy is that a powerful thing.
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada (! INJURY WARNING !)
The fact that I'm recommending this match knowing what happened to Shibata after... okay, seriously, this is one of the greatest wrestling matches I have ever seen in my life. The intensity and the way the story builds up to it. God. It's tragic to a high degree that Shibata's best work ended up so fraught like this. I wish there were 0 unprotected headbutts in this match, because it would still be one of the best matches I've ever seen. If you can stomach the implications of this being the match that almost killed him (it took me a long time to watch it) -- it really is That Good.
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ren Narita
Shibata's comeback story really ended here, it feels like. After years of gruelling recovery while he trained the next generation at the LA Dojo, he was finally able to go in the ring at Wrestle Kingdom, against his protege Ren Narita (in identical dress!). Rumor has it that Shibata went off-script and personally pissed off NJPW by changing this from a grappling rules match to a regular wrestling match -- I dunno if that's true, but for sure The Wrestler was back after this match :)
There are other Shibata matches and moments I've known and loved, but this is a good summary of his back-catalogue. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
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PROTECT THE WOMEN IN WRESTLING
OFFICE WORKERS, MANAGERS, REFEREES, TRAINERS and WRESTLERS
PROTECT THE WOMEN IN WRESTLING
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"I'm a big Red Hood fan. He's probably my favorite comic book character."
Jon Moxley + Red Hood inspired gear at Wrestle Kingdom 18
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