Tamon Honda

A guy long in need of revaluation. Mike you started it. Let's review some matches.

Shinya Hashimoto/Tadao Yasuda vs. Tamon Honda/Masao Inoue Zero-One 04/18/01

http://lenny.theditch.biz/20010418-Z1Hashi...Honda-Inoue.wmv

Man was this fucking great. Z1 v. NOAH so it had the kind of crazy heat those matches have. Both Inoue and Honda are totally fired up going at Hash and Yasuda at full speed. This was the best I have ever seen Yasuda look, as he was way stiffer then I had seen him, including a great punch to the throat on Inoue. Honda looked great here too with some really cool exchanges with Hashimoto, including cracking him with a headbutt and locking in some nasty Rolling Olympic Hells. Finish was awesome with Hash mangling Inoue's shoulder with chops and armlocks, so the ref had to stop it.

Daisuke Ikeda vs. Tamon Honda, NOAH 9/1/01
http://z11.invisionfree.com/wrestling_ko/i...?showtopic=2778

I'm a pretty huge Ikeda fan and know Honda can be really great when he's not curtain jerking, but this still exceeded my expectations. Honda was a total animal on the mat, dominating Ikeda with his superior wrestling skills and size. Dug Ikeda's selling as he'd get up slower after each rope break. Ikeda gaining the advantage by mixing strikes with matwork was smart. Superb build to finish as you had some great submission nearfalls and both guys desperately avoiding big suplexes. Also, due to the booking (both semi-finals ended via submission), the submission work was over with the crowd.

Next: Akiyama vs Honda

I had no idea that Honda tag was even online. Puronerds despise three out of the four workers in that match, so I'm not surprised it hasn't been nominated on DVDVR. Definitely the best Z1 vs NOAH match I've seen and it's mostly due to the story: Inoue and Honda need to throw everything they have at their opponents if they want to win. There was a great sense of panic as soon as Hashimoto tagged in - Inoue frantically working him over with elbows was great. Awesome performance by Hashimoto, he really had the most believable strikes in wrestling.

Man, Honda didn't even make the DVDVR 500 in '01:

http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/500/DVD500(v4.0).html
http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/500/DVD500(v5.0).html

I will watch Akiyama v. Honda tonight too, as for the DVDVR 500, perfect reason why he needs a revaluation.

I'll upload Akiyama/Honda as it looks like Ditch only has the 7 minute JIP version.

Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue/Tamon Honda v. Sambo Asako/Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuhara Misawa 6/30/95

http://theditch.biz/6-30-95sixman.avi

This got the ***** from Meltzer. The version up on Ditch's site is JIP so you don't get the early build, but mostly while watching this I just wanted them to slow down. Really workratey go go go wrestling, I didn't get a chance to appreciate anything, felt like a heavyweight X division match. Honda is all headbutts in this, none of the cool takedowns he would do later. He does have some nice looking Headbutts though, really helped by his giant waterbaby head.

Tamon Honda vs. Jun Akiyama, NOAH 9/5/01
http://z11.invisionfree.com/wrestling_ko/i...?showtopic=2785

Opening matwork wasn't anything special, but still enjoyable and was highlighted by Honda's selling of a kneebar. Akiyama on offense wasn't too interesting, although Honda's selling on the ramp was exceptionally good. Everything after Honda's comeback was great. The desperation, crumbling powerbomb was neat, although execution cops would probably dislike it, also Honda's germans are always a thing a beauty. NOAH really dropped the ball on the submission finishers as here all the chokes etc made for great nearfalls.

Yeah do this, sounds like a match I would dig

Tamon Honda/Jun Izumida v. Hayabusa/Jinsei Shinzaki 1/16/99

http://theditch.biz/HondaIzumidavsHayabusa...zaki1-16-99.avi

Pretty great stuff. Honda and Izu are weirdly working heel even though they are wrestling an invader team. Izu busts open Shinzaki with a nasty headbutt and they really do a nice job of beating on a bloody dude. Izu is especially impressive as a tough tank. Hayabusa still has some amazing looking highspots, and dives into the crowd and phoenix splashes were a real novelty in 99 All Japan. There was a meandering portion between Hayabusa's hot tag and the finish run that could have been cut out, but otherwise a super exciting match with a great finish of Honda just murdering Shinzaki with multiple beautiful german suplexes.

Tamon Honda vs. Akitoshi Saito, 3/30/03

This was an awesome, gritty bomb-throwing match, just two guys down in the trenches slugging it out. Four minutes in and it feels like an epic battle already. Honda's leg selling was pretty spectacular, and the shoulder hold work towards the end was awesome. There's a great spot where Saito kicks Honda's leg to get him on one knee, then hits a knee strike, but it's really more of a desperately jumping forward and his knee just happens to the connect with the head type of knee strike. Really perfectly worked for a number one contenders match with two hungry competitors. The pace, counters and nearfalls make it just as purely exciting as any NOAH juniors high-speed match(moreso) except grittier and less gay, it actually has selling, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. On Ditch's site.

Tamon Honda/Kenta Kobashi/KENTA/Tsyoshi Kikuchi v. Jun Akiyama/Makoto Hashi/Akitoshi Saito/Yoshinobu Kanemaru 2/18/03

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XQ07YUF4

This is in Honda's hometown and his folks are in the crowd, so he is part of the focus of the match. Fun 8 man tag, with everyone moving in and out and hitting their stuff. Hashi takes a big time beating early, it looks like KENTA may have broken his cheekbone. Honda gets the pin, hits some stuff and looks good, but in a match with this many people you don't get a long look at anyone.

Tamon Honda v. Akitoshi Saito, 3/30/03

I remember loving this in 2003 and damn does it hold up. Tremendous, tremendous match, there are a bunch of very well respected wrestlers who have never been in a match this good. Honda's knee selling was awesome, I loved how he kept slapping at it to work out the kinks. Finishing run was bonkers, all of the counter work around the Olympic Hell variations was insane. I especially loved Saito's suplex counter to the Olympic Hell, and the Honda getting uranaged and slapping on the Hell from the bottom.

Honda rewatch project list

1. Tamon Honda v. Akitoshi Saito, 3/30/03
2. Tamon Honda/Masao Inoue vs. Shinya Hashimoto/Tadao Yasuda Zero-One 04/18/01
3. Tamon Honda v. Jun Akiyama 9/5/01
4. Tamon Honda v. Daisuke Ikeda 9/1/01
5. Tamon Honda/Jun Izumida v. Hayabusa/Jinsei Shinzaki 1/16/99
6. Tamon Honda/Kenta Kobashi/KENTA/Tsyoshi Kikuchi v. Jun Akiyama/Makoto Hashi/Akitoshi Saito/Yoshinobu Kanemaru 2/18/03
7. Tamon Honda/Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue v. Sambo Asako/Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuhara Misawa 6/30/95

Really a hell of a career top 5, and I haven't even watched his two most famous awesome matches yet.

Tamon Honda vs. Jun Akiyama, NOAH 9/5/01

I think I liked this more then Mike, I need to rewatch the Ikeda match because on first glance this felt better. I can't remember a better Akyama singles match. I liked all the opening matwork, as it felt like Honda was using his amateur backround for takedowns and turns. Finish run was truly awesome, I loved the choke counter of the suplex and thought that was the finish, and the couple of minutes following that were great too.

I actually clipped the Akiyama match myself because the first half still bored me after multiple viewings.

The 6/30/95 6-man never aired in full.

Tamon Honda vs. Takashi Sugiura, 11/1/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxd-dlT_-Ck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dfrzkU_0AE

Forget about the New Japan feud, this is easily the best thing Sugiura's done this year. Honda's unorthodox matwork and his awesome counters made this match. Finish made Sugiura look like a killer. Really fun match.

There were two Ikeda v. Honda matches right? I figure one of them is going to go on the Labor Day Schneider Comp

Yeah, 9/1/01 was the better of the two.

Tamon Honda v. Takeshi Morishima 8/28/01

Nasty short match with Honda being awesome again. There was a great spot where he catches a chop with his neck like he was cradling a phone. Morishima is pretty inspired here even breaking out a plancha and nasty clotheslines. Olympic Hell is the best.

Tamon Honda v. Takao Omori 11/30/01

Shockingly great match, easily the best Omori match I have ever seen. Lots of great grappling, Omori did a bunch of cool things on the mat, including a rolling kneebar which ended up smashing Hondas head into the turnbuckle. Omori works over the knee with Honda coming back and hitting his cool signature offense. Great stuff.

Huh. I skipped both, I'll have to check them out.

Also, the first match is 8/28.

Tamon Honda vs Naomichi Marufuji, 11/6/04

This is from the "Dino invades NOAH" show, which brings back memories. I remember the puro smart marks getting really pumped up for Dino, "fuck yeah lets bring some flavor to NOWWAAA". Marufuji's cheeky comedy was really awful. Also, because he has such laughable offense, I was never sure when he was wrestling seriously or not. Honda didn't get in a lot of offense, but when he did he looked great. Favorite spots include Honda reversing some kind of leg attack by launching Marufuji in the air, taking a nasty bump over the guardrail and the finish.

Olympic Honda

vs. Ali Reza Soleimani Karbalayee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2KkWb9ar44

vs. Rodney Figueroa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu730uJAWEc&feature=related