This was probably my most awaited match-up of the entire tournament, and while I don't think it was as amazing as it could've been, it was still a kick-ass time from bell to bell. KENTA just slowly decimates Okada for most of the match, and it's awesome; stuff like him baiting Okada to try and hit him in the neck, only for him to trip him down & put on a neckhold, was really neat. Though I have to mention that some key moments, mostly by KENTA on the offense, felt surprisingly heatless & had no drama -- the two Triangle spots are perfect examples of this, especially the second one where he transitioned it into the Game Over, to pretty much no reaction from the crowd at all. It's a shame because it was a really cool sequence of things too. The 2 Busaiku Knees in a row had no drama or heat behind them at all either. The overall lack of drama took something away from the match for sure, but overall, I thought KENTA was indeed pretty great brutalizing Okada, and Okada's selling was actually really fantastic. Definitely down for a round 2 between these two. ***3/4

Loved this from start to finish but it wasn't perfect. KENTA's offence, whilst stiff, lacked the intensity and emotion behind it unless it was a counter to a move. The slaps after the attempted Rainmaker, for example. The work on Okada's neck was visually brutal though - the foot stomp on the guard rail, the kicks and slaps. Okada did a superb job of selling, making every strike look even more painful. Okada on offence was pretty good too, Okada getting pissed off at KENTA, slapping his head was great. This just needed to be more heated and intense. ***3/4

 

Besides the lack of urgency in the first part of this match, I enjoyed this a lot. It almost felt like a sort of re-telling of Okada-Shibata but with Okada as the face this time. Basically, Okada's in the ring with a much better striker who's going to beat the shit out of him and try to force him to play his game. KENTA's definitely not the same wrestler he was 10 years ago and no one should expect him to be, but he's been so much better lately due to how he can really let loose on his strikes. Okada also did a great job selling, which I think is a very underrated facet of his game. He knows how to make his opponents' offense seem devastating and always plant the TINIEST bit of doubt that he's going to be able to win.

A bit too slow at the beginning but this was really good stuff. ****