Katsuyori Shibata vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 4/9/2017)

Not sure if it's no longer having the thought of this match ruining Okada's life looming over it, or it just being easier to judge this match on its own terms a few years removed from the ridiculous hype it got, but I'm a lot more at peace rewatching this match now compared to my thoughts on it in 2018.

I actually thought the opening matwork was perfectly solid and enjoyable. Shibata showing how effortlessly he could move into a dominant position or pulling out a snazzy British wrestling counterhold was far more about the mental game than anything to actually wear down Okada physically. I loved the callback to Ali/Inoki. The matwork was less about being technically great and more about setting the tone for the match's story. That story was the prodigal son of 2000's NJPW finally getting his big chance and using it completely school the golden boy of 2010's NJPW. And because of how committed they are to using the matwork to tell that story, the dick measuring striking sections end up feeling like they have a lot more meaning behind them than your usual by the numbers puro exchanges.

Where the match falters for me is in the middle section, specifically Okada's control segment about 14 minutes in. That section is a perfect example of something that always annoys me with Okada, where he moves in slow motion as a way of forcing an unearned sense of profundity. After a minutes of that, though, it regains its footing when they switch back to stiffing each other. Pretty much from that point on, Shibata looks like the baddest man on the planet as he shows answers to everything Okada can throw at him, responds with these perfectly timed strikes accompanied by sickening thuds, and demonstrates a mastery of psychological warfare. I also have to give credit to Okada for doing a good job of selling Shibata's shoulder stretch so it actually looks like a credible match ender.

I'd say the stretch run begins with Shibata withstanding the rainmaker and responding with that sick headbutt. I don't think there would be much argument against that being the most iconic spot of 2010's NJPW. For me, the last few minutes did a good job of making it look like Okada had been completely outclassed but then reversing it into a situation where he could still credibly pull out a win. Whereas Shibata got more and more arrogant as the match progressed, Okada, after his initial lackluster control segment, learned to make the most out of every opportunity he got on top. I feel like the headbutt took a lot more out of Shibata than he was letting on and he missed his chance to finish off Okada when he could have. If you pay attention to Shibata during those last few minutes, it looks like he's fading and doing his best to hang in long enough to finish the match. Knowing his situation afterwards, I wonder if he made the call to take it home a few minutes early.

Main issues remain that Okada isn't all that interesting for most of the match and 37 minutes is a bit long for the material they had. On the other hand, the match delivers on making Shibata look like a total badass and I can see why newer fans identify with him so much in this. I think I'd be a lot more into it if they tightened it up by about 10 minutes. I'd go about **** on it right now.

Tangentially related, I watched a film analysis video a few months back that mentioned Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, Brad Pitt in Fight Club, and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker are all different renditions of fundamentally the same archetype and that which one someone relates to is primarily dependent on which they were first introduced to during their formative years. Kawada's performances against Misawa filled that role for me and I never thought any of those film characters had a patch on him, but I guess someone coming to this match after only seeing US wrestling their whole lives could think the same about Shibata's performance here. Never a great feeling for me to think about how 90's AJPW seems to be getting progressively displaced in the canon, but I guess that's the natural cycle of things.