[2016-02-24-NOAH] Minoru Suzuki vs Katsuhiko Nakajima

[GOTNW]

LOVED THIS. So much great stuff in this one. Early on MiSu goes for a fake clean break and just as he is about to chest slap Nakajima he reverses the position and clean breaks Suzuki. That really set the tone for this match of Nakajima being too old for Suzuki's shit. Suzuki selling Nakajima as a threat by recuperating fit perfectly into this and him fixing his hair was awesome. I've come to really dislike Suzuki's Rope Hung Armbar because of its contrived set up but luckily here the set up was modified and it came off much better. Nakajima continuing to hit Suzuki with his injured arm even when it was obvious it was causing almost no damage and actually hurting him more than Suzuki is the kind of thing that may seem idiotic it first but worked and really added to the match for me because it is exactly the kind of mentality I'd expect to see from a japanese fighter/superhero/wrestler/whatever, and to his credit Nakajima sold really well. ***3/4

[superkix]

Awesome performances from both men. Tons of drama, tons of arm brutality, Minoru being the best heel in the world, and Nakajima fighting and suffering to get the feel good moment of the year. My favorite match of the year so far.