Hulk Hogan vs. The Great Muta - NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 1993, 5/3/1993

(Hey gang. Back in 2020, in the months before COVID, I started a site similar to this and reviewed some stuff. I recently remembered it and decided to move those reviews over here. Hopefully you'll enjoy and they can reach a larger audience. Or not. Whatever. But this was my brain before the pandemic broke it. Or fixed it? I dunno.)

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of Hogan working in Japan. I’ve never seen anything except the hilariously long Muta clothesline and the press conference where he sorta kinda but definitely buried the WWF Title...WHILE CHAMPION. Anyway, let’s see what this is like...

Fun fact: This was a rare occasion back in the day where both WWF and WCW guys worked on the same card. Sting had a match, and Scott Norton (who was still under his first WCW contract I believe) also had a match, which I guess is cheating, because NJPW was his main commitment.

 

Muta’s entrance is tremendous. I know nothing about this event, not a lot about NJPW, and just enough about Muta. But my god this has a “BIG FIGHT FEEL” right off the bat. And then hearing Hogan’s classic theme with an NJPW style entrance was INCREDIBLE. The place came unglued, it was easily the best reaction Hogan’s probably seen in 2+ years.

Look at that. What a work of fucking art. Saving this gif for random encounters on the internet. Whatever that means.

Muta goes for a feeling out period but Hogan immediately grabs a hold, twists the arms, STEPS OVER and takes Muta down into an armbar! The announcers seem impressed. Muta escapes to the rampway and takes a powder.

To show he’s not intimidated, he does a rope assisted front flip to his feet back into the ring. I can do that but I don’t wanna.

Hogan AGAIN surprises Muta, this time with a go-behind into a drop toe hold and probably the worst looking STF attempt ever, but, still. Muta works his way semi-free and backs Hogan into the corner until the ref orders them apart. Hogan starts laughing and Muta is confused at this display it would seem.

TEST OF STRENGTH SPOT. They need more of these, or any of these, in 2020. I will pay top dollar if Cody/MJF is nothing but a 20 minute test of strength. And then MJF can shit on the local sports team. And everybody will just LOOOOVE IT.

Whoops, went on a tangent. Fuck.

Anyway, yeah. Hulk overpowers Muta and seems to continue to go after Mutas arm. Muta escapes a wrist lock and gets Hogan into the corner. He teases backing off like last time but hits three AWESOME delayed shoulder thrusts, the third one just feels like a fuck you.

Hogan can’t regain his lead and gets flustered leading to a series of drop kicks from Muta that send Hulk tumbling to the floor for a huge pop. Hogan takes a lap and Muta teases a dive.

Hogan again regains control and tries for some more mat work, including another attempt at an STF. But it’s like his ADD kicked in or the coke’s wearing off, because he can’t seem to make up his mind to do an STF, a full nelson while laying on Muta’s back (this better not awaken anything in me...) and some other shit and seems to go fuck it and tries for a pin but barely gets 1.

Muta takes a powder and then...randomly crawls under the ring?

 

 

And that was it. Not gonna lie, I was hoping for a Double Doink spot. 

 

Muta keeps it up with the stiff shots and even a few cheap ones thrown in there. Hogan gets fed up after a clothesline to the floor so he drags Muta out and suplexes him! AND THEN THEY BRAWL INTO THE CROWD! 

GIVE ME HOGAN/NEW JACK IN THE ECW ARENA!

Hogan hits a rough looking back suplex onto the floor and rolls back in to pose, albeit to a much more mixed reaction than his entrance.

Muta barely beats the count just to roll right back out. Hogan follows but Muta whips him into a couple of the posts, sending Hogan retreating back to the ring. And Muta takes the timekeepers hammer! And just...well, god damnit, he just blatantly uses it on Hogan like 3 times.

Again, I’m not all that familiar with this show or NJPW as a whole, so no idea why that wasn’t a DQ. But that Huge Hogan Hog Energy led Hulk to sell 3 shots with a fucking HAMMER like he just got Mongolian Chopped after stealing a homeless man’s hooch (great reference).

Very, very, very, VERY long rest hold spot. Alright it was only like a minute but it felt like twenty and that’s time I’ll never get back. They spill to the ramp way, Muta suplexes Hogan onto the ramp, and then something incredible happens...

 

 

That was the worst and the best and I hate it and I love it and want to see it again and again.

Hogan starts fighting dirtier now. It’s been a game of one upsmanship this entire match, and they’ve both done a completely fine job and I —

 

 

Nah, fuck you, I’m done.

That was some how sloppy as shit AND executed okay?

Hogan goes to whip Muta to the corner only for a reversal and a follow up of the spring board elbow! Perfectly done. Muta signals for the end. He hits the rib breaker set up and then MUTASAULT CONNECTS, ONE, TWO ANNNND, THRE-OHYOUGOTTABEKIDDINGME.

Hogan just BARELY gets his arm up before three and Muta cannot believe it. I don’t know how protected the Mutasault was by this point, if at all, to be able to register how big of a deal this was. But Muta looked beside himself and got bit of an audibly shocked reaction from the crowd. At least it wasn’t the “eat shit” kick out Hogan normally did to ruin a heels finish.

The spill to the floor and then back to the crowd. There’s a random rope ladder hanging from all the way at the top of the arena. It would be cool if they—

 

 

What the FUCK is this match even? I have found my new guilty pleasure match.

Back to the ring they go. Muta brings a chair with him, but he and the ref struggle over it, allowing Hogan to big boot a probe Muta. Hogan fights with the ref and shoves him, taking the chair in the process. He turns to lift it and swing at Muta — BUT ITS GREEN MIST, BITCH. Muta dropkicks Hogan down and tries to go up top as quick as he can for a second Mutasault. But even blinded, Hogan starts getting up so Muta switches quick to a front drop kick that Hogan dodges. With Muta laid out, Hogan hits the ropes and nails the big Leg Drop. It’s all over from there..

NOPE. MUTA KICKED OUT.

BURN THIS MATCH ON AN OLD SPOON AND INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS.

Back to their feet, Hogan hits a running boot and Muta stays on his feet. So Hogan hits a running clothesline to ground him. Pin attempt and — AND THAT’S IT?! 

THAT’S THE FINISH?!

God damn, man.

Post match, it really feels like Hogan’s partly heeling it up. But he’s hesitant. If that makes sense?

Some dude in a suit comes in and hands Hogan a terribly offensive but ahead of its time statue of Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai:

 

And then, you guessed it, Hogan Must Pose, pal.

After this match in the presser, Hogan would go on to cut a pretty infamous interview that (at least I feel) isn’t talked about enough:

 

    

Vince has Hogan drop the strap six weeks later. Connected? Probably not. But it’s not far fetched to think this was one of the nails in the coffin of their original working relationship.

Anyway, I liked the story of trying to figure one another out, leading to one upsmanship, which then just became straight up cheating by both men. I hear Hogan’s in ring work here get brought up a lot as this hidden gem, and I get it, but I’ve seen Hogan have far better matches than this. People just want to ooze their shorts at the Hulkamania Enziguri, brother. Some of the creative spots were nuts, like the rope ladder swing. Still don’t know why Muta went under the ring. And the ending, including Hogan barely selling the mist, really fell flat to me. 4/5ths of this was unique and at least fun, and the last two minutes or so just felt like a Hogan win on SNME against some top midcarder. 

 

MATCH RATING: **3/4