Guest J*ingus Report post Posted June 17, 2002 Okay, there are two Japanese wrestlers who share the same family name, Naoyo Ogawa and Yoshinari Ogawa. Both of them have been around for a little while, and both of them seem to be universally loathed by puro fans. Can someone give me a primer on who they are and what they've done, to help me tell them apart from each other? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 17, 2002 Let me see if I have this right. Yoshinari Ogawa-works for NOAH. Is current GHC champ. Looks sort of like a japanese Juventud Guererra, IMO. Kind of small, is a cruiser even though he holds the heavyweight belt. Naoya Ogawa-works for UFO and Zero-One. His best stint was in New Japan. Is about 6'2 or 6'3, 235-245 Ibs. He is a gold medalist in Judo. Was built like a monster in NJPW by sacrificing Shinya Hashimoto to him. Has short cropped hair. When he is on the mike, comes off like a fucking prick and I don't understand a word he is saying. Both men are not great workers, but Yoshinari Ogawa is better by leaps and bounds. Naoya Ogawa is damn near worthless in the ring. The only reason Naoya has a pro wrestling career is his uncanny ability to draw huge tv ratings and box office. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Tiger Report post Posted June 17, 2002 Naoya Ogawa was in the olympic games for Judo so he's a legit badass, so Inoki pushed him for that reason alone. Yoshinari Ogawa is a terrible worker who beleive it or not has almost 18 years of experience. Baba and Misawa must have both really liked him because he got some big pushes in AJPW in the early 1990's, and NOAH. Naoya Ogawa is hated so much because he can't WRESTLE, he's a hell of a fighter so he got big pushes from Inoki and wound up the NWA Champion. He also caused Hashimoto to leave NJPW and form Zero-One. Yoshinari Ogawa is hated because for someone with 18 years in the business he sucks in the ring. He also gets pushed beyond beleif and still fails to get over. Picture Albert's IC Title Reign, that's Yoshinari Ogawa for the last few years, and he's only getting pushed more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wolverine Report post Posted June 17, 2002 Yoshinari Ogawa has been involved in some great matches, particularly in 1993. Granted it was his partners doing most of the work, but he did contribute. Take for example the 1/24/93 All Asian Tag Title match with Ogawa & Akiyama vs. Kobashi & Kikuchi. This thing was fucking mind blowing considering Akiyama had only been a pro for about four months, and they were able to have a MOTYC, not to mention a match that's ridiculously fun to watch. But my favorite Yoshinari Ogawa match is definitely the 7/2/93 six-man tag with Kawada/Taue/Ogawa vs. Misawa/Kobashi/Akiyama. Best six-man tag of the decade. Damn, that TV show was awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted June 18, 2002 Yes, both have been in great matches before, believe it or not. As bad as Naoya Ogawa is, Hashimoto carried him many times to great brawls and Yoshinari Ogawa has been in many great matches despite how mediocre he is. The thing that most people hate about Naoya is that he hasn't won a single shoot fight since the Olympics (any "shoot fight" he's been in has been worked), hasn't ever jobbed, and is still loved by Inoki. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
