[2008-09-06-NOAH-Shiny Navigation] Kensuke Sasaki vs Takeshi Morishima

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

GHC Heavyweight Champion Takeshi Morishima vs Kensuke Sasaki - Budokan 9/6/08

 

TAKE THAT DREAM!

Sasaki's masterpiece that proves he can deliver an excellent match with a worker less experienced and not as talented. When I think of Sasaki's great singles matches they are against workers better than him like Hashimoto, Tenryu and Kawada. He is a very carryable wrestler that can be a part of great matches, but his performance is not the stand out performance. I say this as a fan of Sasaki. Unfortunately, the later part of the 00s, he was paired frequently against Kobashi. I think this was much too detriment of both men's career from a quality perspective (business-wise, yes I am taking that 2005 Dome check, thank you very much). They fed into each other's worst habits. Kobashi not against Sasaki was still delivering MOTYCs post-cancer. Sasaki proved it was not just Kobashi that was being dragged down, he was being dragged down too, when he took Morishima to promised land and together they put together Morishima's best match and what I would say is a top 5 Sasaki singles match.

 

If you treat your opponent with the respect he deserves, the match will be respected. Sasaki respected Morishima as a monster and finally Morishima seemed to reach his potential. Morishima had been plugged into Misawa's formula and it led to middling results. It basically treated Morishima as if he was Kawada and thus not respecting Morishima's number one asset: he's fucking huge. Sasaki being a short, stout powerhouse worker found his normal strategy thrwarted by the fact that Morishima was fucking huge. At first, he tried to bullrush Morishima and that nearly got him killed. So he tried to slow the pace down with a headlock and probably re-think his strategy. So Morishima kicked his ass and when he tried to retreat he came flying out and wiped him out with a crazy suicide dive. Sasaki's selling throughout the match is amazing and you really feel like he is totally overwhlemed by the power and strength of Morishima. Sasaki's only hope is Morishima makes mistakes because he is young and he does. Morishima has a bad tenedency of telegraphing moves. Like running down the ramp for a lariat or taking too long to set up on the top rope. So Sasaki takes advantage of these moments to hit bombs to slowly wear down Morishima. At first, he inflicts a bloody nose, Sasaki thinks he can begin to throw around Morishima, but Morishima literally squashes that my sitting on him during two powerbomb attempts, one on the apron. Morishima hits a DDT on the concrete. Morishima, for his part, is not running through his offense like an exhibition this time he is making a statement. He is not just going to win this match. He will dominate this legend by stepping on him and pinning him with one foot. Sasaki new strategy after attacking Morishima for taking too long is to take the high ground and come flying off the top rope. However, the monster rises and meets him up top and hits a superplex. Again, Morishima takes too long and Sasaki hits a super back drop. Sasaki follows up with four more, but can't negotiate the pin. He is in shock. He goes to clubbering. NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB! KICK OUT?!?!? Sasaki is exasperated. He hit the monster with his best shot and could not keep him. Sasaki's selling of these kick outs make it all the more impressive. Respect your opponent and the match will be respected. Morishima comes back and Sasaki does all he can to stop the back drop driver. They do a lariat battle, which is smart because it is the only Morishima strike that looks good. Morishima for all his power is having trouble hitting a bomb on the fiesty Sasaki and goes for the moonsault and crashes and burns. This major mistake allows Sasaki to finally get Morishima off his feet with a lariat, which feels like a huge victory. Sasaki goes for Northern Lights Bomb, but Morishima hits a Back Drop Driver. Kick out! Sasaki will not be denied. Lariats are flying and a Northern Lights Bomb takes it for Sasaki.

Sasaki dictated the pace so well. His early selling put Morishima over then he kept changing his strategy and looking for openings. Morishima did a great job modulating his selling so that Sasaki would earn minor victories from his mistakes until Sasaki finally dug deep and put him away. Best non-BattlArts match of 2008 by a good margin. TAKE THAT DREAM! ****1/2

[dawho5]

Sasaki did great things in this match. Everything he did made Morishima seem like an absolute monster. Morishima's early offense did not always suggest the same, but he came around for the big finish. Sasaki was really, really incredible in this match. I'd say he's one of the bigger surprises of the 2000s as far as how smart he could work and the different stuff (this, Florida Brothers, Kawada AJPW vs. NJPW match, his two matches with Takayama) he put out while still being entertaining. His work in the NOAH 6-man tribute to Misawa was pretty good too. I've really gained a lot of respect for Sasaki over the course of this project.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I glad you liked the match. I really went in expecting a decent power match, but was totally caught off-guard by great Sasaki was in the match. If you think about it, I really shouldn't have been because as you pointed out he has delivered in spades throughout the decade. As long as Kobashi was not in the match, he was gold during this stretch. This was the first instance he was in the ring with a lesser worker and delivered an awesome match. His other great matches were with the likes of Kawada, Tenryu and Takayama. It shows that Sasaki was not being carried in those matches if anyone were to doubt him.

[G. Badger]

Stiff clubbering puro match like I was hoping for. I wouldn't put it in that classic match category but, on a fast paced Jr. Heavy tag show, this was the way to close out the night. You came for the razzle dazzle but, stayed for the beat down!

 

Two big war tanks crashing into one another for 20 minutes. Sasaki's Choshu tutelage is apparent as he leads the match- fast, hard hitting, lariats aplenty. Both guys are bleeding a little which added to the air of intensity. Its pretty hard to fault anything but, don't think you'll find deeper drama. Its a heavyweight title fight, plain as toast.

 

Great match