[2024-01-03-AJPW] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Charlie Dempsey

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Dempsey dominates the early going, with the champion not being able to string together much offense. Nakajima realizes he can’t out-grapple Dempsey, so he resorts to striking and goads him into a skirmish on the outside. Dempsey’s work is smooth yet rugged. His European uppercuts have a little more oomph behind them, and he nearly bent Nakajima in half with a Boston Crab.

Regaining control, Dempsey adjusted his game plan of gradually wearing down Nakajima for a more direct approach, going after his opponent’s leg. Dempsey’s dragonscrew leg whips are gorgeous, as he almost bridges backward with Nakajima’s leg while holding onto it. Dempsey hit a rolling Cattle Mutilation at one point, a neat variation on that spot I can’t recall seeing before. He also seamlessly transitioned from that into a gorgeous Fujiwara armbar. I also dug Nakajima baiting Dempsey in by going for a move with his bad leg, only to catch him with an Enziguri.

Dempsey provided a little more focus than Nakajima’s recent matches have had, but I don’t love the showtime spot where Katsuhiko poses in the corner. It just feels unnecessary. Nakajima and Dempsey throw heaters, so the late elbow exchange didn’t bother me too much. Dempsey’s brief comeback was also a standout, with his late bridging backslide and Regal Plex dazzling. Nakajima eventually retained with a Northern Lights Bomb.

While there’s still work to be done, working with a younger wrestler who hasn’t had time to pick up bad habits did wonders to rein in Nakajima’s worst instincts. Only time will tell if Dempsey will continue to develop steadily, given the wasteland that is NXT, but if he does, he could be something special. As is, this was a quality match to kick off the new year.