[2009-10-15-NOAH] KENTA vs Ricky Marvin

[GOTNW]

I'm pretty confident in calling this the greatest under two minute match of all time. I was wondering how some of these NOAH matches would hold up for me but this one absolutely did. The match start off with probably theg reatest blindsight dive of all time, you've seen the spot where one wrestler attacks the other before the match starts a thousand times, and a fair share of those have been junior dives, here KENTA is just normally walking around the ring and Marvin comes out of nowhere crushing him. His next move is getting KENTA back into the ring and John Woo Dropkicking KENTA. That's a move that looks badass by itself, but here KENTA's skull crashes into the bottom turnbuckle. Marvin follows it up with a Powerbomb for an early nearfall setting the insane pace. That is followed by KENTA's transition back into control, which has KENTA try a couple of counters that Marvin adjusts to-first by Savate Kicking him, and then when Marvin bounces off the ropes and you already see KENTA countering that with a Front Head Kick Marvin does this amazing Jackie Chan kip-up combo. I really have nothing against flips in wrestling nor anyone wrestling any style, my problem most of the type is simply that many wrestlers don't possess the creativity and wrestling intelligence that Marvin displayed here. You could also have a situation where Marvin would do five of those while his opponent did some other flips, but that doesn't really convey the sense of struggle in that flashy move it did here, where Marvin legitimately looked like a kung fu master. KENTA takes all of Marvin's shots and still comes back with a Discus Lariat. This could've bothered me, but with their difference in hierarchy and how the match was worked I deemed it fitting. From then on it's a game of cat and mouse with KENTA blasting Marvin with huge kicks and attempting the G2S while Marvin attempts desperate flash pins and counters. The second time he goes for the same counters KENTA is ready-and he catches him, counters his counters, knees him and kicks him in the head and goes over. Wonderful pro wrestling. ****

[ShittyLittleBoots]

Best sub 2-minute match ever? Yes. Ricky Marvin was a man on a mission - he wanted to finish KENTA early so he right from the get go dived onto him, threw him in the ring & gave him a brutal looking dropkick to the corner. Goddamn. The pace was set for the rest of the match - it goes w/ such a quick pace; smooth, hard hitting, intense action. Loved the transition to KENTA being in control - Marvin tries to fight back w/ those great counter hope spots till the end, only for him to get absolutely murdered by KENTA. Magnificent pro wrestling, right there. ****1/2

[superkix]

I mean, they managed to pack a 25:00+ minute main event into two minutes and some change. Ricky, really wants to win this, hitting the John Woo dropkick, the powerbomb, the thrust kick, before KENTA no sells it all to obliterate Marvin with a rolling lariat. For the most part, Marvin has answers to KENTA’s big offense, countering the first Go 2 Sleep attempt with the rana, but the second attempt connects and KENTA blasts him with the punt kick to win.

[King of Debt]

I swear I've watched this match, like, three times today and every time I finish it just leaves me wondering - what exactly does it take to elevate a match from "this is really, really fantastic" to "this is in the upper echelon of everything this sport has produced"? Because for the not-even-two-minutes that this match lasts there isn't a single step out of place on either man's part. It's just absolute carnage at a breakneck speed and it's the very definition of a blast. And yet every one of those three times, I've just come out of it feeling a little bit hollow, and I don't know quite how to articulate it, because there's absolutely nothing wrong with this match in any way and yet the brevity and the contextless-ness of it all just...leaves this match in a strange sort of vacuum. Which, contrasted with all the Broadway matches that did not need to go Broadway, and all the storylines and feuds that have bored people to tears, feels like a dumb criticism. But it sticks. I don't know, man. It's fantastic for what it is, at the very least. I just don't know what exactly it is.