How I Met Your Puroresu is a series dedicated to providing background information on matches in hopes of broadening horizons. These matches will be no longer than that of a sitcom as to not overwhelm a first time viewer.
Company: Big Japan Pro-Wrestling
Show Title: Ikkitousen 2022 ~ Strong Climb – Final
Match: Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yasufumi Nakanoue
Stakes: Strong Climb Final
Length: 17 Minutes
Production Date: February 20, 2022
Air Date: February 26, 2022
The Japanese wrestling scene tends to start the year off hot before simmering back down into a building period for the next couple months. New Japan famously starts off with a show at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and this year NOAH began what they hope to become a tradition by running the Budokan January 1st. While the giants up top were blowing their load early, Big Japan was crafting a tournament underneath.
No one would argue that Big Japan is nearly the size of their competitors so in a time of year where everyone is reeling from big time matches, it’s smart to try and gain attention anyway possible. Wrestling fans don’t want any lulls in their viewing habits, it’s always onto the next match. Running a singles tournament continues giving them the shot in the arm they crave.
The tournament featured two blocks of six wrestlers, the winner of each meeting one another in the final. This isn’t anything new or groundbreaking, but it keeps the fans engaged with something familiar. You got newcomers to the tournament, Takuho Kato and Kosuke Sato, two young boys looking to make a statement and the junior champion, Kota Sekifuda, representing the Strong J side of the roster.
Kosuke Sato was unable to score a victory in any of his five matches. Kota Sekifuda gained an upset pin over eventual block winner, Yasufumi Nakanoue, in a result that put Nakanoue behind the 8-ball. He needed Takuho Kato to overcome Hideyoshi Kamitani, a former BJW Strong World Heavyweight Champion, which the youngster was able to pull off, sending Nakanoue to the final as the A Block representative.
As for the B Block, not much was in question. After Daisuke Sekimoto received a count out victory over Yuya Aoki who broke his leg just minutes into their match, he’d sealed his way to the final. In fact, he was undefeated heading into his contest with Nakanoue. This would only be their second singles match against one another, the first going the way of Nakanoue just last year for the BJW Strong World Heavyweight Championship.
Yasufumi Nakanoue’s title win over Yuji Okabayashi in January of 2021 was one of the year’s biggest upsets. A division can’t thrive with only two pillars but that’s been the case for Big Japan. They’ve struggled to really get behind a guy that can be seen as the equals to both Sekimoto and Okabayashi. In 2021 they doubled down by having Nakanoue defeat both men and carry the title into September.
In a division where very few are seen at Sekimoto’s level, Nakanoue is as good a bet as anybody. While Sekimoto is the face of Strong BJ, the legend has now entered his 40s, has failed to capture the title his last three attempts and hasn’t been champion since the spring of 2019. In that time, he’s lost championship bouts to Okabayashi, Nakanoue and Takuya Nomura. This will be his third trip to the Strong Climb final, never having won the tournament.
Winning the tournament etches your name into the BJW Strong World Heavyweight Championship match at the Yokohama Budokan on May 5th. Will Big Japan’s first show ran in the new building feature the longstanding ace or will Nakanoue be able to usher in a new era of what it means to be Strong BJ?
