[1999-04-04-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This is a reprise of the 7/98 match. Kobashi is extremely giving once again. Akiyama went after Kobashi's knee there and while it wasn't enough to win the match, he pushed him to the limit. He continues in that vein here and the match may not tread much new ground, but it is pretty great. This is a great showcase of Akiyama offense. Everything that was true there is true here, although most things equal there is an obvious quality difference between a Triple Crown match at Budokan Hall and a Carnival match. While Akiyama's limb attack there was practically legendary, this was merely outstanding. And Kobashi's late rally was probably my favorite moment of him on offense in either match. This was just about as good as Carnival matches get - probably my favorite match from a Championship Carnival since 1995.

[tim]

Great match. Akiyama really stood out to me here. I liked him getting the advantage early in the match with arm work and then later getting back on top with leg work. Kobashi's selling of both the arm and the leg are really good, I like how after the arm work he sort of tried to "walk it off" by using the arm a lot, selling a lot afterward, but selling a bit less after each strike. Akiyama's big run of offense toward the end was really awesome and the crowd was totally into it. Kobashi's late match spurt of offense was really good and also made Kobashi look a league above Akiyama.

[Tim Evans]

This took a while to get going but damn once it did, great stuff. The bumps on the apron and the lariats were just brutal. Vader is sitting at ringside but doesn't do anything. I'm digging beared Kobashi who doesn't care about anything. Akiyama hanged well with him. When did Akiyama finally get on the Misawa/Kawada/Taue/Kobashi level?

[soup23]

I was talking to Loss that this is really an unheralded feud as this is probably the fourth best of their matches and it is great. In some ways it reminded me of the Kawada vs. Misawa 3/93 Carnival match of tag partners trying to prove themselves against one another. The way Akiyama transitioned from the arm work to the leg which she knows has worked well before was great. Kobashi gives an all time comeback and shows some great heart and fire without blowing off the limb work or feel like he is over emoting. Akiyama still looks poised to become that next break out guy that will lead the promotion into the 2000's. ****1/4

[Zenjo]

At the decades end my AJ top 100 list will probably have bouts like this near the bottom. Which is a ringing endorsement! Jun targeted the arm early on but had little success. It was a far wiser course of action to go after the visibly bad knees, and that he did from about 10m in. I guess he chose not to go there straight away as Kobashi is his tag partner. But business is business. Overall Akiyama had more volume of offense whilst Kenta landed the more damaging blows. Orange Crush was now starting to look like the wrestler we'd see in the second half of his career. Making up for his reduced athletisism with extreme firepower. The head bumps felt a bit cheap and throwaway here. The pace quickened near the end. Not all that ambitious actually, as they wanted to hold something in reserve.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama - Champions Carnival 1999

 

A very macho Kobashi match and I loved it. I currently have this #3 on the year from AJPW (behind Misawa/Kawada and RWTL Finals). Kobashi and Akiyama feed into each other's worst excesses in NOAH, but here it was incredibly compelling to try to watch Akiyama meet Kobashi in a meathead match before turning to destroying the knee.

 

The beginning is pure Kobashi: shoudlertackles, test of strength and Akiyama running through chops. Akiyama changes it up with a flying crossarmbreaker. Great arm work and great arm selling by Kobashi. Akiyama going after the chop and the lariat and really trying to deprive Kobashi of his weapons, his strength and his machismo. Kobashi hits a spinning back chop and literally chops through the pain. That's why Kobashi is the best ever is his way of selling I am really fucking hurt, BUT IM A MAN and I am going to dish it out anyway. Very Macho. Kobashi slowly starts selling arm less and less as he is more and more in control. It looks like he has the match in hand. He misses a spinning back chop and Akiyama dropkicks the bad knee, which was his strategy in both of the 1998 matches. Now there is a paradigm shift Akiyama is no longer meeting Kobashi man to man, he is taking the low road and attacking the leg and a weakness. Now Kobashi has to really fire up. This is great Mutoh 2001 type work, dragon leg screws, STF, missile dropkick to knee, rolling kneebar. God the selling in the knee is incredible. Some of the best selling you will ever see in a single hold. My biggest pet peeve is when a wrestler releases a hold, Akiyama does just that with the Scoprion Deathlock. Kobashi is trying to scoot away and Akiyama is stomping the knee and verbally berating him. Very macho match. This is really great of a random All Japan Carnival match. Kobashi fires up and hits the Half Nelson suplex to give us some hope and him some life. Knee is too hurt capitalize. Another one now, but when he tries the powerbomb, he releases prematurely because his knee gives way on him. Great stuff! Tries to press his advantage but Akiyama kicks him in the bad knee and then again on the apron and bulldogs him to the floor. Big Akiyama finish run with Exploder for two getting a big reaction and then a wicked German/Exploder gets another nearfall. Third Exploder and is countered with Sleeper Suplex and this is the leveling the playing field moment.

 

Kobashi wants the Burning Lariat baddddd, Akiyama tries for Exploder, BURNING LARIAT~! Damn what impact! Akiyama tries escape to ropes and is throwing back elbows, quick cradle after a kick to knee is a good nearfall before Spinning Back Chop/Burning Lariat finishes him off.

 

Awesome macho powerhouse match. So much pride in this match. Great transitions, great selling by Kobashi, amazing offensive run by Akiyama with great focus. Kobashi's offense was the perfect combination of power and vulnerability. Once the Exploders started up it was typical hot AJPW finish run. In my opinion their second best match ever together. ****1/2

[Jetlag]

This was fun. I really liked how Kobashi was all "You're not working over my arm, dammit!" so Jun goes "Fine" and works over his leg instead. Akiyama had a great gameplan and may have in fact carried this. Of course, Kobashi came back at him like Kobashi always does, so in the end it didn't really resonate with me as much more than a solid AJPW style match, but yeah. Akiyama, you tried.

[PeteF3]

I don't know if it happened already and I missed it (actually I think he pinned Hansen in the '98 Carny, for what that was worth by then), but we're itching pretty hard for Akiyama to pin one of the Four Corners in a singles match. I thought they might pull the trigger here, but Kobashi, like Stan, has the Lariat in reserve and it gets him the win despite a strong gameplan from Jun. Loved Jun always being able to go back to Kobashi's knee to break any attempted runs by Kenta, and his facebuster off the apron was a pretty holy-shit spot. Kenta wins but doesn't exactly look like a winner after the match.