[2018-05-05-BJW] Hideki Suzuki vs Daisuke Sekimoto

[superkix]

While not as good as their first time limit draw, this match did a lot with very little, putting the emphasis on the struggle of applying and maintain holds, and powering out of a situation. It's a slow and steady burn of classic psychology, where the champ isn't able to manhandle Sekimoto on the ground like everyone else in his title matches. Sekimoto is able to hold his own, using his strength to suppress Hideki. If you don't like Hideki Suzuki going into this match, chances are, you won't like him any more coming out of this match but he really sold well for Sekimoto, making Sekimoto's simple holds look debilitating. I love how Suzuki corners his opponents as a means of intimidation. Sekimoto uses his power to try and control Hideki, wearing him down with holds like the bear hug, which sees Hideki go limp when he tries to fight out. Hideki really works the cravate, keeping it cinched in as Sekimoto tries slamming him off, finally turning it into a neckbreaker. He manipulates the fingers of Sekimoto in order to get the cobra twist locked in, wrenching on the head and neck before Sekimoto staggers over to the ropes and dumps him outside.

Sekimoto works the back awhile, and again, some great selling by Hideki on the corner whips. At one point, Hideki needs to re-lace his boots, they shake hands, and continue their wrestling match, getting the fans invested in a traditional contest of holds. There a lot of neat touches to this match, like Sekimoto holding onto the armwhip attempt and forcing Suzuki to his knee, or rolling through with Hideki's escape attempt to maintain control. At one point, Hideki uses a cool but clunky headscissors takedown, trying clever pin attempts when he finds openings. I love how Sekimoto headbutts the leg to set up the single leg crab. The escalation in offense isn't done at the pull of trigger but builds in the same fashion as the rest of the match. Strikes are limited to a few chops and open hands and the build to Sekimoto's German suplex hold was really well done. Suzuki tries to unbuckle the deadlift German suplex attempt and Sekimoto just slams him down. Oh, and Sekimoto hits the double arm suplex and Suzuki kicks out immediately because that's his move, duh. When Sekimoto tries to suplex him off the ropes, Suzuki uses a low blow to escape before beating on him and hitting the scoop tombstone for a two count. By the end, they're sluggish and can't quite hit everything they need to in order to win the match. Sekimoto's able to finally hit the German suplex hold but Suzuki is barely able to slip out of the pin as the time limit expires. Easily the best Suzuki match of 2018, and a definite throwback match structure that was able to draw in the fans through simplicity and struggle. Oh yeah, and Takuya Nomura ATTACKED Hideki after the match so...fuck yeah, we're getting a Suzuki/Nomura title match at some point.

[Jmare007]

Very similar match from the one they had last year, I thought the 2017 draw was slightly better a a whole but this year's had better sequences/moments. Like, this time I think Daisuke got more winded and had to rest on a couple of holds and it took longer than last year to get interesting - though not much, 5 minutes in I was already engaged - and the way they transitioned to the desperate bomb throwing and striking didn't come off as good I thought, also I fucking hated the suplex no sell/fighting spirit by Sekimoto at the end. Now, this was still a fucking great fight for control throughout the 30 minutes it lasted and I love these type of "struggle for control" matches. I mean, it takes them 27 minutes to throw the first suplex and 28 min. to throw their first real strike and I didn't care, I was engaged with them just wrestling and finding ways to get on top and take advantage, that's very hard to do, specially when they just stick to wrestling on the mat for so long. I also thought the crowd was more into the ending than last year at Korakuen. Sekimoto no selling the suplex and landing a lariat (which again, hated it, but it worked for the fans live), him doing the German for a near fall, Suzuki being so desperate he did a LOW BLOW that got him booed and the final nearfall hit better than what they tried in 17'. I guess my biggest gripe was how the transitioned to the final sequence, it just felt out of nowhere and they just did stuff from a completely different match, some might say that it makes sense because they got desperate with the time coming up, but it didn't feel that way to me. Anyways, I don't think everyone will enjoy this as much as me and others but if you liked their draw last year, you gotta check this one out because it's a worthy sequel, hell you might even think it's better than I did.

Special mention to a sequence that I just LOVED, were Hideki is working Sekimoto's neck and just doesn't let up. He gets bodyslammed twice and doesn't let go of Daisuke's neck, after a couple of minutes of working headlocks and cravats, Suzuki goes for a octopus stretch. He starts torturing Sekimoto's fingers, and at first it looks like he just transitioned to another hold and body part but no, Hideki does it because that makes Daisuke react in a way that leave his head wide open for more torturing. Suzuki then modifies the hold and cranks Sekimoto's neck to the point the crowd reacts like it's a legit submissions attempt. Daisuke then does his patented escape-by-powering up with his legs and it gets a pop. Suzuki looks like the smartest, vicious motherfucker in the world and his opponent like a resilient beast. Everyone wins in that exchange in the crowds eyes and everything makes sense. THAT'S elite level shit.

[Jmare007]

Oh yeah, and Takuya Nomura ATTACKED Hideki after the match so...fuck yeah, we're getting a Suzuki/Nomura title match at some point.

 

 

Oh no doubt, at the very least they'll get a big singles match this year in the case that Suzuki drops the belt before it happens. After Suzuki won it back, the only guy who cut a promo on Hideki was Nomura and they now have a big tag match in Korakuen in a couple of weeks - Sekimoto/Suzuki vs Nomura/Abe - I can't fucking wait for it