Haven't written about wrestling in a while, so I thought I'd do something about one of my all-time favourites, Shinya Hashimoto - sadly no longer with us. I sat down and watched a series of matches between him and one of his best opponents - Kazuo Yamazaki.

The main part of the feud is in the three weeks from the end of May 1996 leading up to the tag title match on 12th June. What's really great about this feud is that it's about "I kick you in the leg again and again". Ohtani/Hash vs. Yamazaki/Nagata is good - while Yamazaki and Hash are going at it, exchanging nasty strikes, Ohtani complements the intensity by striking just as hard and really backing his partner up when Yamazaki manages to get the upperhand. The lightning quick submission sets up the deadliness of Yamazaki's leg bar, which becomes important later.

The six man tag a week later steps up the hatred (which is still about "I kick your leg") with Yamazaki targetting Hash's weak knee at any and all possible times. Hash's selling is masterful here - my favourite spot is where he drops his big top rope elbow without ever putting any weight on the injured wheel.

Which brings us to the Hirata/Hash vs. Yamazaki/Iizuka IWGP tag title match. For all the talk this match has ever generated, what never gets mentioned is that this might be the best squash match of all time. Seriously, Yamazaki and Iizuka get basically nothing from about four minutes in until the finish. Hash is pissed, and beats the ever-loving hell out of Yamazaki (I kick your leg, but also I Mongolian chop your neck). Hirata and Iizuka play their supporting roles. Then the twist - Yamazaki gets his leg bar while Hash is briefly away from the action, and that's all. The story of the match is typical NJ simplicity - Hash is too good on this night, but he's also too fired up and makes a quick mistake that allows Yamazaki to sneak a win past the weaker partner. Everything else is just dressing.

A follow up singles match for the IWGP title would have capped this off as one of the best short feuds of the 90s. However, that doesn't happen until the following February. Some of the heat has gone from the rivalry, but the time gap also plays into the story of the match. Yamazaki targets the leg early, but it's not as weak as the previous summer. He has more success with the arm, which becomes the focus of the match from around the mid-point. Yamazaki dominates this match, keeping it firmly on the mat. Cool spot - Yamazaki takes Hash down with a Fujiwara armbar, and as Hash goes for the ropes, he floats over and grabs the other arm. Hash comes back with headbutts and chops to the neck, looking for the brainbuster, which, when it comes, is pretty final. This is one of the few times I have liked the 'battled through the pain in injured appendage' to get the win finish, and its all because of Yamazaki's mat dominance earlier in the match, making the the tough-it-out option the only logical option.

What I've always loved about Hash is that his size advantage never defined the dynamic of any match. The equal starting position this creates makes Yamazaki look like a total badass, going strike-for-strike with the more celebrated Hashimoto. It becomes really believable as a two well matched hard-hitters looking for the advantage, and adds to the overall intensity and the extent to which I become emotionally engaged in the match. Great feud. But then again, it's Hash.