[2001-12-07-AJPW] Keiji Mutoh & Taiyo Kea vs Toshiaki Kawada & Mitsuya Nagai (Real World Tag League Final)

[ohtani's jacket]

This was better than I expected. It wasn't a deeply layered, psychological masterpiece like some Real World Tag League matches you may be familiar with. Instead, it was four dudes trying to have a decent match. I tend to like the Mutoh vs. Kawada  match up, so I focused on that instead of lamenting what All Japan had become. There were a shit ton of photographers at ringside, which seemed to pen in the wrestlers a bit. I was surprised by how often all four guys were in the ring instead of guys fighting on the outside, but the match was thoroughly decent especially compared to the shit show in the AJW final. 

[Superstar Sleeze]

Keiji Mutoh & Taiyo Kea vs Toshiaki Kawada & Mitsuya Nagai - AJPW 12/7/01 RWTL Finals

THIS FUCKING RULED! 
 

Keiji Mutoh super push is still going full bore. He main evented every All Japan Budokan show in 2001. He has been the Triple Crown Champion since June and won the Tag Team Titles with Kea in October from Tenryu & Anjoh. Now here he is in Real World Tag League Final with Kea in the last Budokan main event of the year. I definitely think Mutoh earned the push both in terms of box office and quality matches as his 2001 is one of the best calendar years any wrestler has ever produced. It was not just his reinvention but Post-Split All Japan was the perfect platform for the reinvention. Inoki really started pushing the shooters hard in April of 2001 with Fujita winning IWGP title and NOAH was just a continuation of 90s All Japan. Mutoh did not fit any scene. In the 90s he always played second fiddle to Hashimoto. Post-Split All Japan have him the perfect place to finally play a leading role and with main event level opponents in Kawada and Tenryu he knocked it out of the park. It was a perfect symbiotic relationship. All Japan needed him just as bad as he needed them. 

Due to some urgent needs at work, was not able to immediately review this match after watching it so going back and watching for a second time because this match is so badass and I want to make sure I capture every badass detail. 

Mutoh sure loved going to the Early Shining Wizard well a lot in 2001, but man outside that Chono match, it works so well. Kawada drills him with a Back Drop Driver. SHINING WIZARD~! BANG~! Mutoh is head rocked so he tags in Kea. Kea does not do anything super crazy, but he throws a nice kick. Nagai bails Kawada out enough that Kawada hits his famous kick and then a GREAT LEG SWEEP~! Kea is good at one thing and thats throwing round kicks so him and Nagai are peanut butter jelly throwing kicks. Nagai BURIES a knee in the breadbasket and Nagai is on fire. Mutoh tries to help out but eats a knee of his own. Nagai has Kea reeling with all the kicks. Kea hits a dropkick to stymie Nagai long enough to tag out which is wise. 

Mutoh immediately dropkicks the knee. The Boo Birds are out for that. I LOVE how Nagai tries to fight through the ONSLAUGHT of Dropkicks to the Knee but eventually succumbs to a series of Dragon Leg Screws. He successfully wards off a Figure-4 with kicks to the head. I love how Nagai was fighting for his life. Each dropkick, Dragon Leg Screw he made it seem so important that he keep fighting and culminated in great struggle over the Figure-4. Like Kea, he wisely tagged out to Kawada. 

Kawada and Mutoh have this badass exchange. That just feels like two Aces vying for supremacy. Classic Kawada Kicks. Mutoh throws a potato. Mutoh Kappou Kick! Back Handspring Elbow. Bulldog. SHINING WIZARD BLOCK~! KAWADA LARIAT! Every move in this match feels existential. Mutoh BLOCKS Enziguiri. DROPKICK TO THE KNEE! BOOS! Kawada gets the enziguiri on the Dragon Leg Screw attempt. NAGAI KICKS THE HAMMIES AND DRAGON LEG SCREWS MUTOH! I LOVE WHEN OPPONENTS THROW MUTOH'S OFFENSE BACK AT HIM! This match is MARK OUT CITY! These are great Dragon Leg Screws!

MUTOH DRAGON LEG SCREWS NAGAI! He gets the Figure-4 with Kea playing guard dog. Drama off the charts! Mutoh dropkicks the knee of the fallen Nagai after the rope break to big boos. Kea has some impressive high spots like the Vaderbomb and Superfly Splash. He is just missing that IT factor. He is a fine wrestler, but he just doesnt have IT. It does not drag this particular match down, but he is clearly #4 in there. 

Springboard dropkick by Mutoh! Backbreaker -> Moonsault! 1-2-Kawada Saves! Kawada High Kick! Mutoh is OUT~! Kawada Kneedrop. Top Rope Nagai Flying Knee! 1-2-NO! Kawada Yakuza Kick! Mutoh BLASTS Nagai with an Elbow...Dragon Leg Screw on Kawada. Dont be bringing that in my house! Kea dropkicks Nagai's knees to boos. This is the most heel heat I have heard from a Japanese crowd. TKO but Kawada saves. Nagai desperation German on Nagai. Kawada is in the wrong fucking corner because this match is so chaotic I love it. Kawada is reaching out for the tag and Nagai is desperate for it. BANG~! SHINING WIZARD~! GOD BLESS THESE FOUR! Kea German 1-2-NO! Kawada saves on the TKO attempt.

Here comes the best part of the match. Mutoh and Kea like a pack of hyenas just nonstop dropkick Kawada's knees. It is so fucking awesome! Kawada's selling is so fucking good! Crowd booing so heavily! Mutoh doing his Pro Wrestling Love pose to boos is incredible! DOUBLE SHINING WIZARD~! THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FINISH! I would have gone 5 if it was GODDAMN! TKO! 1-2-3! THIS MATCH FUCKING RULES!
 

I watched this twice! Totally holds up! This is fucking awesome! **** 3/4