Kazuyuki Fujita vs Toshiaki Kawada - NJPW G-1 Climax 08/14/05

 

Kawada is so fucking good against shooter. His way of selling and firing back up is perfect for the environment. I have seen MMA fights, when they are in pain it is for a bit, but they know they got to fire right back up. Kawada knows how to do that jelly leg sell and then just snap out of it to fire a big kick to the head. This is basic Fujita lots of great fucking knee lifts. He seems to have punched himself out and Kawada looks to actually win with a jumping kick to the head and then a guillotine choke. Fujita just has to much for him and a barrage of knees win it. Fujita's knees on the ground need some work. I loved the length of this because they were beating the shit out of each other and shouldn't go long. Was hoping for something as good as Fujita vs Tanahashi, but not quite there. Fujita is definitely no Brock and he is not even an Naoya Ogawa. He just does not have that presence of badass shooter even if he is one. ***1/2

Neat match. My only complaint would be that some of Kawada's transitions were a little predictable, I'm a giant Choshu supporter so the headlock>backdrop spot isn't something that bothers me, but the way it was done here with Fujita grabbing a headlock after hitting two big knees was nonsensical, and it can be pretty clear he's going to kick an opponent that's bouncing off the ropes. The violence is what makes this-even the dreaded elbow exchanges work, as you have Fujita push Kawada into the corner and then Kawada fight back and both guys try to win the damn battle instead of just standing there and exchanging strikes with five second pauses. Kawada's last hooray where he just went off and punched Fujita in the face before being put away ruled, as did his sell in the post-match where he made it look like he didn't know where he was, and the awesome Guillotine Choke sequence perfectly showcases all the possibilities of naturally intertwining moves without making them lose credibility, even if they are escaped/countered. ***3/4

Kawada as a good shoot style worker is a fantasy, but the final minutes of this were exciting as far as pro-wrestling matches go.