[2009-09-23-AJPW Flashing Tour] Shuji Kondo vs Yoshihiro Takayama

[Ma Stump Puller]

Not much credit is thrown Takayama's way for how he adapted his style as he started to drastically slow down after his near-career ending stroke alongside general wear and tear issues. Sure, the guy was always on the lumbering side (give or take) but if you look at how he was from 2000/2004 to afterwards you can tell he's lost a few steps, he can't really rely on his freakish atheticism like before. He could still move fairly well (until around mid 2010's where he started to really pack on weight) however he had to work matches a bit smarter. This is a pretty good example of that; it's him playing a more immobile Goliath against a smaller guy. He consistently towers over Kondo, he barely does anything considered "fast" he's consistently just working the bigger slower pace, even when brawling on the outside he's prolonging and extending his usual pace. Everything he does is to really get Kondo's more faster shit over when it counts, namely his signature fast lariats.

Super simple formula, the only real issue is that because this is right before Takayama loses the Triple Crown in three days, the two are noticeably not going full tilt like they easily could have done so. It's fine though because Takayama is such a pro that he can make even simple shit like a regular back suplex look absolutely terrifying. Kondo gets in a pop-up powerslam somehow and manages to even get a School Boy powerbomb (albeit with a small delay) for brief moments of hope, with even a lariat near fall near the end. Of course Taka just wrecks him with a few suplexes and knee shots, ending with the Everest German. Easy match to follow and was quite explosive for that as well. It's a good example of a late-Takayama match being more about the psychology of him being a giant than anything else, and Kondo is beefy/capable enough to throw convincing enough stuff on the table for me to believe he could topple his opponent despite that obviously never being the case whatsoever lol.