Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi (AJPW - 4/13/1995)
Mar 12, 2019 4:12:47 GMT -5
Post by fxnj on Mar 12, 2019 4:12:47 GMT -5
In a world without Tamura/Kohsaka this would probably be the greatest 30 minute draw of all time and it's also likely the second best Kawada/Kobashi match to 6/12/98, though I need to rewatch the 10/96 match to be sure. I always felt the 1/95 60 match dragged as they just didn't have enough stuff to fill the time. This match is comparatively much tighter and more smartly laid out. The premise for this is that after getting taken to a draw earlier in the year, Kawada is in a position where losing to Kobashi would signal that he's been passed by, so Kawada really has his back to the wall. Kobashi has all the physical tools needed to win, but he doesn't have the same level of big match experience which manifests later in the match.
The first half of this reminds me of what an underrated mat worker Kawada is. He's not "slick," nor does he work these intricate sequences, but he's great at making everything he does look painful and hard fought. He gets some excellent mileage out of an abdominal stretch followed by a surfboard test of strength. Later, Kawada reuses the same Boston crab variation where he's got his foot on the opponent's face used in the Taue match a few days earlier, but it feels so much more brutal here from the legwork setting it up and how Kobashi sells it.
The basic story of this match is pretty simple. After some even mat and striking exchanges, Kobashi hurts his knee and Kawada takes over by working over it. Kobashi turns the tide by working over Kawada's own injured knee, though, leading to an even stretch run where the time expires just when it looks like Kawada might come out on top. Similar to 6/12/98, though, what's really interesting to me is the underlying theme of the match is one of one-upmanship. Each guy wanting to show they're higher on totem pole by beating the other at their own game. You can see that in just about everything they do, from the early emphasis on the test of strength and strike exchanges, to the dueling leg work in the match's middle act, to even the finishing stretch where powerbombs are the key moves for both guys. I noticed a few Kawada beatdown sequences that seemed recycled in 6/12/98, but even they were interesting for the difference in how Kobashi reacts. Whereas 6/12/98 was characterized by him looking for just the right opening to turn the tide, here he's more like a bull intent on engaging Kawada just about any time he has his senses about him. Here, Kawada is the guy who finds openings.
Another point of comparison to 6/12/98 that I found interesting was the absence of Kobashi's lariat as a finishing move. In my review, I noted the irony of how in a style built on these complex throws it was such a simple move that proved the difference maker. Since Kobashi didn't have the lariat yet, those more intricate maneuvers are all he has, and that bites him. There's this one point where he hits two powerbombs in quick succession, and he tries to stand Kawada up and irish whip him to set up for something, but Kawada just crumbles onto the canvas. Kobashi quickly goes for a leg drop, but Kawada kicks out and you get the feeling that gap between moves was what gave Kawada just enough time to recover and save the match for him. If Kobashi just hit a quick lariat, he probably would have won right there. Kobashi tries to follow up with a dragon suplex, but Kawada has regained his senses and soon regains control with a backdrop.
Besides the psychology, just the way the way they get the crowd into the nearfalls makes for a great spectacle. I've heard people say the AJPW guys weren't that great at doing 2.9 style kickouts, but that isn't the case here. When Kawada hits the powerbomb for the first time, Kobashi gets his shoulder up at basically the last possible moment and I actually rewound it just to make sure it wasn't late. A little thing like that added a ton to the feeling that any move could end it. The crowd was molten for the whole stretch run, stomping their feet for what felt like a long time after all the big nearfalls. I also love how Kawada kept selling the knee to give the appearance of it stopping him from capitalizing as much he wanted to, which added a great wrinkle of depth so it wasn't just big move after big move. I've seen Kobashi criticized for not selling his knee down the stretch, but I think it's alright as Kawada worked over leg that wasn't bandaged up. In any case, those last few minutes with Kawada desperately trying to finish Kobashi were truly some off the charts stuff. I had already seen this match and knew they were going the full 30, but I still found myself thinking maybe I had misremembered and Kawada somehow won. The gong at the end felt like an arrow through my heart. ****3/4
The first half of this reminds me of what an underrated mat worker Kawada is. He's not "slick," nor does he work these intricate sequences, but he's great at making everything he does look painful and hard fought. He gets some excellent mileage out of an abdominal stretch followed by a surfboard test of strength. Later, Kawada reuses the same Boston crab variation where he's got his foot on the opponent's face used in the Taue match a few days earlier, but it feels so much more brutal here from the legwork setting it up and how Kobashi sells it.
The basic story of this match is pretty simple. After some even mat and striking exchanges, Kobashi hurts his knee and Kawada takes over by working over it. Kobashi turns the tide by working over Kawada's own injured knee, though, leading to an even stretch run where the time expires just when it looks like Kawada might come out on top. Similar to 6/12/98, though, what's really interesting to me is the underlying theme of the match is one of one-upmanship. Each guy wanting to show they're higher on totem pole by beating the other at their own game. You can see that in just about everything they do, from the early emphasis on the test of strength and strike exchanges, to the dueling leg work in the match's middle act, to even the finishing stretch where powerbombs are the key moves for both guys. I noticed a few Kawada beatdown sequences that seemed recycled in 6/12/98, but even they were interesting for the difference in how Kobashi reacts. Whereas 6/12/98 was characterized by him looking for just the right opening to turn the tide, here he's more like a bull intent on engaging Kawada just about any time he has his senses about him. Here, Kawada is the guy who finds openings.
Another point of comparison to 6/12/98 that I found interesting was the absence of Kobashi's lariat as a finishing move. In my review, I noted the irony of how in a style built on these complex throws it was such a simple move that proved the difference maker. Since Kobashi didn't have the lariat yet, those more intricate maneuvers are all he has, and that bites him. There's this one point where he hits two powerbombs in quick succession, and he tries to stand Kawada up and irish whip him to set up for something, but Kawada just crumbles onto the canvas. Kobashi quickly goes for a leg drop, but Kawada kicks out and you get the feeling that gap between moves was what gave Kawada just enough time to recover and save the match for him. If Kobashi just hit a quick lariat, he probably would have won right there. Kobashi tries to follow up with a dragon suplex, but Kawada has regained his senses and soon regains control with a backdrop.
Besides the psychology, just the way the way they get the crowd into the nearfalls makes for a great spectacle. I've heard people say the AJPW guys weren't that great at doing 2.9 style kickouts, but that isn't the case here. When Kawada hits the powerbomb for the first time, Kobashi gets his shoulder up at basically the last possible moment and I actually rewound it just to make sure it wasn't late. A little thing like that added a ton to the feeling that any move could end it. The crowd was molten for the whole stretch run, stomping their feet for what felt like a long time after all the big nearfalls. I also love how Kawada kept selling the knee to give the appearance of it stopping him from capitalizing as much he wanted to, which added a great wrinkle of depth so it wasn't just big move after big move. I've seen Kobashi criticized for not selling his knee down the stretch, but I think it's alright as Kawada worked over leg that wasn't bandaged up. In any case, those last few minutes with Kawada desperately trying to finish Kobashi were truly some off the charts stuff. I had already seen this match and knew they were going the full 30, but I still found myself thinking maybe I had misremembered and Kawada somehow won. The gong at the end felt like an arrow through my heart. ****3/4
