[2020-03-23-AJPW-Dream Power Series] Kento Miyahara vs Suwama

[paul sosnowski]

Kento Miyahara defends the AJPW Triple Crown title, attempting to break the record for most title defenses set by Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada.   Talk about it here

[SmartMark15]

Very boring for about ten to fifteen minutes then suddenly very good. Suwama ruled as a big man forcing Kento work from underneath. Found Kento much more compelling as an underdog babyface rather than a cocky top ace or maybe it was just a nice break in the formula. Either way, things were a bit plodding for the first half of the match especially when the action spilled out to the floor. Kento’s floor segments really are just a whole lot of nothing and it disrupts the momentum of the match pretty much every single time, stunting things before the actual match can get going in the ring five minutes later. But when things got going, they were really good. Suwama tossed Kento around with some great suplexes. Kento was driven to a desperation piledriver on the apron but Suwama still kept coming back with his throws and double handed chops. Really enjoyed just watching Kento absolutely get owned by this old man for a good thirty or forty minutes. Suwama pulls out the Jumbo combo of a big dropkick and a bridging backdrop hold to get the win and become Triple Crown Champ in what seems to be a very strange booking move. Even as someone who doesn’t religiously follow All Japan, sacrificing the lengthy Kento title reign to last decade’s Ace is questionable to say the least. Booking aside, the match took a while to get going but once it did, it rarely let up and was a fun ride.

***3/4

https://josephmontecillo.wordpress.com/2020/03/25/kento-miyahara-vs-suwama-ajpw-dream-power-series-3-23-20/

[Makai Club #1]

This showed me just how much Miyahara is at the heart and soul of these matches. For better or for worse. His personality and infectious presence really hooked me into this match. His selling helped make a rather humdrum middle portion of the match feel signifcant and worth investing in. And his screaming during the standard strike exchange made it worthwhile - unintentional, of course, but I'd say that it helps in this case. Suwama, on the other hand, hit all the notes that he's going to hit in these matches but I can't help, but feel slightly unexcited by Suwama in the beginining. He grew into the match as it progressed, getting some good nearfalls for the the closing stretch in front of a really hot crowd - a big crowd under the circumstances too. The powerbomb and backsuplex holds made for some fine big moves. But like I said - Kento was the heart and soul of this match ultimately. ***3/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Kento Miyhara vs SUWAMA - AJPW 3/23/20

So this is what passes for epic nowadays. I wanted to watch some SUWAMA on my TV but only have Youtube access so I was stuck with this match, but I was kinda interested in SUWAMA in 2020. I have seen Miyahara before but not since this personality transplant. This feels like a very New Japan-esque match. Miyahara plays a more overtly cocky Okada with a ton of Omega V-Triggers. SUWAMA's age and style means there is not as much overly choreographed floor exercises, but there is not much zing or zip in the match. It is very plodding and methodical. Not much energy or urgency. 

Miyahara gets the first control segment on the outside nothing of note happens. SUWAMA stars whipping him in railings. Not much going on. DDT wakes up the announcers and me. SUWAMA starts throwing him around a bit. They trade sleepers. The highspot of the match was easily Miyahara's piledriver on the apron. Brutal and it stood out as something different. SUWAMA sold it well. Miyahara gets the best nearfalls off his V-Trigger Knees. SUWAMA goes back to Sleeper and then after a complicated King's Road style sequence SUWAMA levels him with a lariat to level the playing field. Here comes the strike exchange. Miyahara has the V-Trigger Knee and the Capture Suplex. SUWAMA catches him on one of those knees and turns it into a WICKED POWERBOMB! HELL YEAH! SUWAMA SMOKES HIM WITH A LARIAT! I thought that was it. Wada is the last connection to Baba's All Japan, but it is time to retire. That was a slooooooowwww count. Miyahara gets a last gasp. SUWAMA DEMOLISHES HIM WITH BACK DROP DRIVER! It is over and new champion. 

I know Miyahara was at 500+ days and it was time to freshen things up, but he was very over especially with the female-heavy crowd. I think SUWAMA is still a solid veteran hand, but I question the wisdom of going back to him. Tons of dead space in this match. No energy. No heat. No anger. They tried to use the New Japan style epic lots of epic selling, but it lacks passion and urgency. There were some nice highspots and the finish stretch good enough to call this good but not much more than that. ***1/4