Kento Miyahara vs. Zeus (AJPW - 10/21/2018)
Oct 25, 2019 22:22:30 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Oct 25, 2019 22:22:30 GMT -5
Kento Miyahara vs. Zeus (AJPW - 10/21/2018)
Quite possibly the best AJPW match of 2018 and easily the best Zeus match ever. AJPW following NJPW's trend of 30+ main events is a bit concerning, but despite not much of importance happening in the first 7-8 minutes, the length still felt earned in a way. Zeus, having constantly been surpassed by Kento the past few years, finally got his moment and beat him for the title. And yet three months later, here Kento is again. I felt that really added an extra layer of storytelling to Zeus largely dominating this match. He not only knows how tough Kento is firsthand, but he's determined to do whatever it takes to put Kento behind him for good. This wasn't a squash, but the beatdown segments of chops and clotheslines made most of this match fairly one-sided. And while my biggest criticism of Kento has always been how easily he mounts comebacks and how little he sells the previous work done to him, he never once got his streak of "Nope, I'm fine!". Rather, he'd use his speed to evade Zeus and hit a running knee. He threw maybe a bit too many of these, but it worked in the sense that it was a quick yet powerful shot that would buy him some time to recover. If it works, why not keep using it? I also liked how he attempted the O'Connor roll that helped him beat Yuji Hino after being dominated by a much a stronger opponent. And while I would have preferred Zeus to get the definitive victory, Kento's win didn't feel cheap either. It really came across as the experienced main-eventer knowing how to dig down deep and finish the job whereas Zeus isn't quite there yet.
Tremendous title match and one of the year's best. Watch this match now.
Quite possibly the best AJPW match of 2018 and easily the best Zeus match ever. AJPW following NJPW's trend of 30+ main events is a bit concerning, but despite not much of importance happening in the first 7-8 minutes, the length still felt earned in a way. Zeus, having constantly been surpassed by Kento the past few years, finally got his moment and beat him for the title. And yet three months later, here Kento is again. I felt that really added an extra layer of storytelling to Zeus largely dominating this match. He not only knows how tough Kento is firsthand, but he's determined to do whatever it takes to put Kento behind him for good. This wasn't a squash, but the beatdown segments of chops and clotheslines made most of this match fairly one-sided. And while my biggest criticism of Kento has always been how easily he mounts comebacks and how little he sells the previous work done to him, he never once got his streak of "Nope, I'm fine!". Rather, he'd use his speed to evade Zeus and hit a running knee. He threw maybe a bit too many of these, but it worked in the sense that it was a quick yet powerful shot that would buy him some time to recover. If it works, why not keep using it? I also liked how he attempted the O'Connor roll that helped him beat Yuji Hino after being dominated by a much a stronger opponent. And while I would have preferred Zeus to get the definitive victory, Kento's win didn't feel cheap either. It really came across as the experienced main-eventer knowing how to dig down deep and finish the job whereas Zeus isn't quite there yet.
Tremendous title match and one of the year's best. Watch this match now.
