I was not expecting this many head drops in a Tanahashi match!

 

This is the first time I've been impressed by Taiyo Kea. He may be lacking in charisma, but he sure can dish out some brutal looking offense. Tanahashi takes it like the champ he is and fires back when he can find an opening. I don't rate Tanahashi as high as others do nowadays, but seeing him here, you can see why he has the fan-base he has now. Thankfully, the flaws that riddle most of his current work are nowhere to be seen. This match never feels formulaic and when Tanahashi hits a tide-turning big move, it feels organic.

 

This matched benefited everyone. Kea looked like a bad ass in defeat on one of the biggest stages in his career, and Tanahashi looked like the ace that NJPW want him to be.

 

★★★★

Yeah, Tanahashi sold so well in this match and the offense from Kea looked devastating at times. Great **** David/Goliath style match. This kind of felt like the final fight of an 80s action movie to me for some reason. Really really enjoyed it...