dawho5

Short run as a main eventer, but he made it into a really great run. Watching his matches from 2002-2009 I really started to love the guy. I can't say he'd be top 50, but he'd definitely have a shot at bottom half.

There's a lot of really great Akiyama matches out there, but there are a few that I think are the cream of the crop. Misawa vs. Akiyama 2/27/00 - this is the best match out of All japan since late 1998, and probably the best match of Akiyama's career Anything pitting Kawada vs. Akiyama in 1996 Akiyama vs. Ogawa 9/11/98 - yes, Yoshinari Ogawa in 1998, learn to love him the 8/98 6 man tag is an excellent lead-in Akiyama vs. Shibata 8/4/05 - beginning of the match is 100% gold, PISSED OFF Akiyama, last 7-8 minutes is forgettable Akiyama vs. Taue 1/22/06 Akiyama/Tenryu vs. Kobashi/Shiozaki 4/24/05 Akiyama/Tenryu vs. Kobashi/Taue 9/18/05 - Revolution 05 is great, wish it had lasted

Kawada is an incredible wrestler and I think he's gotta be top 5. However, most of what I've seen post-2000 involving Kawada is almost like he's a shadow of his former self. I don't know if he just lost all motivation or he felt like he didn't want to carry guys like Kojima through matches, but his work really fell off after the split. Especially his selling, it got really, really uneven and sometimes nonexistent. Even the 05 Misawa match was really, really subpar as Misawa vs. Kawada matches go on both their parts. Pre-split, he had really fun matches with guys like Albright, a pre-big break Takayama and Kakihara that were vastly different from the matches he had with the rest of the Big 5. Also, his 1996 feuding with Akiyama was easily the best yearlong watch going through All Japan after 1995. It was a huge bright spot for late 90s All Japan. Here's my 90s list for Kawada: Misawa/Kawada vs. Gordy/Williams 7/24/91 Kawada vs. Jumbo 10/24/91 Misawa/Kawada vs. Williams/Gordy 1/30/93 Misawa vs. Kawada 3/27/93 Kawada vs. Taue 4/13/93 Kawada/Taue vs. Williams/Gordy 5/20/93 Misawa/Kobashi/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue/Ogawa 7/2/93 Kawada vs. Kobashi 10/23/93 Misawa vs. Kawada 4/11/94 Holy Demon Army vs. Hansen/Baba 12/17/94 Kawada vs. Kobashi 1/19/95 - first 40 minutes is incredible Kawada vs. Akiyama 3/21/95 Kawada vs. Kobashi 4/13/95 Kobashi/Hansen/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Ace/Omori 4/15/95 Misawa/Kobashi/Asako vs. Kawada/Taue/Honda 6/30/95 Misawa/Kobashi/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Kikuchi/Ogawa 7/8/95 - Kawada pisses Misawa off with great results Taue vs. Kawada 3/31/96 Kawada vs. Kobashi 5/24/96 Kawada vs. Taue 6/7/96 - some great interaction, match gets really dull in the middle Holy Demon Army vs. Williams/Ace 11/18/96 anything involving Kawada vs. Akiyama in 1996, just watch it Misawa vs. Kawada 4/2/97 Holy Demon Army vs. Kobashi/Ace 5/27/97 Misawa vs. Kawada 6/6/97 - finish derails an otherwise great match Misawa/Kawada/Hase vs. Kobashi/Taue/Akiyama 9/15/97 Holy Demon Army vs. Kobashi/Ace 10/11/97 Holy Demon Army vs. Shinzaki/Hayabusa 11/23/97 Holy Demon Army vs. Kobashi/Ace 11/27/97 Kobashi/Ace vs. Holy Demon Army 1/25/98 Kawada vs. Akiyama 3/26/98 Holy Demon Army vs. Kobashi/Ace 6/5/98 Holy Demon Army vs. Kakihara/Takayama 7/19/98 Kawada/Omori vs. Hase/Kea 7/24/98 Holy Demon Army vs. Kobashi/Kea 8/29/98 Kawada vs. Kakihara 9/11/98 Holy Demon Army vs. Burning 10/11/98 Holy Demon Army vs. Takayama/Kakihara 10/31/98 Holy Demon Army vs. Misawa/Shinzaki 1/15/99 Hase vs. Kawada 5/2/99 - Kawada's first match back after the arm injury, ring rust kills a lot of what could have been Kawada/Kobashi vs. Misawa/Taue 6/4/99 - must see Kawada vs. Takayama 7/17/99 Kawada vs. Kobashi 1/17/00 Kawada/Taue/Fuchi vs. Misawa/Kobashi/Shiga 3/11/00 Holy Demon Army vs. Ace/Barton 6/9/00

Takayama vs. Sasaki 8/3/02 - great battle of the big men, better one in 2004, works off of this Takayama vs. Sasaki 8/8/04 Sasaki vs. Kawada 4/4/01 - not my favorite, but there's lots of good stuff here Sasaki/Morishima/Nakajima vs. Tenryu/Ogawa/Kotaro Suzuki - not the greatest match you will ever see, but a different setting and a different Sasaki As for negatives: anything involving both Kobashi and Sasaki, I hope you like chops....a lot

So much to say here... As far as the positives go, Kobashi has so many. He always seemed in great shape and had the drive to keep going well past the point most would have mailed it in. Kobashi had such a diverse and impressive moveset that was always well-executed. He was pretty athletic for a guy built the way he was, even after multiple knee surgeries. His facial expressions and ability to get the crowd into the match with his own emotions was something that went above and beyond what most wrestlers could ever dream of doing. I have no issue at all saying Kenta Kobashi was one of the best and most natural babyfaces in all of wrestling anywhere. When he was in trouble, you'd hear and see fan reactions (in Japanese crowds) that were stunning. And now to my favorite part about Kenta Kobashi. He was one of the best matwork guys I've ever seen. You know how I mentioned he always had drive and had a lot in the tank? Kobashi never sat in a hold real long. He worked that hold for maybe 30 seconds to a minute and chained it into another hold that hit that same bodypart. Sometimes 3 or 4 times in sequence. And t never looked like he just had his way with the opponent, it looked like there was a struggle going on. If there is one real huge downfall to the way All Japan wrestling style evolved in the 90s it's that we never got to see Kobashi use that aspect of his skillset. As for the negatives, he has a few of those too. First and foremost is his complete lack of being able to build a match on his own. When he's in the ring with somebody he knows can structure a match well (Kawada, Taue, Takayama, Misawa, Ogawa), Kobashi's spots come where they ought to and he looks great. When he's in the ring with somebody he doesn't trust (Akiyama stands out here), Kobashi really struggles to put his spots where they need to be. He'll throw 2 or 3 half nelson suplexes at a guy who is two or three tiers below him on the card. He'll no-sell their big moves at the very wrong times. Part of the problem is he subscribes to the lazy Misawa style of match structuring after 1/97 without really being the guy to do that or truly understanding it. The constant need for attention can really take away from a match where Kobashi isn't supposed to be the center of attention. When you get to 2004 and on Kobashi, a lot of his matches revolve around him beating the shit out of people with chop variations (I maintain that the way he chops is a bit dickish and he probably should have stuck to the standard method) with little to no selling. It just underlines his lack of understanding of the basic structuring of things combined with being a glory hog. He seems to not get that he is at his best as the babyface making the impassioned comeback after taking a beating (and acting like that beating took place so the crowd can invest in it) in addition to wanting to be seen in the best light possible. It's very frustrating to watch knowing what the man is capable of. I'll try to put together a list of positive and negative matches (for me) from what I've seen that point out the things I've mentioned.

One match that shouldn't fall under the radar is the excellent 2006 2/3 falls match with Nishimura in MUGA. It's really incredible for how compact and efficient it is while still telling the story they meant to tell.

Watch as much of the Liger vs. Kikuchi series of tags as you can on this one. A few in 2002 and 2003 are incredible for the atmosphere alone. Liger brings something to these that I don't think any other junior in Japan could have.

Ohtani/Takaiwa 6/25/00 Kikuchi/Kanemaru vs. Liger/Kanemoto 1/26/03 - Kanemoto as FIP for a bit is a different twist Kanemoto vs. AKIRA 3/23/03 - not perfect, but avoids a lot of the stuff that makes 2000s wrestling hard to watch for me Nishimura vs. Kanemoto 8/8/04 This for me is one that goes against Koji Kanemoto vs. Nagata 8/12/06 - good up to the point he starts cycling through his big offense regardless of the match structure beforehand

Take a look at Fuchi/Tenryu vs. Kawada/Araya from 6/30/01 for just a great little tag match. Fuchi and Kawada add as much as the Tenryu vs. Araya matchup, which is saying a lot. Fuchi/Kawada vs. Nagata/Iizuka 12/14/00 is not as good a match, but you could make the argument that Kawada and Fuchi have to do more to make it as good as it is.

He has a match in 2006 vs. Osamu Nishimura that would be worth seeing just for variety. Worked as a MUGA match with Tajiri spots thrown in at what seemed like the right moment. It may have been in the What Are You Watching or Comments that Don't Warrant a Thread posts.

As Nagata matches and Tanahashi matches go, this was right up there with the best for sure. Nagata selling the knee when he countered the high fly flow was helpful for that, as that tends to be the point of Tanahashi's attacking the leg. I didn't like it as much as you did, but I would put it above all but two matches involving either of these two.

That's actually something I would really be interested in reading about.

I would think that the factors that go into a top 10 match list would be valued differently for most voters anyway. So if Bill didn't care for drawing in his vote it would hardly be an awful thing. I think one of the ideas of these kinds of projects is variety in the opinions presented rather than uniformity anyway. Wrestling is pretty subjective material.

If you don't mind, could I get in on some of that joshi action? I've always wanted to see more, but never know where to start.

Final two matches of the Starrcade set. Number 1 (not my number one, but theirs) is Vader vs. Flair from 1993. This match is controversial for the finish, but I fall on the side of it still being incredible. The reaction any time Flair starts coming back is so FUCKING INSANE! And Flair's determined comeback at the end is easily one of the best Flair performances I have seen. It's unlike anything I've seen from him and I love it for that as much as how great it was. The match that was listed at number two but is a clear number one for me is Magnum vs. Tully from 1985. There are very few matches that define an aspect of pro wrestling that I love that will always keep me watching wrestling. This match is one of them. It is brutal, violent and dark from the moment you even see Magnum for the intros. You know right then that you're watching something transcendent. The HATE on display for 100% of this match is something that just blows away any other match I've ever seen for heated rivalries. I could write about ten pages on this match, so I'll stop now.

I fail to see how this is overrated. There is so much emotion packed into this match. Yes, the finish was sloppy looking and maybe not exactly what you would want. But you know what, the last 7 or 8 minutes of the match (after the big Flair comeback started) were all ugly wrestling. Flair was determined to not lose and started laying in shots on Vader to even things up and going after the leg. Vader was trying desperately to find something that would put Flair away once he had him down before Flair caught up to him (which he was doing quickly). The finish didn't have to be picture perfect and I would argue that it would have been a sin if the figure four had gotten the victory. Flair was scrapping for every inch because Vader wasn't giving any of it up. Race was making things even more difficult. Race accidentally headbutting Vader and being shoved out by the ref was a perfect setup for exactly the finish that happened in my book. Flair had to take that opportunity to try to put Vader away by any means necessary while Vader was dazed and Race was incapacitated.

From 1986, the Road Warriors face the Midnight Express in a scaffold match. Not a huge fan of scaffold matches, but it's not a bad way to spend 15-20 minutes. Cornette at the end is...ouch. Sting vs. Hogan was alright, Sting should have been beating Hogan across the ring with Hogan hope spots though. The finish was...well, WCW's death was not too far off. Flair vs. Race from 1983 is absolutely amazing. Atmosphere is off the charts. Flair is so over, Race has so much heat just walking into the arena. Match is great, both getting busted open on the cage and beating each other senseless. Referee is trying to enforce the rules on both, so it's not one of those ref screwjobs on the face and it works. Race looks to have things wrapped up when Flair gets a big burst of adrenaline and hits the top rope crossbody for the 3! WOOOO!

You could look at something like Misawa/Kawada and the ever-evolving nature of their signature spots/reversals over time as a good example of how these kinds of things ought to be worked. It seemed like they would add layers to them as the years passed where it took longer for anything to really connect of note during their exchanges. Between those two, Akiyama, Kobashi when he didn't have to chop everyone and everything down, and Taue with his choke tosses and varying ways of cutting off strike exchanges (he tended to try to make them shorter due to his weaker strikes than the other 4), not many wrestlers really vary up how they counter off of signature spots. I also like watching an older American style match and seeing spots where multiple escapes of something as simple as a side headlock or a leg scissors are attempted and failed before the victim finally gets out, usually to be put in the same hold again and have to work on escaping a second time. I thought that put over basic holds as effective ways of wearing somebody down that were difficult to counter, as well as adding a sense of variety to the way things were done.

Next up is Roadies vs. Steiners at Starrcade 1989. Acceptable power/suplex spotfest, the finish is a bit lacking. 3 team ladder match where one guy from one team wins a shot at Chavo from 2000 is at times a fun spotfest with interesting stuff happening. Other parts of it are kind of a train wreck. Sting vs. Flair (main event of the 89 show) was a really fun match with a lot on the line. Flair gives Sting a lot, and I wish Sting had more than a hiptoss as a big power move 3 times. They get the desperation to win across, with Flair's cockiness once he seems to have it in the bag costing him. Well worked mostly and one of the best matches on the set so far. Piper vs. Valentine dog collar match from 1983 was holy shit kinds of awesome. My only gripe is the ref accosting Piper on the apron, which allowed Valentine to get back on top. It's a no-DQ match with plenty of chain shots before then, why is the ref getting involved now? Other than that, you can't ask for much more than Valentine and Piper beating the shit out of each other with a chain or their bare hands. Brutal, violent, awesome stuff.

I was echoing Matt's thoughts about 2002 on my journey through 2000s Japan. Getting through a lot of those NOAH main event matches was a chore. And a lot of KENTA, Marufuji, Kojima, Nagata, etc. matches....it got to feel a bit like forcing myself to watch things at times.

More Starrcade, 9 matches to go (and I disagree with a few on general principle, but we'll see). Road Warriors vs. Dusty/Sting from 88 was....not in any way great. In fact, Road Warriors as the heels is gonna drive me nuts because the only reason I like the Tully/Arn match was because the Horsemen made the Roadies look incredible. Sting and Dusty really didn't do that, but then again it wasn't their job to do anything of the sort. Sting vs. Vader from 92 was absolutely incredible. Crowd was molten for it, Sting was fired up and everything he threw at Vader looked crisp and hurtful. Briscoes vs. Youngblood/Steamboat 83 was great, loved how both teams were willing to bump big and sell everything the other did like it was big regardless of what it was. The match came off like a war between the up-and-comers and the veteran tag team champs. The double team chain at the end to put it away was nice. Dusty vs. Flair from 85 was the second or third best match on the set so far. I'd only put Sting vs. Vader or Dustin vs. Austin above it. Dusty teasing the leg work into the late figure four was really great stuff. Flair takes a tremendous beating, gets busted open by the steel guard rail, but he's still convincingly right there to take advantage of some Horsemen interference and (maybe) put things away. Finish is really great stuff. Eddie vs. dean from 97 started out incredible. Lots of good punches to set up the grappling, very gritty. Middle of the match turns into technical wrestling back and forth with less sense of struggle, but they turn things around for a really good ending to the match. Not saying the middle was wrestled sloppy or in any way badly, just that it was a departure from the beginning of the match in an unsatisfying way for me. Everything was still crisp and well-done. And there are 4 Road Warriors matches on here. Ugh.

Have to agree with Steenalized. One thing going through the 2000s taught me is that KENTA is about as overrated as a wrestler can be. Nothing changes unless he's forced to change it, and KENTA never gives up on homogenizing the match until the final bell. Not that he doesn't have interesting spots or any good qualities, but he's really lacking in any kind of storytelling skills or adaptability.

I didn't vote for this because I had this idea that rookie proving matches didn't belong on my ballot. But on rewatch, this is better than a lot of the stuff I had in my 70-100 range just for Miyamoto's performance. And that's leaving out Tenryu, Araya and Kea (who looks really good). The Miyamoto nearfall on Araya is fucking tremendous.

Because simple, yet effective is not really something that pervades modern wrestling more than likely. You need really overly complex things to impress people. Simple is just not the thing.

Wow, that seemed like it ought to give Chicago a sense of pride for the "should have" nature of the loss. They got the 3 in the ring only to have Tommy Young overturn it for the over the top DQ that he saw and the other ref didn't. Seems like the intention was there to give the Road Warriors a sense of victory anyway. Continuing on, the Rock'n'roll vs. the Midnight expresses scaffold match from 87 was pretty good. I liked how the tennis racket ended up benefitting the RnRs more than Cornette's guys in the long run. Not a huge fan of the scaffold match because I think it's really limiting in what can be done. The postscript with Morton embarrassing Cornette's big man up top was good. Flair vs. Luger from 88 was pretty good with the exception of Luger's extremely limited offense that he recycles up to 3 times during the match. Luger working over the arm was far more compelling than the third run through of the Luger power spots, or the second for that matter. Luger's selling was very good though. Cut about 10 minutes off and you have a great match. Guerrero vs. Ohtani from 95 was really a spotfest after the New Japan style opening minutes. Some of them were incredible spots, but no real thread tying them together.