[2001-06-06-NJPW-Super Force Group Declaration] Toshiaki Kawada vs Satoshi Kojima

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Toshiaki Kawada vs Satoshi Kojima - All Japan 06/06/01

The last time I saw a Kojima match was about 6 years ago. I didn't like him then and I don't really care for him now. I will get the Devil his due in these upcoming matches he was over like rover. I would say he was more popular than Kawada and Tenryu with the audiences. From my understanding, he is even a spottier version of Mutoh and the number one Mutoh disciple following him from New Japan to All Japan and using a lot of 21st century Mutoh tactics. Also he fuckin loves the Ace Crusher.

The beginning of this match was by far the best part. You have Kawada shaking off a tie-up and going into hamstring stretches. Basically, saying this kid is his light work before the big 06/08 Budokan card. Kojima, feeling disrespected, gives him some fuck up flip splashes and then mocks him and does his own hamstring stretches. I really liked that tit for tat interaction. The crowd hot for Kojima loved that he showed up Kawada there. Kojima catches one of Kawada's kick with a drag leg screw and then does his best Mutoh impression with dropkicks to the knee and a figure-4. So far, so good, so what because Kawada decides to basically drop the entire match and restart. One of my favorite things in wrestling is Kawada selling the knee and I was bummed that once he went back on offense he just no-sold it. We are talking running big boot and a knee drop. It also kinda made Kojima look like a chump. Of course, when Kojima dropkicks Kawada in the face Kawada sells it like he has really been hurt. So it is all the more frustrating because he is game in some points of the match and others he will just get his shit in. After this, it loses structure and basically becomes your standard 21st century bomb throwing match, but without the high-end NOAH offense. Kawada hits a pretty wicked back drop driver. Kojima follows up with a desperation Ace Crusher and then one off the middle rope that looked like shit. The lariat exchange was pretty decent. Kawada kicked Kojima's lariat arm -> Kawada could not take him down with lariats -> Kojima lariats Kawada's lariat arm and murders him with a lariat. This gets the biggest pop of the match. If I am the booker, I don't care Kojima can't work because he is over. Push this man. Kawada kicks lariat arm again. Kojima eats a wicked back drop driver, powerbomb and an enziguiri to lose.

I thought Kawada's defensive performance (bumping and selling) in this was woeful. I am very disappointed by his work in this match. Kojima was ok. He could be carried to a great match, but this would not be the match. This match was pretty much a mess and lost its way after the knee work. **3/4

[Alan4L]

I'm gonna be the defender of this one!

 

Kojima is by no means a 100% homerun guy for me, there are times when I just find him very bland all together. But when he's fired up, and when he has that switch turned on, he can be really incredible. Kawada may be one of the best ever when it comes to REACTING to a fired up opponent. I love how it started with Kojima's big "fuck you!" crazy somersault body attack down the aisle followed by mimmicking Kawada's leg stretches. It set a nice tone. They didn't waste much time in this one, it was all action and it built well. Kojima gives a fantastic never say die performance at the end before Kawada lays down the final death blow (my only complaint was the terrible camera work for that).

 

I loved this and it'll be amongst my high rankers for 2001.

[Ditch]

I have this on the bubble. Kojima's career singles match to this point, but it's also a biiiiig step back from Kawada's top singles matches the year before. Much more good than bad. The question is whether it's good enough to top over 200 eligible matches...

[Superstar Sleeze]

I agree wholeheartedly the beginning of the match was really, really good. There is this strange dynamic with Kojima that first 5 minutes are worked really well and then it is just all down hill especially when it is time for him to make his comeback. Kojima doing the leg stretches was boss, best thing I think he has ever done.

[dawho5]

I was wondering as I watched if Kawada was supposed to nosell the leg work as some kind of "I'm better than showing that kind of stuff hurts." Then I stopped caring about that and wondered why Kojima was noselling lariats. Then Kawada nosold a lariat. Early on was good despite Kojima's complete lack of any sort of impact on the shoulderblock or dropkicks. Kawada beating on Kojima was fine if he didn't have the leg worked over. Kojima's late match offense is well-executed anyway. Not a big Kojima fan especially if this is one of his "good" matches.

[Graham Crackers]

The selling didn't bother me as much as the match just being kind of dull for the most part. 2001 was really the start of Kawada's descent as he was regularly forced to work with duds in the ring. Sure, he'd occasionally get fired up against the right opponents but a lot of his stuff has begun to turn into Kawada by numbers, which is especially apparent when watching this again. A couple of Kojima's spots are interesting but Hashimoto,Tenryu, and even broken down Takayama did a much better job of carrying him to great matches.

[soup23]

Not too worried about the selling but do see this as kind of an overall shift for Kawada as a performer and hope it isn't a preview of things to come. I have been surprised at the variety and quality of Misawa's output in 2001. Kawada has had his share of highlights too with the Sasaki/Nagai and Mutoh matches.  This match and the 6/8 one vs. Tenzan seemed to have him shifting into popcorn style bomb fest type matches. I am on a upswing with Tenzan in general in 2001 so I enjoyed that match more but this one really speaks to the issues with that.  The match has exciting moments and big moves throughout but just feels overall hollow. I didn't get a sense that Kojima was elevated in any way coming out of this match. Furthermore, his execution on some of the spots was off. The Ace Crusher from the ropes being the biggest example as that was meant to be a really exciting nearfall and it just fell flat.  Kawada had been the king of the nuanced performance leading to this match and this seemed to shift that.  The Sasaki 1/4/01 match was a preview but it was given a pass given that it was a tourney final selling exhaustion, it was a dome main event and the two performers were more game and prepared than Kojima was here.  A really perplexing performance. ***1/4