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Post by nintendologic on May 6, 2023 12:45:03 GMT -5
Misawa and Kobashi are the champions. Kawada and Taue want to be the champions. Kobashi has an injured leg. That's all you really need to know to appreciate the match (or at least that's all I needed), and all that is established during the pre-match introductions. I suppose Misawa coming in with a broken orbital bone isn't immediately obvious, but kicking someone in the face is effective enough even without any broken bones to target. I'm a firm believer that that vast majority of the in-ring storytelling in 90s All Japan involves universally relatable concepts and most of the supposed deep lore is just Western fans either reading too much into things or assigning outsized importance to things that don't really add anything to the matches.
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Post by microstatistics on May 6, 2023 13:11:03 GMT -5
Awareness of the broken orbital bone is definitely important since it plays a major role in heat segments and key transitions (e.g., the match-changing blow by Taue prior to the apron set-up). It wouldn't be nearly as impactful if they were just targeting the face randomly.
I agree with storytelling point though; you really don't need to watch a ton of lead-ins or scrutinize the booking to appreciate the finer points. Most of the crucial elements are self-evident. Having said that, being familiar with HDA's high profile losses (6/3/1994 & 4/15/1995) does help in understanding why Kawada and Taue loathe Misawa so much and why they approach the match in the manner that they do.
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Post by nintendologic on Jun 9, 2023 19:10:36 GMT -5
Watched this again today on the anniversary. Still #1. Taue chokeslamming Misawa onto Kobashi's injured leg is the greatest moment in the history of this great sport.
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Post by puropotsy on Jun 27, 2023 15:41:10 GMT -5
So yes I would call it the greatest match of all time. The work on Kobashi’s leg was stellar. His protection of Misawa toward the end was emotional. And Kawada getting that pin on Misawa for the tag titles was so satisfying. Taue did so much as well, including chokeslamming Misawa onto Kobashi’s leg.
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Post by mrjmml on Aug 2, 2023 5:08:59 GMT -5
Can anyone make a case against this match?
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 2, 2023 20:57:39 GMT -5
Can anyone make a case against this match? Two main criticisms I've read: 1) The early work on Taue is a little bland 2) Kobashi melodrama overshadows the finishing stretch. I sort of agree with the former in that it's the "weakest" section of the match but it still fits the story well (Misawa attempting to treat this like any other match) and has a nice calm before the storm feel prior to the HDA going nuclear. Kobashi critics usually express the latter opinion and I definitely disagree with it and in fact feel the Kobashi theatrics accentuated the story element.
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Post by tetsujin on Aug 3, 2023 3:21:25 GMT -5
Although I LOVE Kobashi's performance in this match, I kinda hate that he tries to protect Misawa twice. The first one at ringside shouldn't have happened.
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Post by [Darren] on Aug 22, 2023 0:23:04 GMT -5
I’m currently watching it for the first time in a couple years.
I’m not too cool for this match. This rules.
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Post by [Darren] on Nov 21, 2023 7:09:48 GMT -5
I voted this match at #100 this year.
My reasoning being that the match obviously should be included but the pick is boring so I just wanted it out of the way.
Then I watched it again and feel silly having it this low.
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Post by timm on Dec 20, 2023 13:25:26 GMT -5
Will never not be my #1. Like for me this feels like approaching the theoretical maximum of how good a wrestling match can be. Can't imagine we'll ever see another as good.
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Post by lemming on Dec 21, 2023 9:54:51 GMT -5
Yeah I voted this as my #1 and it was my easiest placement on the whole list. It's just an unreasonably good wrestling match.
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