[2008-03-02-NOAH-Second Navigation] Mitsuharu Misawa vs Takeshi Morishima

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[dawho5]

This was an alright match. Morishima has some really huge offense, including the world's biggest running plancha. The story seems to be playing off of Morishima's inability to really come up with believable ways that he could put Misawa away. It's not excessive during the finishing run, but one thing really bothers me. Morishima uses lariats all match because that's his one weapon that can do a whole lot to Misawa. Problem is, he uses it four times as a nearfall too. I know Morishima has other things he could plug in there to build to his big backdrop (which he does with...backdrops). A bit too much repetition at the end. Morishima doesn't seem to have grown much in the two years between these matches at all.

[Superstar Sleeze]

GHC Heavyweight Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Takeshi Morishima - NOAH 3/2/08

 

Morishima, go out and get it, brutha. In 2006, in that KENTAFuji tag, Morishima was out for blood and hungry. Again, in this Misawa match, he seemed to shy away from the big moment. Hey, Budokan against perhaps the greatest wrestler, at very least the greatest champion ever in the AJPW/NOAH lineage and you are going over and expected to be The Man. Yeah, that is what rubber pants are made for, but brutha if you are going to be The Man, BE THE MAN! None of these nancy boy inside forearm smashes. Misawa is smoking your ass with elbows and where you at? Morishima has a helluva lariat, but those inside forearm smashes are dog shit. He has some great big offense and a big time presence. He needs urgency and an energy to him. It feels too much like an exhibition, but that maybe a limitation of Misawa. Misawa seemed content to hit his elbow and then lay around and sell. Sure he hit a senton from the apron or take a HUGE suicide dive from Morishima, but Misawa spent most of the time on his back "selling". This is my second complaint, there means to make this "epic" rather than lots of MOVEZ was to lay around as if they were spent, but this is really only good for once a match. It gets old and especially when the moves they were hitting given the context of the time period and promotion did not warrant this "selling". Also this is not really selling. It is more a breakdown rather than a bridge to a chorus. I thought the finish was the best part of this match by far. Misawa has so much cache with his comeback that you really believe that once the Emerald Flowsion hit (both times, creative ways to get it) and the elbows start flying that the old bugger may pull it off. Then Morishima hits the lariats and Misawa does a great job selling how much he can't afford to take the back drop driver. Once it is hit, it is a fait accompli.

 

It should have been a big moment on the level of Misawa/Kobashi 2003, but falls far short of that. Misawa just does not feel like The Man like he did in 2003. With Kobashi injured and Akiyama damaged goods, it was his best bet to be the torch passer, but he did not have much left to give in a singles context. Morishima looked like in 2006 he was a year ot two away from clicking, but did not seem to grab the torch like Kobashi did. I am very curious to watch the Morishima/Danielson matches because I heard they were so good, but yet Morishima does not seem to hit that level here. I like to reward matches with great finishes, but this just falls short of the mark. It is a god match that tries to reach epic with smoke and mirrors, but instead feels like an exhibition or movie rather than a great struggle for the world heavyweight championship. ***