Burning vs. Kensuke Office (SEM/Kensuke Office - 8/17/2008)

One of the best multi-man matches in history. The first 15 minutes are worked at a relentless pace. Miyahara, in particular, shines in this segment. Then we get some quick fire eliminations before we're left with KENTA and Kobashi vs Nakajima and Sasaki and things just escalate from here. Any time Kobashi and Sasaki are in the ring together they start chopping the hell out of each other. Nakajima and KENTA keep the pace running high with a slew of bombs and fantastic near falls. KENTA's performance in this is the best I've ever seen from him lasting the entire 50 minutes.

All these Kobashi & Co. vs Kensuke & Co. matches tend to blend together in my head and overall I think they are great, but there is just too much excess. Nothing ever stands out. There is no sense of progression match to match. They just exist to be great. They live in a stasis. I guess this went an hour and I dont think Ill ever watch it again.

Kensuke Office (Sasaki, Nakajima, Okita, Miyahara) vs Burning (Kobashi, KENTA, Aoki, Ito) - KO 8/17/08



The long running Kobashi/Sasaki feud finally comes to a head in an elimination gauntlet match which sees two members of each team start in a tag match and a one member replacing the fallen member of their team. Going into this match, Kobashi/KENTA went to a 30 minute draw with Sasaki and Nakajima. Now each side takes two young lions under its wings and we see if Burning or Kensuke Office is better.



Kensuke Office sends out its two weakest wrestlers. Okita and Miyahara. I believe Miyahara has had a quite year for himself this year in All Japan taking on Akiyama, but this being a rookie year I was not expecting much. Okita I think has an American football gimmick as he is built like Sasaki, but does a lot of shoulder tackles. Miyahara's offense was pretty basic and his selling was good, but in the role of rookie getting his ass beat and making a comeback I have seen better. KENTA and Aoki start for Burning and they are awesome as the heel prick tag team. I really enjoyed this opening 15 minute contest. KENTA was a violent bully and a Aoki cocky asshole who normally would get his ass beat, but has confidence bolstered by KENTA's presence. I was worried about the hot tag, but Okita was great with all his shoulder tackles. KENTA sticks up his knee and Okita runs into it, which was a good spot. Aoki gets a double wristlock on him, but they go with an extended finish with Miyahara trying to prove himself, but his offense is pretty basic and it is not the same as the awesome Miyahara or Shiga performances. Aoki forces the submission with an armbar. I liked this opening a good deal and would have given it. ***1/2 just for that.



Kensuke Office elects to send out its heavy hitter Kensuke Sasaki to stop the bleeding. The KENTA/Sasaki showdown with Kensuke repeatedly throwing down Aoki was fucking awesome and the best part of the match. Sasaki destroys KENTA with a lariat. Sasaki applies a Boston Crab to Aoki to force a submission. Just like that it is not only tied, but I would say Kensuke Office has a slight lead.



Ito, who I have never heard of, comes in and becomes tangled in the streams drawing audible laughter from me and the crowd. Kensuke bowls him over to eliminate him, which means Burning is down to its last two. However, Sasaki looks gassed and needs Okita to come in, but here comes Kobashi. Okita try as he might with an early double takedown was no match for the Almighty Kobashi. Kobashi eliminates with a sleeper.



Going into the final match, we have KENTA spent, but basically just had a ten minute respite. Sasaki a bit worn, but in overall good health. Kobashi expended little to no energy and Nakajima is fresh as a daisy. Guess what that first 25 minutes barely has any bearing on this match. Which begs the question why didn't they just do this tag match instead of having the jabronis?



Surprisingly even though this was 5 minutes longer than the previous tag match, I liked this one better because of KENTA's selling and the general urgency of the wrestlers in trying to win the match. The beginning is the usual establishing that these two teams are very very equal. The victory will come in how the heavyweight vs junior heavyweight contests go. Kobashi forces Nakajima to come in, but Nakajima being relatively fresh weathers the storm and forces Kobashi into the Kobashi corner to tag in KENTA. I would say that is a considerable victory for Kensuke Office. Nakajima and KENTA fire off some wicked stiff slaps and I actually get pretty into it. Nakajima wins and tags Sasaki in. That's the turning point, Sasaki consolidates it by mauling KENTA and now Kensuke Office looks fully in command. Already, the match feels more important with each segment having consequence. Plus Nakajima seems really motivated. I really liked this beatdown on KENTA and constant attacks on Kobashi on the apron. It was not as good as a BatBat tag, but it felt like a full court press. KENTA wins a suplex struggle by hanging Nakajima out to dry and Kobashi holds him as he hits his kneedrop. I liked that transition and a fresh Kobashi kicks Nakajima's ass on the outside. I thought the Nakajima heat segment went on too long, but KENTA was selling so psychologically sound that I was so pumped. Whenever he did not want to be tagged in he would drop to the floor, but he sensed Kobashi was getting tired he would tag in and hit the chinlock so as to keep Nakajima under control and regain his own energy. Then he would tag back out. That was really superb shit. Kobashi worked strong with some tight submission holds, but lacked the urgency of the others. I think more Nakajima hope spots could have saved this. KENTA finally feels ready to hit some big moves to take Nakajima out, but Nakajima sweeps the leg and tags in Sasaki. SASAKI DESTROYS KENTA~!



Again, Nakajima weathering the storm sets Sasaki up to maul KENTA and put Kensuke Office in control. However, KENTA snaps off a powerslam and we get the dreaded Kobashi/Sasaki matchup. Once the Kobashi/Sasaki is over, KENTA and Nakajima just trade highspots with each other. It is fast and frantic, but the moves lack consequence because no long term selling. I loved Nakajima's Germans and his rainbow kick looked great. Nakajima PINS KENTA!!!!!! WAHOO~! The match just ends even though Kobashi was never eliminated. They could not do a Sasaki/Kobashi double countout so KENTA and Nakajima could take the main spot. It really feels like a major deal for Nakajima and should have kicked off the best Junior Matches of the Decade, but those turned out to be disappointing. I hate how the first 25 minutes really had no bearing on the last 35 minutes, but the first 15 minutes was pretty good. Also this tag match was definitely the better version than one from the previous month. All the wrestlers besides Kobashi seemed urgent in their actions and each segment of the match seemed important. Still for 35 minutes, it was not that compelling. There was no real hook to the match. The Nakajima segment while psychologically sound, dragged. The finish run did not really build off anything else they just started going home. Given that it was an hour total, it needed to be a lot better to make my list. Watch this once if you like the participants, but does not warrant a rewatch. ****

This match is a tag team gauntlet match it means that if someone was pinned he will be replaced by another member of the team like in any other gauntlet you’ve seen before, like Ishingun vs Sekigun in April 19th 1984 that you’re probably familiar with. The Burning team is formed by: Akihiko Ito, Atsushi Aoki, KENTA, and Kenta Kobashi. The Kensuke Office team is formed by: Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kensuke Sasaki, Kento Miyahara, and Takashi Okita. This is rightfully considered one of the best matches of 2008, there are two wrestlers in this match that I’m sure some of you didn’t recognize Akihiko Ito and Takashi Okita, these wrestlers weren’t a big part of the match, in fact, as we’ll see they were used as meatbags for the main guys to pin so don’t worry. This was the match that settled the feud between NOAH and Kensuke Office, the main attraction of the feud being Kenta Kobashi vs Kensuke Sasaki but as you can tell it involved a lot of midcarders into the mix, Katsuhiko Nakajima and KENTA were in the middle of their respective primes, they played a major role in the match being the partners of Kobashi and Sasaki respectibly, the match is one hour long and did an awesome job showcasing the best from each company.

After that lengthy introduction it’s time for the breakdown of the match, the first pairing is KENTA and Aoki vs Miyahara and Okita, the pace in the first fifteen minutes is amazing, it’s absolutely filled with spots and kicks, it’s the opposite of what I’ve been reviewing in the last few days, after a thrilling sequence Aoki eliminates Kento Miyahara with an armbar, Sasaki enters the ring, almost inmediately Sasaki made Aoki tap to a boston crab and Ito is eliminated fast, the crowd laughed when he entered. The next one is Kenta Kobashi. Kobashi eliminated Okita with a sleeper and now the match is KENTA and Kenta Kobashi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kensuke Sasaki, after 35 minutes of good action but not exactly great Nakajima pinned KENTA.

The last pairing of the match was a great disappointment for me anyways I’d recommend this match if you love the workers.