Pro Wrestling Noah (Matt D version)

[Matt D]

I'm not sure how frequently I'll do this or how far I'll get but I am going to watch some Noah. I have seen >5 Noah matches and could not tell you what they were if you asked. Except for Marifuji vs Taue. I'm pretty sure that was Noah.

 

Young GOTNW has sent me a list of things he thinks I'd like. I'll do a write up, include my real time notes in a spoiler tag (probably best not to read those), and then conclude with a 1-5 Noahs ranking based on the following criteria solely: "How glad am I that I saw this match?" Don't look at them like star ratings. They're not.

 

Let's begin.

 

Kenta Kobashi vs Masao Inoue - 3/1/2009

 

This felt like Jerry Lawler returning to the Mid-South Coliseum in December, 1980, if he was ten years older and up against Carl Fergie instead of Dream Machine. That's a bit of a stretch. Maybe it was more like if 1980 Jose Lothario was up against 1980 Rip Rogers? We learn by building off of our pre-existing knowledge and that's where my mind went first. This was the returning babyface king, tough as nails, absolutely deadly, perhaps a step slower but as tough as ever against a stooging heel well over his head.

 

It was pure Memphis to begin, with Inoue, who has a sort of jovial, friendly look to him, dodging an early chop. That's how the match began, with a lock up and the duck of a Kobashi chop. It was all heightened reality. The chop was a home run swing. The duck was exaggerated. The reaction from the crowd and Inoue was if he dodged a bullet. Realizing the climb before him and the fact that the last thing he wanted in the entire world was to get hit by one of those chops, Inoue, no longer jovial but instead a man with his own doom upon his mind, went straight for the eyes. He utilized these long, extended (again over-exaggerated in the best way) rakes and followed with some World of Sport styled positioning of the ref so as to punch repeatedly in a headlock (the ref didn't play along). He tried some shoulder blocks to no avail (selling the difference between the two with comedic running in place before the second one). When that didn't work, he went back to the eyes. Kobashi, partially blinded, responded with another home run shot, this time a spinning back chop. Inoue ducked it and then powdered hitting the floor to stall. The fans responded exactly as they should, seeing full well the symbolic value of every swing. Kobashi was patient and stoic, sitting upon the ropes, opening them to goad Inoue back in (another gasp).

 

They reset and locked back up, but only for a moment, as Inoue went back to the eyes. This led to some comedically ineffective clubbering, a futile kick, and a second attempt, which Kobashi, perfectly serious and unaffected, caught. He slammed the foot down temporarily immobilizing Inoue, and the entire world came to a halt as the chops began. Kobashi knew 100% the value of his every strike here, built up both over the years and within this match itself. His windup was huge. Inoue dropped like a brick and rolled out to delay the crowd's gratification for just another moment. The tide had shifted though and the genie was out of the bottle. Kobashi immediately pressed Inoue into the ropes upon his entrance back to the ring and the chops continued, slow, methodological, paced with big set ups and time given for their effect to settle in. Standing, falling, to the throat, with a suplex and a few pins interspersed. At one point, Kobashi, having Inoue in the corner after a failed attempt from the latter to fight out, even hopped from foot to foot (small motions, but measured ones) in order to set up a chop. Inoue collapsed, sold and begged off but I would have liked to see a bit more active flailing. At times, it seemed like he almost went catatonic from the impact. It was effective and perhaps didn't take attention away from Kobashi, but I would have liked to see something a bit more broad and visual from him to get across the severity of the blows. In general though, it was a hugely effective opening that allowed for the establishment of symbolic meaning, anticipation and then satisfying payoff.

 

The rest of the match was centered around Inoue doing anything in his power to get an advantage but being completely unable to capitalize. His lone advantage was his youth, shown first and foremost in his ability to reverse Kobashi's whips. One of these, into the guardrail, gave him his best chance. He was able to keep control for a minute after that by working over the back, but abandoned it after Kobashi decided to do some push ups out of a Boston Crab (Inoue's stooging facial reaction to that was great, it's worth noting). I'm guessing his finisher was some sort of contrived 2009 head drop out of a torture rack. He went for it twice only to have it fail and cost him each time. On the second, Kobashi reversed and went for the half-nelson suplex. Inoue gasped and escaped but at the cost that he was finally opened up and trapped in the corner for the rapid-fire chops. This felt like an almost religious experience for the crowd, who clapped along. The most striking image of the whole match to me was a middle-aged (maybe even older) man in a suit with glasses and a giddy look in his face as he clapped to the oscillating speed of the chops. Kobashi followed this by hitting the half-nelson suplex. Inoue took it like a champ but did make it back to his feet for one last eyerake (which I was okay with because he'd mostly taken pain but not punishment in the back so far), before eating a huge Kobashi clothesline for the win.

 

Inoue played his role well, looking for any opportunity, treating Kobashi with the proper fear and respect. The one moment in the match where he dared to stand up and even ask for those chops, he could only take two (to huge effect; no no-selling here) before begging off in the corner (that didn't work). He was more comedic than credible but was persistent and frenetic enough to bring movement to the match and he made sure to react for the back row to every situation he found himself in. I appreciated how he let Kobashi embrace him after the match but continued to sell and almost melted out of the ring after a few seconds, letting Kobashi seem magnanimous while not making it about him at all. Kobashi's restraint was admirable and it more than paid off. He garnered a lot of value from almost every chop and the end result felt, as I indicated, almost like a religious experience for the crowd.

 

I enjoyed this a lot. I loved the thought put into the opening of the match, and thought most of what Inoue did throughout the match as he tried to deal with the monolith that was Kobashi made sense and had meaning. They went home exactly when it should have. It had to be, more or less, what people wanted out of a feel-good Kobashi return match.

 

Four and a half Noahs (not a star rating).

 

 

 

 

Notes (I don't suggest reading these):

 

 

Kobashi is one old looking 39 year old dude.

I looked up his age. That's the only research I'm doing here. He's already crying.

Hey, Inoue is friendly looking! I'd have coffee with him.

Big pop for Kobashi in his wizard robe. Good for the NOAH crowd for being able to chant in time with the music.

I swear, Inoue's just really happy to be there. What a nice guy.

I think the Japanese tradition of ribbons is based on lifetime employment. They can help the economy along by employing one extra person to clean up the ring.

The pomp for this seems subdued. I'm excited for the bell though.

There's something weirdly indy about Inoue. Looks out of shape. Wearing indy gear.

Kobashi teases chop! Inoue ducks out of way! Fans go nuts. That chop attempt meant so much. I'm already into this. When he finally hits it, it'll be great.

Inoue goes right for the eyes! What the hell, man? I'm not having coffee wtih him! Then using the ropes. Tries to move the ref to do lots of punches. Didn't work because the ref refused to play along. He's going right back to the eyes in a headlock!

Tried a shoulderblock. Runs in place. Ducks chop again. Kicks. Kobashi is not selling shit and nor should he. Goes for the eyes and Kobashi does a blind spinning back chop. Ducks and ducks out. Yeah, this is great.

Inoue is stalling. This is the most memphis Kobashi match ever. He's still outside. Kobashi is just stalking around. Holding the ropes open for him to get back and that gets a pop. Inoue is milking this. Kobashi is stoic. And Inoue's in and skipping around. We have a reset.

Right back to the eyes. Then ridiculous clubbers. Kobashi just stands up. No sells kick #1. Catches Kick #2 and tosses foot down. Inoue sells it like death, can no longer escape, and we have CHOPS.

Just one, and then he takes a powder. Yeah, that was beautiful. Inoue back in. Lock up. In ropes. Nowhere to go. Milks it. And chops. Two and Inoue's down. Big suplex by Kobashi. Inoue kicks out at two. I kind of wonder why.

Kobashi Pulls his hair. Gives a bit wind up, set up, and a downward chop. Then a second to the chest with another giant set up. He's the world's best El Gigante here with these.

Some more downward chops with the big hand together diving pose, right to the throat. I wish Inoue was flailing about moer to sell them. He's going catatonic instead.

Finally, he begs off in the corne, and tries to headbutt out, only to get chopped for his trouble.

Kobashi stalks around him, hopping from foot to foot, and nails him with another, finalyl setting up the there corner chops, loud and mean. And Inoue responds by putting his hands behidn his back and asking for them. Then selling big unable to be stoic. He wants another though. And that's enough. Two's enough. Kobashi goes for the corner again and Inoue kicks and eyerakes (and he does this long repeated Three Stooges eyerake) out. Then he keeps on the eyes in the ropes.

He doesn't capitalize and Kobashi chops him down, puts him on the apron and goes after his throat with a chop and elbow. Inoue's got youth on his side, however, and reverses a whip into the guardrail, stalking Kobashi and working over the now hurt back.

After some struggle, Inoue gets the crab, selling Kobashi's fighting back with some great surprised facial expressions. Kobashi does push ups to get a pop and then powers out. Inoue tries to stay on the back but his stuff is so (purposefully) lame. Kobasi gets a hope spot, but Inoue reverses a whip and does a series of corner clotheslines in rapid succession and then a cobra clutch leg sweep. He's abandoned the backwork already and is now using whatever bombs he has to keep Kobashi down. First a big clothesline. Then an attempt for some stupid torture rack based offense that Kobashi just turns into a hope spot headlock. Inoue reverses that into a Robinson backbreaker though. Celebraets, and gets him up for the rack thing again. Kobashi chops out and goes for the half nelson Suplex. Inoue responds with a gasp and gets to the ropes. There's a cost though, as Kobashi can finally get him in the corner and do the machine gun chpes. Inoue's response is to call for Time Out and then get killed with a second set of them. The fans clap along.

Kobashi slows down and the claps slow down too. I love seeing the old businessmen in their suits and glasses giddy as they clap.

Inoue finally crumples. I'm about ready for this to end. Yep. There's the half nelson suplex.

Inoue gets one more desparation eyerake to get distance and hits the rope only to run into a killer clothesline. I'm ok with the finish. It could have ended after the suplex, but Inoue hadn't really taken much non-chop offense in the match so him making it back up for one last bit of desperation was okay. It's his own fault for not being able to stay on the back.

Kobashi chants to end.

Kobashi helps him up even after all the eyerakes. I guess he appreciated the attempt to get chopped. Inoue sells the end of the match like death, lets Kobashi get in his goodwill gesture but doesn't milk it, which is nice and respectful. He could have had more of a moment out of it and he lets Kobashi get all the attention. Kobashi bows and leaves.

[WingedEagle]

Awesome to hear you enjoyed it. Not to temper it, but I'm not sure a ton of credit is to be given for their thoughts putting this match together. Kobashi was, and bad been for quite a while, virtually of doing much else by this stage of career. Injuries and illness had taken away many of his physical tools and thus all of his matches at the end of his career were done in this fashion, built around the chop, because it was all that could be done.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Now you are all watching NOAH! Where were you two years ago!

[Matt D]

Kobashi vs Akiyama 8-6-00

 

Hell, what do I do with this one? Alright, for the most part, this had me until the finishing stretch. It was a very straightforward story. Akiyama and Kobashi were mostly even to start (with a slight advantage to Kobashi I'd say). Akiyama tried to escalate things on the outside. It backfired. Kobashi capitalized with a power bomb on the floor and started to nastily work over Akiyama's neck. Akiyama got hope spots in but they generally cost him by opening him up for the next move, which is, I think an underutilized way to give weight to them. Finally, though, he hit a desperation low dropkick to the knee and followed it with a lot of grounded holds. Ultimately, Akiyama thought Kobashi was softened up enough for a Northern Lights. He wasn't, and Kobashi hit two big suplexes to get back into it. They traded bombs until Akiyama landed multiple Exploder Suplexes and locked in a guillotine for the pass-out win. That's the match.

 

There was a lot to like. Obviously, these two are excellent at portraying hierarchy and struggle in the feeling out process. They know how to milk a slight advantage in a single exchange and make every early chop mean something to the crowd. They don't just rush at each other again and again. After Kobashi got the better of an exchange, Akiyama went out to the floor and let it all sink in before they reset and went to the next. I appreciate that.

 

Otherwise, the limbwork made the match, both the focused offense and the respective selling. Kobashi just torqued Akiyama's neck in the most grisly ways. I don't think neck selling is the easiest thing in the world to portray. It involves more of the entirety of the body than hobbling about with a leg. Akiyama presented it as a sluggishness, a weight upon him, that I thought was effective. Moreover, when he took out Kobashi's leg, he wasn't immediately back up hitting dragon screws or knee-breakers. His recovery from the neck damage was believable due to the time he spent on the mat locking on different and interesting holds. I loved how both wrestlers tried to control the body of the other in holds in order to prevent rope breaks, whether it be wrapping a leg around the head or just trying to press an arm against the body.

 

I had a few problems with it though. Let's get the easy one out of the way first. I'm a little iffy on Kobashi's selling. I'm 100% okay with him dropping in the transition to the third act, when he blocked the Northern Lights Suplex and hit the headlock suplex/sleeper suplex. A burst of adrenaline in a transition spot is completely believable and he started selling again immediately there after as he worked back to gain control. The problem is that he made a point to start really selling again towards the end, which was, in part, why Akiyama was able to get the ultimate advantage over him. There was a moment of hesitation after a clothesline to the back of the head because the leg went out. This all really followed a brief burst of Akiyama advantage that came with a German suplex. Because it was so key to the end of the match, I would have liked a more definitive touch of causality in why Kobashi's leg went back out after the German. It was all too indirect considering he wasn't selling it much a few moments before. It's not a dealbreaker, but given the level of detail in other points of the match, I thought it was important.

 

The bigger issue is one of the meaning and value of moves. There were four hugely important moves/moments in the match. The last was Kobashi's leg going out towards the end, which I just discussed. Before that it was the Headlock Suplex that ended the leg work control section and the low dropkick that started it. And then there was the first move, the powerbomb on the floor. It just didn't feel earned at all. I love that they almost never hit a move the first time out in this style, that they have to work and hammer down on someone, that there is that sense of struggle. There was none of that with that early powerbomb. It was six or seven minutes in after the feeling out process and following a reverse whip into the guardrail and chop over it by Kobashi onto Akiyama. It was so important for the rest of the match but it also felt completely unearned.

 

That sort of thing just contributes to the general sense of an unbalancing. At this stage of the style's development, how much was a half-nelson suplex worth? It looked nasty. It landed Akiyama on his hurt neck. Kobashi generally had to fight for it. It was just ultimately another move in the match. As a viewer, there's a symbolic disconnect to the damage that a move does relative to the effort put in to hitting it. It's a duel edged sword to some degree. They impart meaning on mostly everything in the struggle to hit the move and the amount of attempts, and the cost if they fail to hit it (like how much not hitting that Northern Lights cost Akiyama), but it was the move which had no struggle at all (the Powerbomb) that mattered and later on, for instance, when Kobashi hits a powerbomb in the ring, after working a bit more for it (I think with a chop, at least), Akiyama just turns it right into a tricky pin attempt reversal, not out of the ATTEMPT of the move, but after Kobashi hits it. There's no sense of consistent build within the match in that respect. It gets worse in the finishing stretch with exploder after exploder. I get why a guillotine has meaning in the year 2000 but I sort of hate so tight and visually unappealing and un-pro-wrestling-y a move finishing things after four exploders. But then, really, how much does an exploder matter, no matter how hard Akiyama fought to hit his first one and how hard Kobashi fought to not end up in one? After all, the first time that Akiyama DID hit it, very late in the match, Kobashi just popped up to hit a clothesline anyway.

 

Am I glad I saw this? To a degree, sure. I'm not sure 26 minutes of glad though. The neck torquing was awesome. I liked Akiyama's desperation leg-targeting. There were individual elements I liked a lot. In a vacuum, the currency of the moves in the match, the effort put into them relative to the effect that they had, the impact of them in the first act relative to the third (or fourth in this case, since the match had four), was just so imbalanced.

 

I'd put this between three and three and a half Noahs.

 

notes (I don't suggest looking at this)

 

 

Kobashi vs Akiyama 8 6 00

26 minutes? Oof. Ok. I've got this.

Kobashi looks a lot younger than 9 years later. Akiyama has hair.

I have no context. Fans with a light chant for Kobashi.

Akiyama takes it right to him. Feeling out here, but with big shots. Akiyama tries three or four but they get organically blocked before Kobashi chops him out. Pretty solid opening exchange. Akiyama takes a powder.

Nice double leg by Akiyama. Right to the crab. And the push ups to get out. I like how that can be a comedy spot and a fighting spirit spot too. Maybe a little early though?

Kobashi hammerlock. Akiyama DTH, leglock. He's just containing Kobashi now. I swear the announcers just mentioned Captain America. Kobashi gets an arm around and puts him in a side headlock/crossface. Akiyama's right by the ropes though. This is back and forth but with a clear Kobashi advantage so far. I wonder how young Akiyama is. ~31? Wait, Kobashi and Akiyama were the same age here? That's weird.

Reset into a test of strength. Akiyama works his head under for a throw. Chops and forearms. No selling but it gives Akiyama a quick advantage to hit a jumping knee off the ropes. Kobashi goes tumbling out. Akiyama follows, Kobashi reverses whip into guardrail and chops him over it. Nice moment. Powerbomb on the floor at the seven minute mark. Of course. I'll let it play out but that didn't feel earned at all.

------ (Act break)

Akiyama struggles to get back in. That was a transition spot, by the way. Now Kobashi's fully in control. Big hold up for suplex. Two count and then rear facelock, torquing the neck. I guess making some visual use of Akiyama's flexibility. Gritty neckwork?

Chops. Knee and then kick to midsection. Abdominal stretch. Torques the neck. Ok, yeah, I can get behind what Kobashi is doing to his neck. Akiyama gets points for his facial expression as he tries to get out. Kobashi gets some for trying to control the leg to prevent the break but it happens anyway.

Akiyama tries to get a forearm and fight back but Kobashi turns it into a chop and then goes for the dragon suplex attempt. I like the idea that there's a cost to a hope spot. Akiyama gets to the ropes but it doesn't matter. A moment later, Kobashi hits the half nelson suplex (again a cost to defiance). And then locks in a full nelson, stepping over with it. Akiyama survives and gets to the ropes.

Kobashi goes for another suplex but Akiyama elbows out of it only to eat a kick (cost). He reverses a whip and goes for a knee but Kobashi just catches him and tosses him off. Akiyama lands back on his head and sells accordingly. Kobashi kicks to the back of the neck.

Kobashi puts him up for a suplex but Akiyama floats over and hits a low dropkick to the knee. He drops down immediately to sell the neck more, but now he has a fighting chance and the crowd knows it.

------(Act Break)

Kobashi is up first, just by seconds and manages a sliding drop kick to take out the knee again. Scorpion. Really more of a back submission than a leg one but it's ok. Kobashi gets towards the ropes and Akiyama turns it into a STF to cut him off. Pulls the arm back like Kobashi was trying to hold the leg back in the Stretch before.~ Makes it anyway. Akiyama stays on him, pulling the leg back and dropping down into a legbar/ankle pick thing. Kobashi makes it to the ropes again. I like that Akiyama isn't tossing him around. That he's mostly staying grounded, given the damage to his neck. He's not actively selling while in control but he's doing things that make sense given it, and that's fine by me. It's enough to respect what happened up til now and the danger he was in.

He slaps on some sort of rolling leglock. Kobashi makes it to the ropes. At the break Akiyama kicks(grounded) the leg repeatedly.

Akiyama waits until Kobashi gets up, kicks the leg twice and does a fun double rope run (as Kobashi doesn't know where to look) and dropkicks the leg out again.

He's ready to launch the Northern Lights now. Kobashi blocks. After some struggle, he turns it into a headlock suplex and catches him in a sleeper.

---- (Act Break)

No cost to Kobashi for the comeback. Not even the smallest sell of the leg after the headlock suplex. He follows with a sleeper suplex though and sells the leg afterwards, trying to get life back in it as he gets up. I can buy a few seconds of adrenaline to take him through the transition.

Goes for power bomb. Akiyama struggles more here than he did when he was fresh on the outside before. Kobashi does a back chop to set it up so it feels earned but as he tries to roll through, Akiyama turns it into a roll up. He can't hold him. I'm not sure I liked that surprise spot. I would have liked a reversal of the attempt more than a reversal of the pin after the attempt. There is a cost to it though, as Kobashi's right up for another Half Nelson suplex for two.

Kobashi calls for the CL. Akiyama blocks. Kobashi tries again. Akiyama ducks and hits a German, but he can't capitalize because of the neck and Kobashi turns the pin attempt into double wristlock, using the leg to cut off getting to the ropes. THAT I liked more since it felt more organic due to the neck damage. Akiyama makes it to the ropes.

Kobashi is back to selling the leg (not 100% sure why unless the shockwave of the German did it). Goes for back chop, but Akiyama catches him in an exploder position. Kobashi tries to escape but he turns it into a Fujiwara attempt. Kobashi chops out. Hits CL to back of head but then sells leg big. hesitates. Bounces off ropes. Akiyama finally hits exploder. Instead of it meaning anything Kobashi bounces right back up and hits CL. I didn't like that bit. Both guys are down now. Kobashi's up first and calls for the CL again. Akiyama blocks it with a knee and hits two exploders quickly. Kobashi tries to fight back but Akiyama hits a third exploder. Two count. Hey, guess what doesn't mean a damn thing at this point in the match? The exploder. He hits another one. Good for him. And then a guillotine? and Kobashi's out. Some silly post match red shirt fighting.

[JerryvonKramer]

The idea of 26 minutes being a long match makes me wonder where we've come to.

 

It might be fun to put some links back to my reviews of these same matches for comparisons (here). I was a bit more taken with the transitions than you.

 

Glad to see Matt finally reviewing some Japanese wrestling though.

[concrete1992]

Matches over 15 minutes tend to be trying too hard.

[Matt D]

It was a quick scale-up for a Friday morning, jumping from Kobashi vs Inoue to this. That's all. Granted, most of the 20+ minute matches I watch these days are 2/3 falls which leads to a different sort of structuring with natural breaks. I thought this match had very clear natural breaks so it hardly mattered as much.

[JerryvonKramer]

Matches over 15 minutes tend to be trying too hard.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Matt, you love context. You should watch Misawa/Taue vs Kobashi/Akiyama from 8/5/00, NOAH debut show that sets up the Kobashi vs Akiyama 8/6/00.

[Matt D]

I know, Marty. I've got a list of matches to go through right now. I'm not dissuaded from moving forward. I'm going to hit my list (which isn't long) and then I'll fill in other suggestions and double back on some things.

[Matt D]

KOBASHI vs OMORI - 10.11.2000

 

This was clipped. Was this supposed to be clipped or did I mess up the download? I think it was supposed to be clipped because it comes off like some sort of snuff film. It's Faces of Death - Kobashi. Literally my only context (from GOTNW) is that it is "short, compact, and pretty surreal" and (from the site) that Kobashi's knees are shot. I have no idea who Omori is. Wikidpedia says he messed up a match with Hashimoto and got sent on excursion to Harley Race's promotion, which is a particularly amusing sort of limbo. In general, I don't think the clipping was a huge problem. We get most of the big moments, and like I said, it's almost like one of those horror movies where they achieve more by leaving it up to the imagination and showing you a little less. That said, I have no idea how he was able to get so much offense in towards the end, and I have to assume it was because Kobashi's knees?

 

The start of the match is flat out awesome. It broke formula completely with Kobashi coming down to the ring and Omori ambushing him midway, hitting a DDT on the ramp. Kobashi still has his robe on. The blue light is still on. The music is going. He then drags him back to the ring and sets up the lariat. That's one of my favorite things about All Japan/Noah. There's no way to make a Lariat feel more important (other than selling it like death) than to wave your arm around menacingly to the crowd before doing here. Here, though, that was probably a mistake for Omori, because he charges right into a Dragon Suplex, pops up as part of his bumping and then stooges his way through the ropes and out of the ring. It's pretty much all mauling from there. I like how Kobashi is able to balance complete and utter fury with confident, serene calm, casually taking his robe off before heading out after Omori and chopping him over the guardrail. Omori had one last attempt to save himself with a chair, but it was futile. Kobashi kicked to block the attempt, crowned him with it, posted him, hit the world's most brutal spinning back chop against the post, and suplexed him on the floor. Omori's a bloody mess by this point.

 

Kobashi was a total force of nature here, with the ref (and I assume other agents?) screaming at him at times to break a hold or let off on a beating or not to follow up on the outside. Omori's cohorts seem to be challenging him at multiple points and Kobashi has absolutely no problem with this. He will destroy any blonde Japanese wrestler who comes at him on this night. At one point, he hits the Orange Crush and follows it up with a nasty rear choke but he's too near the ropes. You get the sense that the ref should have just called it there, to the point, from a kayfabe perspective, that the ref actually regrets his decision not to by the end. Omori does fight back a bit, getting a foot up against the guardrail on the outside (and throwing his body at Kobashi since it's all he can do), and they have some sort of finishing stretch where Omori puts up a decent showing to save face somewhat, though with the clipping, I have no idea how he got back into it at all. All it really got him in the end was knocked out completely by clotheslines though.

 

This was ~10 minutes, a brutal, fairly well-deserved, beating, and as someone who only really saw 90s Kobashi before this, it's interesting to see the progression from the guy surviving those tag matches through superhuman fighting spirit alone to an absolutely killer. The clipping helped the mood at times, almost felt loving at times, but ultimately hurt it because I missed how Omori got back into it towards the end. His chewing didn't help matters either. You're getting killed in there. Chewing your gum or chaw or whatever like a horse does not help the illusion, no matter how much your'e bleeding.

 

Solid 4 Noahs.

 

Notes (nothing to see here):

 

 

Kobashi vs Omori

10.11.2000

Omori charges down ramp and hits and DTs him. Hands up. Music still playing. Into ring. Crazy camera work. Euro uppercuts. Lights finally come up. multiple

-Sets up Lariat. Runs right into Dragon suplex.

Pops up and stumbles out. Kobashi calmly takes his robe off.

-Stalks outside. Pissed. Whips into rail. CHOPS head off over it.

-Omori picks up chair. Gets kicked. Kobashi crowns him with it. Drags him over the rail and suplexes him onto floor. No mat. Argues with ref. Slams head into post.

-Killer back chop to head on post. Daring.

-More arguing. Pulls up by hair. Ref tries to wave him off. Rolls him in.

-Punch in ring. Omori chewing gum while eating a beating is distracting. Bleeding now. Kobashi holds him and he tries to swing at him. Huge Kobashi chant. Omori too dazed to do anything.at least he's swinging.

-Suplex. Hanging. Orange Crush!

Rear choke. Grisly visual. Leg scissors. But in ropes. NOT a mercy.

Guy on outside tries to intervene and that just leads to more choking. Kobashi wants him too. He will take on all blonde japanese guys. CUT to Omori in crowd getting mauled more on the outside(in chairs). Holy crap, he's fighting back. Got a foot in and a shoulder charge. that didn't last long. He's getting chopped again.

-CUT again to back in ring with Omori European uppercutting Kobashi. Kobashi chops him, ducks a spin kick and they double clotheslin each other.

Omori hits a full nelson slam and puts his knee pad down. Hits it square. 2

-Runs Kobashi into corner. Euro uppercuts. Kobashi chops back. CCL by Omori and Kobashi CL's him out of the corner. That didn't feel like no-selling. It felt like pissed off escalation.

-Kobashi picks him up. Shots to the head back into the corner. Ref screaming to stop him. Spinning chopps in the corner.

CUT again to Omori bleeding in the middle of the ring, trying to get up and Kobashi killing him with the CL. CUT to him doing it again. Ref wants to call off the match. Kobashi wants to kill him more. TKO. The ref is brave.

[Matt D]

Kobashi vs Ogawa, GHC title, 11/1/03.

 

Is it too late to start giving matches star ratings? Because if I could, I'd give this one five. It's probably as stereotypical as possible for me to love this one, but boy, did I ever.

 

After one watch this feels like maybe my favorite match between Japanese natives. It had everything I tend to love about the 90s AJPW style: the attention to detail in both big and little moments, the continuity within a match (and presumably between them), the sense of struggle for each and every move, the roles and hierarchy (even if I don't always understand it fully). Due to the structure of the match, however, every move within the match mattered, and there was a clear sense of escalation. Nothing early on blurred the lines for what came later. The bombs were almost all kept to the end. I understand that, by its nature, body part driven matches can have a lower "level of difficulty" than bomb throwing main events when it comes to coherence and consistency and appropriate selling, but here, it was a strength, not a weakness, because Ogawa, by his nature, is a lower creature. It wasn't a case of them taking some sort of easy way out instead of doing a hundred headdrops but instead a hugely appropriate way to tackling the challenge of how to manage a 25 minute match between 2003 Kobashi and Ogawa. I'm probably going to just lay out the narrative here because the joy is in the details.

 

How does Ogawa, who is opportunistic and desperate, who basically wrestles like the proverbial (Owen Hart-ian) "nugget," dirty, malodorous, and completely unflushable, survive against 2003 Kobashi? That's the question of the match. He manages not just to survive, but thrive, and it's by going to one of the most basic psychological templates. He goes after the leg like a man possessed. It's established early that he needs an equalizer. Right from the get go, he tries for an advantage, spitting at Kobashi and getting him down, splitting at his face, working his eyes. No meaningful effect but garnering anger and chops. They wrestle a bit after this, Ogawa just tricky enough to avoid early doom. He tries to contain Kobashi with a headlock, but Kobashi's able to just power him this way and that. Ogawa doesn't let go though and instead of getting shoved off, hangs on as he dives through the ropes to rake the eyes in a really novel little spot. He follows it up with a cravat, with a jumping sleeper, persistent and earnest, wrestling with a gumption that almost no one else could manage. None of it works though. Kobashi is just too much. To prove just how in control he is, Kobashi ends this sequence by forcing Ogawa around in a rolling cradle. Why? Just because he could. The punctuation? A nasty chop to the back of the neck that looks to put out Ogawa.

 

That's the opening sequence. I wouldn't rightfully call it a shine. It certainly established the players, though. Ogawa is plucky, crafty. Kobashi is brutal, unstoppable, firmly in control, but with a cruel god's whimsy. Ogawa badly needs an equalizer, and he gets it here, playing dead as the ref tries to hold Kobashi back, and then leaping forward, having quite literally played possum in the face of a beast far above him upon the circle of life, to take out Kobashi's leg from behind. He pointed at his head after the fact, bless him. The match doesn't look back from there. The legwork's awesome and varied. Ogawa starts by working the leg against the post on the outside, and, hugely important, getting Kobashi's knee brace down to expose the tape underneath. Ogawa's unrelenting once that is done, twisting, kicking, kneeing, elbowing, contorting the leg. Whenever he's close enough for Kobashi to get his hands upon him, he cuts that off with rapid punches to the knee. He gets in little shots and big, visual ones like slamming it against the apron (and the crowd responds in kind, chanting for Kobashi). Kobashi is his usual double-tough self in this, but when he does get a chop in, he can't capitalize because he's selling the leg. There are some really strong sequences and hope spots too. For instance, at one point Ogawa goes for a knee-breaker, but Kobashi elbows him on the head, about to get out and get some distance. Ogawa, however, turns immediately and turns it into a dragon whip, something so in character for him, opportunistic and desperate, a hyena refusing to release its grip on its larger prey. Even when he makes the mistake of putting on the half-crab (so Kobashi can push-up out of it and hulk up), it's only a few mean chops in the corner before Ogawa unloads on the knee once again and takes back over.

 

There's a sense, throughout this legwork, of escalation on both sides. Kobashi had started to fight back, so Ogawa takes him to the corner again and locks in a modified Hartlock around the post. He can't help himself though. His character always feels jarring to me in the hyperserious AJPW (and Noah) main event scene. Earlier on he had to point to his head. Here, he gets cocky, having taken the leg out of the king, and starts to mock Kobashi. Obviously, that doesn't go well for him, but Kobashi's ever move is earned, having to work through another kick to the knee (and missing a clothesline) to even get his jumping hangman's clothesline in. He can't fully capitalize with a suplex due to the leg, but Ogawa, once again sees the writing on the wall. He pushes him off desperately, causing a ref bump. It was not what I was expecting in a match like this, and what followed was even more jarring. With the ref down, Ogawa goes for the ring bell and starts to unload upon Kobashi's knee with it, both inside and outside the ring. Again, it's that escalation, the knowledge that it will take a superhuman effort upon Kobashi's current Achilles' heel to keep him down and maybe win this day.

 

Again, though, due to his (to be quite honest) craven nature and his toad-like pride, Ogawa loses focus on the outside, if just a little, and it costs him dearly. He tries to whip Kobashi into the rail only to get reversed. Kobashi can't capitalize but it doesn't matter, because Ogawa closes the distance to slam his head into the post only to get it reversed, followed by Kobashi's killer spinning back chop to the neck against the pole, the most horrific of all chops. That drops Ogawa and allows for those at ringside to finally reconstruct Kobashi's legbrace. That's the beginning of the end for Ogawa. The major selling from Kobashi in the match happened after Ogawa got the brace down. The major selling ends once the brace is back up. That doesn't mean there aren't moments of weakness and opportunity before and after, but the damage is thusly minimized. With the brace, reconstructed, Kobashi pulls Ogawa up and the crowd gasps when they realize he's been opened up.

 

Kobashi targets the wound immediately with punches and chops. It's wonderfully brutal. Ogawa tries to roll out to the ramp, and when Kobashi follows him, to catch him with a kick to the leg, but it's too little, too late with the brace back on and Kobashi drops him with his first real move of the match, a ddt on to the ramp. They make it back into the ring, with Kobashi keeping the chops up. Ogawa still has something of a physical advantage, and can reverse a whip into the corner, but misses a charge, allowing Kobashi to hit a long delayed (and very earned) belly to back for what I think is the first two count of the match. Kobashi slowly and deliberately follows it with a power bomb with a jackknife pin. It means so much, here at the twenty minute mark, because there hasn't been a match full of bombs. This power bomb feels like it means far more than any single move in the Akiyama vs Kobashi match and that goes back to economy. It's the moment where it's not just Kobashi fighting back or reversing a move, or buying some space. He's now reestablished his dominance. It lets him work over the wound again, allows for the ref to try to stop him, and colors the Ogawa low blow that follows, a last ditch attempt to stay in the match.

 

It's too late, though, as Ogawa is back to his weaselly but unfocused desperation attempts and Kobashi is able to power right through the low blow and the enziguri that followed, concluding with the hyperchops in the corner and a superplex. They could have done a few ducked moves here, a few suplexes, one last hope attempt from Ogawa and gone home, but that's not what this match is. Instead, they lean hard on the details and make everything worth so much. The finishing stretch is amazing. Kobashi finally goes for his half nelson suplex. Ogawa slams his foot back against the knee and gets behind him for a belly to back. Kobashi makes it back up and goes for it again. This time Ogawa grabs the leg and rolls him up. Kobashi runs into the corner and Ogawa ducks out of the way for another roll up, using the ropes for two. Kobashi goes for one last half nelson suplex. Ogawa grabs for the leg again, but this time Kobashi catches him, and gives him a wrist clutch exploder, which is maybe the fourth or fifth actual move Kobashi hits the entire match, but it's one with so much meaning and build and payoff behind it. Basically, the rat finally got caught and if the knee-brace being reconstructed was the beginning of the end, this was the end of the end. Ogawa gets one last desperate gasp, trying to avoid the clothesline with a crucifix but Kobashi, the angry god at the end of his patience, shoves him off, and hits two clotheslines (the second purely gratuitous) to finish him off.

 

It was everything I could want from a Kobashi match at this point. Ogawa earned everything he got in this match, and none of it was enough to really put Kobashi away. Maybe he could have stayed on the leg forever, but his strength, the cunning underhandedness, the dogged desperation, is also his weakness. He spits upon his betters, needs to show them up, to show that he's smarter than them, better than them, despite what society thinks, what the hierarchy says, despite the crowd chanting for Kobashi. So he acts in hubris, goes big, shows arrogance (because that, even more than a pinfall, might have been his true victory; to do that and get away with it) and it leads to his downfall. This was a greek tragedy of a wrestling match. At no point was Kobashi more or less giving than he should have been. They saved all of the big bombs for the end and by doing so, everything mattered.

 

In general, I really feel like they could have worked this style of match more, not even with limbwork to drive it. In some ways, it's easier with someone credible (maybe it reminded me of the dynamic of a Hansen vs Kobashi a little, actually, but with a more earnest underdog fighting from underneath instead of the craven underdog deseprately attacking its wounded better). It says a lot about me, I think, that I'm so much more comfortable with Japanese matches when they're one-sided, or at least when they fit into more of a shine(or feeling out)/heat/comeback dynamic. I get the argument that I'm just too ignorant to understand the meaning of some of the more nuanced transitions in the back and forth, even big matches that build and build and build, but this was just so damn primal and perfect.

 

Five Noahs, without a doubt. And the ark too (unicorns and dinosaurs included).

 

Notes

 

 

Kobashi vs Ogawa, GHC title, 11/1/03.

Hey! It's the Ogawa I like. He starts with spitting and charges in with punches. Eye splitter. Steps on his head. He's dead.

-Chops by Kobashi. Gets him down and just chops him in the corner. This thing is going to go 25? Grabs the arm and chops the neck. Goes for suplex. Ogawa goes for Fujiwara. Nope. Kobashi gets the arm and Ogawa flips back and forth until he gets him down. Ogawa hangs on with a headlock. Kobashi rolls him over for the pin. Ogawa hangs on and as Kobashi tries to shrug him off, he goes through the bottom and second rope, raking Kobashi's face against the ropes. Nice little spot.

-Kobahi tries to fire out but Ogawa is unrelenting, first with a cravat and then with a jumping sleeper. Finally, he gets pressed in the corner and chopped. I love Ogawa's commitment. He's 100% into this.

Kobashi's FU to all of this is a rolling cradle. I love that as a humiliating way of smacking down someone. Just Kobashi establishing that he is in complete control. It's almost more effective than the chop to the neck that follows and leads to Ogawa playing dead(probably not playing).

No wait, he was definitely playing. As Kobashi was talkin gto the ref, he dives in, takes out the leg and points to his head. Ogawa is the best Japanese wrestler ever. Fighting Spirit is for losers. He starts working on the knee against the pole on the oustide and working over the kneepad/brace.

Tape is exposed and Ogawa is laser focused on the leg. Cranking, twisting. Knees and elbows. When Kobashi tries to get a hold in to counter, Ogawa just punches the knee mercilessly.

-He slams it into the apron. The Kobashi chants start as he does it again. Back in the ring, he jamps it and steps on it and yanks back. Tons of varied, but relatively simple stuff. Effective. Rope break for Kobashi.

-Kobashi up. Tries to chop. But his leg hurts and he can't captalize . Ogawa goes for knee breaker. Kobashi elbows him on the head. So Dragon Whip it is. I love how earned all of this is. Ogawa half crab. I feel like putting Kobashi in a crab is like trying to Power Bomb kidman.

Ogawa makes sure he doesn't fight back by stomping right on the leg though. Oh crap. Kobashi's hulking up.

-Chops. Hyperchops. Ogawa leans against the ropes, kicks him repeatedly 3 times (opportunistic) and then goes right after the leg again for a half crab. Kobashi to the ropes. This is really good.

Ogawa with a modified Hartlock around the pole. The tape makes for a great visual. If Kobashi's ultimate comeback doesn't piss me off, this could be one of my favorite matches ever. There's a hell of a lot of time left though.

Ogawa finally letting himself be cocky. Shoving Kobashi. Eyepokes, just fo fun. Kobashi tries to reverse. And he cuts him off by kicking the knee, only for them to do a ducked clothesline and then jumping one; rope running spot. Kobashi now has a slight advantage but can't capitalize with any of his suplexes. They do a ref bump! And Ogawa tries to kick. Gets caught and jumps up with one and then hits a suplex. We have a ring bell!Right on the knee. I kind of love this as a logical escalation. Ogawa thought he had him. Realized he really, really didn't, and now is raising the stakes.

Tries a whip into the guardrail. Kobashi reverses but can't capitalize due to leg (see: chop him over the rail). Ogawa tries to post his head but Kobashi blocks it twice and does it to him. Blood? This needs blood. Slams him in again, and the shouting spinning back chop against hte post. That's the most cringeworthy of chops.

They're reapplying Kobashi's knee brace. Perfectly fine reason for him to let up on the selling a bit.

Yep, blood. Kobashi's pissed off now and in control. Punches to the wound. The crowd erupts when they realize Ogawa's bleeding. Chops right to the wound. Big and broad.

Back in the ring, Kobashi just hammers him with haymakers. Kobashi with a huge chop, another huge punch. Ogawa rolls to the ramp outside. Ogawa tries to kick to the knee, but Kobashi's having none of it. punches through it, knees him against the ropes (on the ramp) and DDT shim on the ramp. Ogawa's a bloody mess.

Huge stalking chop against the corner. whip across. Ogawa reverses. Dives in and posts himself. Suplex time. Long hanging belly to back. 2. (first pinfall in ages if not in the entire match).

Kobashi doing these back elbow chops to the wound. Four and Ogawa crumples in the ropes. Powerbomb. There's been such an economy of moves in this match that we're JUST getting to the Suplexes and Powerbombs. So Kobashi does a standard powerbomb and it means more in the 20 minute mark of this match than some of the crazy stupid stuff in the Akiyama vs Kobashi match did in THAT match, certainly.

-Kobashi flips over for two and then goes for the rear choke.

-Ogawa is fading. But gets his shoulder up. Ogawa tries to punch up but Kobashi's having one of it. The ref tries to mercy stop Kobashi's punches and Ogawa gets a low blow in. Ogawa follows it with an Enziguri but Kobashi powers through and chops the hell out of him again in the corner.

-Just keeps on him. Going for superplex. Hits it. Kobashi going for his half nelson suplex again but Ogawa slams his foot back against the knee, slips behind and hits a belly to back. Kobashi pops up, goes for it again but Ogawa's able to grab the leg for a roll up for two.

-Kobashi runs into corner, and Ogawa rolls him up for two with the ropes. Kobashi goes for the half nelson suplex again. Ogawa tries to grab the leg again, and Kobashi traps him and hits a writch clutch exploder! The build there was amazing. Just the architecture in the payoff to that spot. That's maybe, what, the fourth actual "move" Kobashi's hit in the match?

-Kobashi goes for the KO clothesline. Ogawa tries to turn it into a cruicifix. Kobashi shrugs him off and hits it. Singles for death.Hits the second clothesline for three.

[Childs]

That was my No. 1 Japanese match of the 2000s. Glad you liked it.

[goc]

I was hoping you'd get to the Kobashi/Ogawa match because even I fucking loved that match.

[Superstar Sleeze]

That was my number six match on the Best in Japan list, but without a doubt my favorite match. Kobashi in all his manly glory against Ogawa in all his zebra-print, Rat Boy dickishness. One of those matches that shows pro wrestling can transcend culture and place.

[Jimmy Redman]

OK so "completely unflushable" is now my favourite phrase I've ever heard to describe, well, anything ever really.

[dawho5]

That match was one of my favorites in the Japan 2000s watching. Ogawa from around 1998 to 2003 is something I need to watch a lot more of because I think he may be one of the more underrated wrestlers of that period. He's definitely a dickish little shit who needs to be put in his place. But as Matt touched on, he's also got this quality about him that is admirable. He refuses to stay down even in the face of impossible odds and finds whatever way he can to make you believe that he actually has a chance. Which is completely and totally ridiculous to think would even be possible. But he manages it in very convincing ways and that's something huge in his favor.

[pol]

Would like to recommend Akira Taue/Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuyori Shibata/KENTA (09/09/06)

[joeg]

Taue/Shiozaki vs Kenta/Shibata is one of my favorites.

 

NOAH had so many guys who were great as firey promising young guys early In their career but never really had the same success in their prime years as they did in their late teens/early 20s. Shiozaki, Kenta, Marafuji, Riko, Nakajima, Morishima, etc. It boggles my mind.

[Bierschwale]

Had a discussion earlier about how Morishima's 2007 was almost lethal for him in NOAH.

[pol]

Yeah, NOAH really botched the pushes of a lot of those guys. Judging from a business perspective, I'm not sure it was ever a particularly well-booked promotion except when they went back to ol' reliable "give an established star a long run with the belt". Certainly had lots of interesting booking from an aesthetic POV though.

[Matt D]

 

Working on it.

[Matt D]

I had gotten busy with other things, such as Thanksgiving and work and sickness. It's a little harder to watch things this time of year just because so much is going on. I still have a couple of matches GOTNW recommended, but I wanted to get to this one since it bumped the thread.

 

Akira Taue/Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuyori Shibata/KENTA (09/09/06)

 

The best way I can describe this is that it would be a match that I would have probably loved if it wasn't in 2006 NOAH. I completely understand why someone would suggest it to me, but I had a hard time getting past some of the trappings. The basic premise was amazing with KENTA and (especially) Shibata being absolute punks to Taue, just riling him up and mocking him and disrespecting him at every turn. Taue has such goodwill with the crowd and such accumulated meaning and familiarity that they're able to use that as capital in the match. They can tease his moves and the crowd reacts. In that way things don't have to be earned. They just have to be utilized, and they are.

 

Shibata was the real star here. Past a few hard kicks and the ability to move really fast, KENTA didn't show me nearly as much. Shibata was an absolute dick, coming at Taue in weird stalling angles instead of just locking up (Taue responded by teasing a crane kick), making sure to attack him on the apron again and again whenever Shiozaki was in (KENTA does this too). In the States, that would lead to illegal doubleteaming as the ref held back the babyface on the apron, and here that happens once, but it's really much more about the disrespect in this match. He even nailed Shiozaki twice with Taue's jam-head-into-knee for huge mocking heat.

 

My biggest problem with the match was Shiozaki. It's Japan, sure. It's 2006. I get it. In his role, showing fighting spirit and popping up again and again as "hope spots" was more than fine. It got old as the match went on though and it made it hard for anything to resonate too much. This happened all the way to the hot tag, which was just Shiozaki popping up and hitting a strike of his own one more time. It's not that it's unbelievable or that it lessened the meaning of things (though ultimately it did; at times they were going at so quick a pace that nothing had a chance to set in. It was exciting but hollow) or that nothing Shiozaki did ultimately felt earned: it was really just how unimaginative the counters were. There wasn't really a sense of fighting back to me. Instead it was more a decision not to sell. The few times where they did do something, like KENTA and Shiozaki blocking kicks or a foot coming up on top rope move, it all happened too quickly and consequence-free in the grand scheme of things to really resonate.

 

There was a lot to love here, but it was almost all centered around Taue and Shibata. Everytime Taue actually got his hand on Shibata it was gold, early on with him absorbing Shibata's best stuff and firing back to the crowd's delight (ending with him tossing Shibata out and teasing a dive), after the hot tag when Taue had to sustain double-teaming before he could get his hands on him, and the way he had to fight out of a potential doomsday device, hit a second rope big boot and catch KENTA in a nodawa off the top before he could finally hit it on Shibata. By the end I really wanted to see a singles match between the two.

 

So yeah, there was a lot to love here and I though Taue and Shibata both had great performances, but the trappings drag me down. Shiozaki drowned in the expectations which defined him in the match and I feel like 06 KENTA's biggest strengths actually worked out to be his biggest weakness. 3.5 NOAHs (as always, not a match rating).

 

notes:

 

 

Akira Taue/Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuyori Shibata/KENTA (09/09/06)

-Nice brisk 16:55.

-I have no idea what a Shibata is. He could be in a 90s biker musical though, I think.

-KENTA looks pretty young. Hey, I also don't know what a Shiozaki is.

-Taue doesn't look as grizzled as I'm expecting either.

-I have no context, so there's that. Shibata wants Taue. Taue wants a nap.

-Shibata's stylized posturing as he goes for the lock up is pretty funny. He's trying to come at it from the most obtuse angles possible. He goes for a sliding low kick and misses and then hams it up. That leads to Taue going for the crane kick set up which was awesome.

-Lock up. Clubber attempt by Taue leads to Shibata forearms. Taue shrugs it off. The fans pop. Shibata keeps up the pressure with kicks. Taue chops. Shibata keeps trying. The fans are loving every Taue shot ending with the big knee jam, tossing Shibata out like trash, and the world's best tope tease. Are you people sure we're just being contrary and overrating Taue to be difficult? The crowd ate all that up and so much of that was the timing. I guess "He has the best comedic timing of the four pillars" doesn't play well in a workrate world? Taue tags out after waving his hand dismissively after Shibata came back in.

-Shiozaki is in and thank god he has white boots. They do some spirited wrestling (one exchange) and Shibata forces Shiozaki into the corner where he makes a tag so KENTA can get some cheap shots in. He doesn't keep control for long. One back elbow later, Shiozaki's able to wrestle out and make the tag to Taue.

-Taue big boot on KENTA and abdominal stretch, digging the arm in while all but daring Shibata to come in to break it up. He finally does with a big boot that floors Taue. Crowd pops.

-Shiozaki in, back elbows KENTA and then charges to the corner at Shibata. Really spirited. Shibata gets the better of it wit ha sleeper, and that lets KENTA take over on Shiozaki (and take out Taue in the corner). Pretty heated.

-They try for some double teaming and then Shibata starts on Shiozaki but he's having none of it with no sells. Pissed off. Fighting spirit. Shibata takes a moment to go for a kick on Taue in the middle of this again. It ends with a dangerous backdrop on Shiozaki and a kick. Tag to KENTA. That was effective in the sense that Shibata had to earn taking control in the match by doing damage to Shiozaki and taking Taue out repeatedly (which is also dickish). If they keep doing it, I'll start to get frustrated.

-KENTA hasn't had a chance to show me much yet. He continues to keep Taue out with a well timed kick even as he works on Shiozaki. Taue coming back in is going to be great if they keep on this. For now, a headscissors on Shiozaki. Taue's just hanging out on the apron.

-Kenta teases some sort of ground move off the ropes on Shiozaki but keeps running and hits Taue instead. That allows for some heat and double teaming, and holy hell, Shibata just did the knee jam twice on Shiozaki. Taue just shakes the ropes like he's Andre pretending to be Ultimate warrior.

-Shiozaki tries to fight back (makes sense after the knee jams since they're not as effective from someone not Taue) but gets cut off with a dropkick. KENTA tosses him into rail on outside.

-KENTA kicks hard. Shiozaki tries to fight back but gets cut off with a kick only to no sell and hit a shoulder to get Taue in. Didn't love that.

-Taue big booting the hell out of KENTA then a great double arm trap sueplex. Goes for the Nodowa but KENTa elbows out and gets a kick. Tags Shibata who gets kicks in until Taue does the world's best dragon screw and the crowd comes unglued. I love how they delayed that gratitifaction another minute.

-Chops in corner. Shibata gets arm, jams it, and goes for octopus but Shiozaki's back in to break it up. He's still weak, though, so he eats a Shibata pedigree.

-Double team on Taue. Toss into corner. Corner dropkick then poetry in motion dropkick. Shibata electric chairs Taue to the top but he chops his way out, Turns around and hits the Sid-Leg Destroyer. then catches KENTA in a nodawa off the top. Hits Shibata with one and a huge sit down power bomb for ... two.

-Shiozaki holds KENTA outside for another Nodawa attempt but Shibata turns it into a Fujiwara. Taue to the ropes then hits the hangman's clothesline. That lets Shiozaki tag and fly in with a bit springboard dropkick. THAT knocks Shibata into the corner to tag KENTA.

-Running kick. No sell. Dropkick by Shiozaki. Running corner knee. Chops. Slam. Secodn rope knee. Good hangtime, two.

-They're trading kicks and blocks now. KENTA finishes it with a CL and a missile dropkick. Go go go without enough punctuation or selling. Fisherman's suplex. Taue breaks it up. Gets tossed out by Shibata. Shiozaki with big CL and German as Taue manipulates Shibata around the outside. Two count. Fans pop though.

-Shiozaki slams KENTA. foot up on moonsault. Tries to no sell and get up but KENTA gets advantage. Tiger suplex. Taue breaks up. Fights both guys with chops.

-Shibata sleeper on Taue. This has gotten unfocused to a degree.

-Shibata picks up Shiozaki with the electric chair in the corner. This sets up KENTA flying in with a killer clothesline in a doomsday device and the pin as Shibata mocks Taue who is on the outside.

-Shibata holds ropes for KENTA. KENTA holds ropes for Shibata. Shibata wipes sweat at Taue and they leave.

[elliott]

 

Working on it.

 

5 Stars.

 

This is the tag match you review in the next post? I want to watch it just for that.

[Childs]

I loved that match when I watched it for the Ditch project. Made me wish we'd gotten a long run of KENTA-Shibata tags. Would have vastly preferred that to epic main eventer KENTA.