[2004-12-05-AJPW] Toshiaki Kawada vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan

[ohtani's jacket]

It's a washed Kawada vs motherfucking Tenzan~! Tenzan is either proof positive that if you stick at something long enough you'll get good at it, or if you watch enough of a guy you'll develop a soft spot for him. Either way, he's probably my favorite Japanese worker of 2004. I wish he'd laid his shots in a bit more during the early going since he was working with Kawada of all people, but aside from that he looked convincing in the challenger role. Kawada's selling and psychology was nowhere near the level of his mid-90s prime. I've always had a theory that the psychology in those matches didn't come from the minds of the workers in the spur of the moment but were carefully planned spots, but regardless, Kawada's skill set here was pretty much at the level of an ordinary worker. He even "Hulked up" to transition back onto offense. The coolest part in the entire match was Kawada blading hardway from a Mongolian chop that caught his eyebrow. The finishing stretch was okay, but devoid of those nearfalls that rock the building's foundations. The overall impression I got from this was that it was decent but both men could have raised their game higher.