Shiro Koshinaka vs The Cobra
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
02/06/86
It says a lot about the importance of the Junior Heavyweight division in Puroresu in general and New Japan in particular that it had its own IWGP belt before the Heavyweight division. With clearly delineated groups of wrestlers that rarely crossed over or interacted, the importance of a title to crown who was the best at that weight was clear. To suggest it was ever on the same level as the major Heavyweight singles title might be churlish, but it covered more importance than many a US or UK title geared towards the same crowd.
Shiro Koshinaka and The Cobra were tasked with competing in the final of a tournament booked to decide who would be the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion. In previous years, the WWF and NWA had provided titles that would be contest on Japanese soil between junior heavyweight, but this would be New Japan’s first belt for the division. Other names in the tournament included Kazuo Yamazaki, Black Tiger and a young Keichi Yamada, but all had fallen by the wayside and we were left with just two to tangle in Sumo Hall, Tokyo.
A handshake at the start highlighted the mutual respect of both men, before each flew straight into a combination of moves designed to showcase their speed and athleticism. Cobra’s big early dropkick, jumping clothesline and senton only led to Koshinaka firing back with a jumping butt attack and a plancha to ringside to even the score.
After this initial fire, the match fell into conventional New Japan Junior submission work; Cobra locking in a surfboard following an elbow to the forehead off of the top rope, a crossbody allowing Shiro to take control long enough to slap on a camel clutch. Several headbutts would allow Cobra to lock in a boston crab and headscissors, but Shiro would then escape and sink in a leglock. Neither men was likely to give up to any of these holds, yet they offered a sense of struggle alongside the more aesthetic aerials.
That is not to suggest that all the high risk moves were performed perfectly. Cobra’s signature dive – a cartwheel into a twisting senton over the top rope – almost saw him come up short and hit the apron, an anxious Koshinaka attempting to catch a man who was falling all too far away from him. Indeed, Koshinaka would get up before his rival, though an Irish whip into the barricade allowed Cobra’s advantage to be restored.
As the match moved towards its historic finish, Cobra’s advantage in terms of size and muscularity seemed to be telling. Following a sequence that saw both men trade flash pinfalls with Koshinaka in particular looking for any opportunity to steal the victory, a vicious looking tombstone left Shiro down on the canvas with his leg shaking from the impact. Even with the stiff and awkward nature of the move – Cobra never seemed to have him quite under control – Koshinaka would kick out at two much to the surprise and elation of the audience hoping for a native champion.
Culturally, the tombstone is viewed so differently depending on the region you see it deployed. From a highly effective finisher in America to a death move in Mexico, it stands out in Japan when it is often utilised as a nearfall or a move to start a comeback with. In this case, two tombstones aren’t enough to keep Koshinaka down for long. The second tombstone would lead to Cobra heading to the top rope for a splash, yet Koshinaka has enough wherewithal to lift his legs and catch Cobra’s face with his knees.
This was all the opening he needed.
As Cobra recovered from the impact, a swift German suplex pin with hold was enough to see Shiro Koshinaka win the first ever IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, as well as marking his first ever title reign in general. Though it was historical in many ways, the resulting title reign didn’t exactly set the world alight; a countout victory over Don Arakawa the only win before a title loss to Nobuhiko Takada just over three months later. In many ways, the reign itself was irrelevant – Shiro Koshinaka had writ his name large in the history books of not only New Japan, but the wrestling world.
