[2009-07-12-BJW] Yuku Miyamoto vs Masashi Takeda

[fxnj]

 

This is a scaffold death match for Miyamoto's death match title, called "one night carnival again" in reference to the first match of this type with Sasaki in 2007. Takeda is definitely the underdog not just because he's a new guy fighting for the title for the first time, but also because the match was originally designed in reference to Miyamoto's day's working construction, so this is definitely his sort of match. I've seen it called ***** by some people and, while I'm not sure if I'd go that far, it is a damn good match at worst just a notch below the March tag and I'd love to rewatch it in better quality than the Youtube video.

 

This is a really good example of a slow building title match, and one of the few I know of that successfully combines the format with deathmatch elements without devolving into a spot fest. Match starts out with some mat work as they trade, and, while you could dismiss it as them ironically going through the motions before the props are introduced, I prefer to think of it as a feeling out process that also builds tension. Light tubes are introduced after these first few minutes and we get both guys get busted open pretty nicely for the occasion. They do a good job of progressively turning up the intensity until they both decide about 10 minutes to make their first of four trips up to the scaffold, and that's where the match really gets going. Although both guys play their roles well and do some pretty sick things to each other even when not on the scaffold, what makes this so great to me is how masterfully these incorporate the scaffold into the match between all the great teases, the selling, and the absolutely amazing scaffold moves themselves. Although you could argue they went just slightly overboard with Takeda kicking out of two Fire Thunder Drivers, it felt like Kobashi in 10/31/98 with him having nothing left and it set up for an epic ending with Miyamoto bowing to the crowd before hitting his signature moonsault off the scaffold for the win. ****1/2