#279: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Shelton X Benjamin, Pro Wrestling NOAH Global League Finals (11/13/2015).
This is the finals of the 2015 Global League Tournament, NOAH’s equivalent to New Japan’s G1 Climax Tournament.
I just recently reviewed Wrestle Kingdom 9, and on that match, these two were on opposing sides of an undercard tag team match. They had a very brief interaction in it, and it made me wonder “man, those two would make a great singles match. Has that happened?” After about 10 seconds of research, it turns out they’ve had one singles match – this one! So, let’s see how it turns out!
The bell sounds, and we are under way. Benjamin lifts Marufuji up and sends him into the corner. We get somewhat of a clean break, though it isn’t lacking in intensity. They each look for an opening in the middle of the ring, with Benjamin taking control of the left arm. Marufuji flip flops his way free, and they separate. They each look for control again, with Marufuji kicking Benjamin in the face repeatedly out of the corner. He looks for Sliced Bread, and hits it! He covers, and Benjamin kicks out.
They fight on the apron, with Marufuji nailing a nice superkick to the jaw. They go to the floor, and Benjamin eats a few hard chops to the chest. Marufuji then irish whips him into the ringside barricade. Another hard chop, as I see El Desperado of Suzuki-gun looming around at ringside. Back in the ring, Marufuji applies a Camel Clutch submission. He transitions into a side headlock, and Benjamin is trying his hardest to escape.
Marufuji sends him into the turnbuckle and hits another hard chop. TAKA distracts the ref, while the rest of the faction hold Marufuji on the turnbuckle long enough for Benjamin to knee him in the face. On the outside, Benjamin stays on offense by grabbing Marufuji around the waist and swinging him into the barricade repeatedly! Benjamin follows up on that by delivering a powerbomb right to the apron. Fun fact: that’s the hardest part of the ring.
Marufuji breaks the referee’s count, but Benjamin meets him with a pair of powerslams, and a real high back body drop! He got some air on that one. Benjamin teases a Jay Driller, but then just tosses him to his back. He covers, and Marufuji kicks out. Benjamin takes the sleeper hold next, as he looks to keep the pace slow and low. He tosses Marufuji to the floor, and here’s El Desperado to stomp the shit out of him. Suzuki-gun is really trying to sabotage this match.
Benjamin lifts Marufuji in from the apron to connect with a suplex. He only gets a nearfall off of it. Marufuji with a slap to the chest, and Benjamin responds with a few punches and a running knee to the head. Benjamin traps Marufuji in the Ankle Lock, Team Angle style! The NOAH mainstay reverses out of it, and lands a beautiful dropkick to the mush. They exchange forearms against the ropes, and Marufuji lands a hard chop to the chest.
Benjamin uses the ropes to avoid a dropkick. He grabs Marufuji, and elbows his head against the turnbuckle. Marufuji kicks his way free, and then hits a nice dropkick that sends Benjamin to the outside. He kicks Despy and TAKA off the apron after they try to get involved. Marufuji runs the ropes and hits a Plancha onto all of Suzuki-gun. Benjamin slowly returns to the ring, only for Marufuji to hit a springboard dropkick into his head! He covers, and the Gold Standard kicks out at 2.
Marufuji with a diving back elbow to Benjamin in the corner, followed by a dropkick attempt that is blocked. They exchange fisticuffs on their knees, and slowly return to their feet. Neither man will back down. Benjamin hits a high German Suplex, and he maintains waist control. He hits another, and then goes into the Ankle Lock. Marufuji escapes, and goes for a running knee, but Benjamin blocks it and hits a huge powerbomb. He covers, and Marufuji kicks out! Benjamin goes back to the Ankle Lock, and Marufuji is struggling to escape this time. Benjamin transitions into a wheel barrel slam. Benjamin makes the cover, and Marufuji again kicks out!
Both men return to their feet, and Benjamin rushes Marufuji. He’s met by a nasty knee to the face. Once again, we have a slug fest on the knees, as both men lobby for control. Superkick by Marufuji, and he tries for Sliced Bread, but Benjamin avoids it and places him on the top rope. They fight for control again, until Benjamin hits a huge belly to belly throw that sends Marufuji all the way across the ring! That was a crazy spot.
Benjamin with a Stinger Splash, but Marufuji avoids it and hits a knee to the face. Big superkick by Benjamin, and that gets him a razor thin 2 count. All of Korakuen bit on that! Benjamin goes to the top rope, and Marufuji quickly cuts him off with a dropkick. He goes up there with him, and hits a beautiful top rope Spanish Fly to the mat! It’s not Ospreay/Fletcher off of a Steel Cage, but still equally as cool! He gets a nearfall off of it.
Benjamin tries for a suplex, but Marufuji hits another knee to the face, and another. He lands the Sliced Bread for a second time, and Benjamin kicks out again! Marufuji lifts Benjamin up and hits the Pole Shift Flowsion, and that’s enough to finally put Benjamin away. Marufuji is the winner of the 2015 Global League Tournament, and he will now go on to face (and defeat) Minoru Suzuki for the GHC Heavyweight Championship the following month.
Fun match! It definitely started out on the slow side, but it picked up as the match wore on. Marufuji did well to sell how tough it would be to best Benjamin, while Benjamin came off very well as the evil outsider heel who was looking to destroy everything NOAH represented. The closing stretch worked really well, and the fans were super into the nearfalls, and the top rope Spanish Fly got a huge pop for me. Not an all time classic, but certainly a nice novelty match.
It’s never bad thing when you find out two people from two different sides of the wrestling spectrum have faced off, even if just one time.