Until January 7th 2017 I was uninitiated into the ways of Muy Bien. I’ll admit to having a bias towards wanting to enjoy the show I was at. I sat on the hardcam bleachers in the legendary Korakuen Hall on my dream vacation, days removed from seeing Wrestle Kingdom 11, at a NOAH show. Thanks to the Fight Network and Mauro Ranallo, Pro Wrestling NOAH had been a powerful part of my indoctrination into the wonders of Puroresu. It was magical. Then Hajime Ohara fought Taiji Ishimori for the vacant GHC Jr Heavyweight championship.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqfvz1QTDIE&w=560&h=315]
I thought it at this event, and started reading it online afterwards, that Hajime Ohara is the New Messiah of the Backbreaker. This match was hard hitting, fast, crisp, and innovative. Ohara did things I have never seen before. He was quite exciting. Since then all of his title defenses have been solid entertainment and I find myself often imagining dream matches since the ever deepening number of inter-promotional relationships have come to light. With Impact Wrestling, AAA, and The Crash all partnered directly, or indirectly, with NOAH as of late, there is good opportunity for Ohara to have a wealth of diverse, interesting matches.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8DEu9wmgW0&w=560&h=315]
I’ll admit to having drifted away from NOAH for a long while after the death of Misawa, as many did. I regret it, but it had lost its heart for a while. During the whole muckaboo with Suzuki-Gun and NOAH’s very one-sided partnership with New Japan, Hajime Ohara performed admirably. I’m sad that I missed so much of his development in years past, but the wrestler he is now is a phenomenal, smooth performer. He is remarkably explosive, and this applies not just to the force he uses in his offense, but also his ability to suddenly burst forth with speed seemingly out of nowhere. This impressive, innovative, explosive performer is the culmination of Ohara’s thirteen year journey as a Pro-Wrestler, and I’m certain his rather impressive 11-3-0 MMA record has helped in how smooth and fluid his grappling is. Every single one of his wins came from submission.
With NOAH posturing for a rebirth, and putting on incredible title matches and solid shows on pretty much every card, Hajime Ohara sits at the cusp of a possible explosive year. He has all the tools he needs, and the landscape is primed for him to use them. These are the reasons I believe that he is someone whom, in 2017, you should discover for yourself. Get your eyes on him!
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