It's hardly an astute observation but during my latest mini Akiyama binge I have started to think about how incredibly lacking pro wrestling criticism is. It may be due to so few people paying attention to his stuff, and I know it sounds incredibly pretentiosu but sometimes I do get the feel no one else is really giving Akiyama a completely fair shake, both regarding his positives and his negatives. I don't remember anyone bringing up how he uses suplex sequences and unoriginal rope-running counters as transitions which is pretty evident and lord knows how many other examples and maybe better examples for all other wrestlers out there exist. I liked this match a lot conceptually. Mashimo takes out Akiyama's leg preventing him from using his knee strike on which he relies on a lot. Mashimo's limbwork is focused and good, Akiyama provides an interesting take on limping selling and they work the finish with Akiyama using big slams and strikes to fight back into the match instead of just hitting a bunch of knee strikes regardless of the limb work. It wasn't a particularly exciting watch though, I'll concede it was above average/relatively good, give it **3/4 and move on.

I liked that Akiyama brought an old trick out of his bag and that Mashimo stayed focused on working the leg. Akiyama sold it pretty well but, this could have used another leg attack or something else to build the drama. It was OK but nothing to actively seek out.