[2005-01-16-AJPW] Toshiaki Kawada vs Kensuke Sasaki

[Jetlag]

Pretty by the numbers japanese big match but not bad. Sasaki gets the advantage using his power early on, finisher on the floor, some limbwork ensues, lots of stiff shots etc. It's a formula that works and these two are good at it. Sasaki is pretty fly here hitting a big plancha to the floor and really walloping Kawada with potatoes. There is some neck work which ends up not being of much importance but leads to some fun moments. Sasaki cosplays 90s Kobashi by chopping Kawada in the neck and hitting flimsy bulldogs, it also leads to a pretty sick piledriver. Kawada was halfway into lazy mode as he had some nice transitions such as kicking Sasaki in the face when he tried his silly facebuster or slipping underneath for the cheap powerbomb, but he would also just go back on offense at other times. Kind of dumb finishing stretch, but not offensively dumb.

[ohtani's jacket]

I was ready to hate on this, but it was actually pretty good. It's not a sublime Kawada performance. If you're looking for a sublime Kawada performance, you're watching the wrong decade. However, it was perfectly good meathead wrestling. Everything they did was hard-hitting and made sense from one beat to the next. Far better than I expected. 

[Superstar Sleeze]

All Japan Triple Crown Champion Toshiaki Kawada vs Kensuke Sasaki - AJPW 1/16/05

The last title defense for Kawada before he dropped it to Kojima. Sasaki has gone freelance which would make him a bigger star. The Kobashi Dome match later this year would cement his status. 
 

As a fan of these two and this style in general, this is a really fun match. The 2000 match is the classic but this is a nice of change of pace you can just rock to. 
 

I enjoyed the opening wrestling it was tight and they seemed they were really grappling for position. Sasaki seemingly suckers Kawada into a knuckle lock but Kawada comes out the better with his patented spin heel kick. Kawada is in control until they go outside when Sasaki bucks him off on a powerbomb attempt. Sasaki hits a crossbody from the top to the floor which always looks sick because he is such a truck. The Northern Lights Bomb on the exposed concrete took the match from very good to great. 
 

Not only was the spot was great, but we finally had our hook. Sasaki was working the neck hard and Kawada sold it like a million bucks. Kawada kept trying to elbow his way out of trouble and Sasaki would just chop the neck and make him crumple. The Sasaki piledriver was sick. 
 

Once Kawada moved away from the elbows to kicks to the head he started to make in-roads I really enjoyed how Kawada had to EARN that Dangerous Backdrop Driver and once he hit it…it really felt like a turning point. I enjoyed the finishing stretch as big dumb meat head wrestling. I think the thing that separates this from modern day wrestling is these two establish from the outset they want to stand & bang and hit hard. They don’t do the stand I let you hit me and you let me hit you bullshit. They are swinging for the fences and really trying to win. I thought Sasaki was the better worker down the stretch. Some of Kawada’s transitions were weak like the Brainbuster out of nowhere. While Sasaki was setting up his moves either Big Lariats and countering Kawada with those Mack Truck Lariats. Sasaki looks like he has the match won with a Tejana Bomb or his Northern Lights Bomb but Kawada powders. Kawada crushes Sasaki with some Dangerous Backdrop Driver Drop Drivers and a head kick. Either Sasaki or the ref blows the fall as Sasaki does not kick out and ref pulls up. Kawada smokes him with a head kick to win. 
 

It is big dumb and fun. It is a mid tempo rocker that everyone can vibe to. ****