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Post by fxnj on Mar 15, 2019 5:56:19 GMT -5
Figured the most divisive match on the 80's NJPW set deserved a thread. I was one of the low voters, as I wasn't into their matwork and felt it killed the heat on their exchanges. Still, I can see why people might like it as they do get the crowd going and some points and there are a good sequences.
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Post by shodate on Mar 15, 2019 10:53:53 GMT -5
i dont know why some would like this as much as they do. really spotty with some sloppy moves the execution wasnt bad. i think takada is great but that leg lock sucks as its against what makes any grappling great.wasnt into the mask vs dynamite type piledrivers. and the heat killing thing.
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 9, 2020 4:56:38 GMT -5
Third. Yes, this feud is extremely divisive. I enjoyed the matches though. The August 86 one is better but this is not far behind.
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Post by makaiclub on May 7, 2021 12:03:08 GMT -5
Yet again, they have a tremendous match that is relentless in action and drama. When they are on the ground, they are always moving around and working towards something whether it’s the chicken wing or the Fujiwara armbar. But they mix it up as well, with petter slaps and kicks being thrown as well which increased the heated atmosphere more so. I think their spells of no-selling really work. Like anything else, there is a time to do it and times where anything can help a match and this does. Takada would take a suplex and get right back on Koshinaka and vice-versa, and that just speaks to how this match was. It was two stubborn wrestlers fighting to a finish. And the struggle to lock on the Fujiwara armbar was awesome as Koshinaka kept on ripping into Takada’s hands and fingers to weaken the defensive resistance. Koshinaka finally gets the tap out win and retains the Junior Heavyweight title. Takada is pissed and wants to continue though. More! ****1/4
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Post by KB8 on Nov 12, 2021 10:44:05 GMT -5
Cards on the table, I hated this series back during the DVDVR project. Well I hated two of their matches. This one I had just outside my top 60, so I probably didn't hate it but I wouldn't suggest I loved it. But 2009 was a time long ago and what are we (it is merely I, a singular entity) if not open to re-evaluation? Honestly this is a bit of a strange match, at least in terms of structure. It's quite choppy, but that matches the rough execution and overall it adds to the uncooperative feel of it, almost like a pro/shoot style hybrid. Even though they don't necessarily communicate hatred in an overt sense, at least not early, you can tell that they do not like each other one bit and that resonates from start to finish. They're a little tentative to begin, some missed kicks here and there, mostly a feeling out process. There's one moment where they tie up and Koshinaka kind of slaps Takada's hand away, and Takada immediately sells it in a way that tells you there's something to it. Two of the fingers on that hand are taped up and the camera zooms in on it, so you can probably file that one away for later. Neither guy really sustains an advantage early and they do a few "I have you too well scouted" exchanges, but they were fine and the underlying malice behind those exchanges kept them from feeling rote. Like, the part where Takada's spin kick was met with Koshinaka's dropkick worked not just because it conveyed that part of the story ("this is our third singles match so we know each other pretty well"), but because it didn't look like those kicks were intended to do anything other than land on the opponent. Even some of the iffy selling was fine. I don't think either guy is a particularly compelling seller anyway, but this was some fight-through-pain selling that I didn't mind and even the dodgy no-selling parts added to how uncooperative everything felt. The first real example of that was when Koshinaka hit a tombstone and Takada kicked out, got up to his feet and punted Koshinaka right in the head (and even after it he sort of slumped in the ropes as a delayed reaction). Takada has the edge in grappling and he's obviously a better striker, so at points it feels like Koshinaka only has a shot through stubborn determination. There was also a great sense of escalation, the way they'd try and hit moves only for the other to fight them off, then come back to them later once fatigue had kicked in. It happened with the dragon suplex (this was one of the most gorgeous dragon suplexes you'll see btw), some of the submission attempts, even some of the strikes that were being avoided earlier. Towards the end Takada is all in on the crossface chickenwing, then we get that payoff from earlier as Koshinaka tries to snap his fingers. Takada's selling here was awesome and I loved that he looked at Koshinaka like this was beyond the pale even for him. He'd try and circle around Koshinaka with that hand hidden, but any time he'd grab him or come close enough Koshinaka would get to the finger-bending. The bit where he stomped on the hand while bleeding from the mouth made him look like a desperate man who may or may not also be a psychopath. Finish rules, with Koshinaka applying an armbar while bending the fingers at disgusting angles, leaving the fancy kickpad MMA guy no choice but to submit. Those pro wrestling rules are different, brother. This was way the fuck better than I remembered. Maybe watching it in isolation without the stink of their previous matches helped, but either way I thought it was really good. Maybe I've been too harsh on 80s Koshinaka all this time.
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