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Post by elliott on Oct 27, 2021 8:18:08 GMT -5
Kadaveri has a really interesting thought earlier in this thread that if this came before DreamSlam I it might be better remembered. I think its really impressive that these two managed to have another aggressively violent hate filled match that is (in my eyes) an all time classic but still feels distinctly different from DreamSlam I. Somehow even more uncooperative feeling at times.
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Post by [Darren] on Oct 27, 2021 10:03:54 GMT -5
I think this match might be better than the more famous one. I’ll try to rewatch and articulate
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Post by Cap on Oct 27, 2021 10:49:39 GMT -5
Alright... now you all have me pumped to watch it again.
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Post by [Darren] on Oct 27, 2021 10:50:52 GMT -5
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Post by mvz on Oct 27, 2021 12:24:34 GMT -5
This is a lock for my list, probably in the 40-60 range. It is a classic. I read that review when I watched it earlier this year, the review is great.
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Post by Cap on Oct 29, 2021 7:46:55 GMT -5
Shinobu Kandori vs Akira Hokuto (AJW – 12/6/1993) Current Rank: NA Trending: Up
I’m really glad people where hyping this up and put it on my radar to watch before the ballot this year because this has a very very good chance of making my list, better than many other “possible” additions I have discussed recently. The thing that is great about their earlier match is that we wind up with this singular sense of desperation and urgency as each woman lobs bombs at each other with the express intent of absolutely ending them. This match – against all odds – finds its own version of that. It sort of comes out of the gates carrying that ethos, which then ebbs and flows somewhat through the match. Everything here is done with intent… EVERYTHING. It all looks mean. It all looks painful. The uppercut finish looks brutal and is only amplified by the cuts to those concerned about Hokuto. Even Aja looks a bit upset by what she is seeing. I still don’t think this is on par with their April match, but it isn’t far off the mark. Watching it sort of away from that match helped me appreciate this one on its own merits.
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Post by tetsujin on Dec 15, 2021 5:17:48 GMT -5
This was fantastic. I don't think it's close to DreamSlam I, but it is definitely a top 100 contender. This is all about Kandori's redemption and Hokuto's inmense pride in denying that redemption, and I like that this time they both felt the protagonists of their respective stories, while in the April match Hokuto was clearly the "good guy" against a tough antagonist. It has the climatic showdown appeal.
I loved how they both sold the two biggest bombs of the match: the NLB at ringside, and that hell of a... tiger driver!? from the top rope. As KBB said, that was peak 90s AJPW levels of selling. My favourite moment has to be Kandori baiting that punch to go for the Fujiwara Armbar, only for her to LET HOKUTO FREE inmediately to tell her that she's not going for the easy way, while smiling. Kandori is just the essence of being BADASS. Also, I loved how near the end she broke her promise to herself and went for the arm one time, as Hokuto kept trying to come back. There were some awkward moments like Hokuto putting Kandori in a basicaly impossible submission to get out of, so she had to let her free after a minute or so and go run the ropes for another spot so the match could continue as planned, too many cuts to the AJW crew crying while some of the decisive strikes from Kandori were out of screen, some uncoordination with the ref when going for pins, and they obviously didn't reach the levels of epicness of DreamSlam... but that's almost an unfair comparison.
If you put this match against many of the more talked, more stablished top 100 contenders and even some popular locks, you'd have to think a lot before choosing. I'm so glad this made this year's list and we're starting to appreciate it more. One of the most underrated matches ever and that needs to change.
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Post by puropotsy on Jun 24, 2023 18:22:04 GMT -5
This was a strong follow-up and companion piece to 4/2/93 that stands on its own. It will obviously always be compared and it is hard to measure up but it should be watched. Instead of a brawl all over the building it is a battle of attrition in the ring. It starts off with a punch exchange that busts Hokuto open. Kandori works a lot of submissions and takes a lot of the match in my mind but Hokuto shows great fighting spirit until falling to her rival. It won’t make my list but still great.
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Post by elliott on Jun 24, 2023 18:44:59 GMT -5
DId you watch the DreamSlam 2 match with Hokuto & Aja vs Kandori & Sawai?
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Post by puropotsy on Jun 24, 2023 19:12:17 GMT -5
No but I will. Trying to watch everything from the Combined GWE List as well as other highlights such as this before the June 30 deadline. I doubt I could ask for an extension like I would in university. This is real life dammit!!!
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Post by elliott on Jun 24, 2023 19:26:44 GMT -5
LOLOLOLOL wrestling is serious business~!
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Post by gramsci on Jan 16, 2024 16:22:48 GMT -5
They manage to create a match almost as good as the Greatest Match Ever. It's awesome how they start with a callback from their previos match with the punch exchanges, Kandori refusing to go for Hokuto’s arm and doing so later at the end, lots of struggle and urgency. Tremendous finish, again.
****3/4
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