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Post by TheDutifulWebmaster on Jan 15, 2024 22:25:05 GMT -5
Akira Taue; Jun Akiyama; and Kenta Kobashi vs Hiroshi Hase; Mitsuharu Misawa; and Toshiaki Kawada
AJPW 09/15/1997
Event: AJPW Fan Appreciation Day
Match type: six-man tag-team match
This match is not a 60-minute iron-man match, but, rather, is around 60 minutes in duration just through being a long match.
I watched this match keeping an eye out for any blown-spots or other flaws, and it's pretty incredible that, considering that this match lasts so long and that it has so little down-time, I could not detect any flaws in this match. Every chop, punch, and kick met it's target, and the striking is stiff. Similarly, all the suplexes etc were executed well. I know barely anything about these 6 wrestlers in this match, but I suppose, with 1997 being a time without the internet/smartphones etc, that these guys just ate,slept,and breathed wrestling, and became really really proficient at the art, aided by the fact that there were less distractions than there are today. Hence, one can place these 6 in a sixty-minute-long match, and it would likely be a blemish-free affair even whilst keeping submission-holds to a minimum.
Hase and Akiyama both take quite a lot of punishment in this match , and Kawada is the recipient of an awesome brainbuster. Those neck-chops from Kobashi to hase look painful, too.
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Post by TheDutifulWebmaster on Jan 15, 2024 22:29:53 GMT -5
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Post by elliott on Jan 16, 2024 10:23:09 GMT -5
I tried but there's no fucking way I can watch this whole thing. I don't think I've ever seen anyone ever talk about this match as something someone should spend 60 minutes with.
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Post by IzumidaHead on Jan 16, 2024 14:12:57 GMT -5
2nd
I watched this a good bit back and it's....pretty good, but naturally feels overindulgent given the length of the match. There's some good moments throughout but I don't think it ever hits the highs of shorter tags with the same individuals.
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Post by fxnj on Mar 7, 2024 16:48:12 GMT -5
Been something like 14 years since I've seen this, so it's basically like watching it fresh. Thought it would be fun to do a live review to catch all my impressions.
Starts off pretty hot with some clever spots. I like Kawada showing no mercy to Taue. The spot where Taue is loopy from Hase's incredible 30 spin giant swing and accidentally tries to tag in Kawada. Also I liked the spot where Misawa tries to clean house with his elbow, but the other guys just jump back in and swarm him.
Match slows down when it's Taue's legs getting worked over, but picks right back up when he gets tired of that shit and just stiffs Hase before tagging back out. I liked how hard Kobashi tackled down Hase to establish his presence.
Kobashi's knockout selling on a Kawada headkick was incredible. Couldn't tell if it was real or selling. Was fun seeing Akiyama come in to the rescue and him and Kobashi working together a year before Burning was formed. It probably wasn't intentional, but it was pretty funny how that was followed by a section where Kawada acted knocked out, as if he got jealous after seeing Kobashi do it and needed everyone to know that that's his thing.
The transition jump kick on Kobashi looked nasty AF with an audible thud when Kawada hit it. I love the subtext of Hase wanting to prove he belongs with AJPW with him abandoning his signature offense and trying to trade chops with Kobashi. It was also funny how Misawa just gets tired of watching it and randomly jumps in to elbow Kobashi.
Halfway in and I'm really enjoying what I've seen so far. I'm also noticing how these guys are working in some subtle touches to sell the toll of the match. Misawa can't do his stuff as cleanly and sells the wear and tear on his body from getting worked over earlier. Hase is selling moves hurting him more than earlier. Kobashi is taking longer to get up after being knocked down. Truly a lost art in more recent wrestling.
No one else in wrestling could bump like Misawa. Dude ate a half nelson from Kobashi right on the crown of his head. Gave me anxiety seeing Taue go for an apron nodowa otoshi right after that. Seems like it inspired Akiyama to take a nasty bump on a DDT from Misawa shortly afterwards. Incredible exchange with Kawada after Misawa tags out. Crowd is really getting into this match and so am I.
Hase and Taue is such a fun dynamic in this. Taue tries to smother him but Hase never misses the opportunity to show off his strength by throwing Taue around. I also like how Hase isn't afraid to show some ass by collapsing when Kobashi chops him while he has Taue in a crab. Chops can be so much more interesting when guys know when to keep their ego in check.
Got a little misty eyed seeing Misawa and Kawada doing double team moves. Wonder how many more times they tagged together after this.
The heat section on Hase rules. Love how he keeps trying to fight back but can't quite keep up.
First big near fall nearly 45 minutes in when Taue does a chokeslam from the top rope on Misawa while Misawa is on Kobashi's shoulders. Amazing selling from Misawa when he tries to get up afterwards. When Kobashi nails the orange crush on Misawa shortly afterwards, that would normally be it, but given that it's been a long match his bad knee is starting to act up and that impedes on his ability to fully capitalize. Again, it's a lost art to see guys sell the toll of a long match as great as these guys do here. Misawa's surprise elbow transition and the reaction is also a thing of beauty.
Kawada/Akiyama is pure fire every time it happens here. We were truly robbed not getting a big singles match between them. Akiyama's brain had to have been mush by the end of this from all the brutal Kawada kicks and knees he ate here. Great loopy selling from him during the following heat segment too.
Great spot where Hase nails a uranage on Kobashi at the end of a heat segment but finds he's too far away to make a tag given how worn down he is at this point. So Hase instead goes for a cover and uses the momentum from Kobashi's kickout to make a tag. Pro wrestling physics are awesome.
55 minute call is made and I'm noticing how they've never lost the crowd at any part of this match except for maybe that Taue leg work segment near the beginning. Also can't say enough good about Misawa's selling and how he even keeps it up when he's just going in to make a save. I also like the struggle over the Tiger Suplex and how he just gives up and goes for an elbow when he realizes he doesnt have enough strength in his arms to force it.
Kobashi looks like a beast beating down Hase and Kawada at the same time with neck chops. Also nice Dragon Suplex from him on Hase. Felt like that was meant as a bit of disrespect given the move being big in NJPW.
Seems like Kawada and Akiyama try to re-enact Kobashi/Williams with Kawada nailing a nasty backdrop on Akiyama and Akiyama crawling on the ropes like Kobashi did after getting hit with Williams's backdrop driver. Can't tell if it was an intentional tribute or just a coincidence, but that might be the best kind of tribute spot.
Last few minutes follow the standard template of everyone trying to land big moves, but unlike a lot of draws I've seen where they do a ton of nearfalls, here there's a lot of emphasis on all 6 guys selling the cumulative effect of the match. Pretty cool twist on things and the crowd is suitably molten.
It feels silly in retrospect to have doubted these guys, but I remember being pretty meh on this back when I watched it 14 years ago and I have no idea why now. The big 4 have definitely slowed down and become different performers compared to the heyday of these sorts of matches at the beginning of the decade, but they adapted remarkably well and created a 6-man that managed to recapture the magic from the Jumbo/Misawa era. Memorable moments, top notch selling, and stiff blows from start to finish with nothing looking whiffed or half-assed. Hase really freshens it up with trying to prove his worth and everyone responding by trying to bully him. The Akiyama/Kawada sections also bring the workrate pretty well and they really stand out even more than they normally would for how things noticeably speed up when they're paired.
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