Mike Reviews AJPW TV 15th March 1998 (Takayama & Kakihara Vs Kobashi & Akiyama)

Happy Kings Road Friday Everyone!

Let’s take a look at some AJPW TV from 1998, seeing as it’s easily accessible and we’ll probably get some good wrestling.

You can view the card for the AJPW event these matches came from by clicking below;

AJPW at Budokan Hall Card 28/02/1998

This episode of AJPW TV was taped from Tokyo, Japan on the 28th of February 1998 and aired on the 15th of March 1998

We get the awesome All Japan/Giant Baba theme to start us out over some footage of the lads in the Main Event clobbering one another. That song has always reminded me of I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside, but that’s probably just me.

Stan “The Lariat” Hansen and Bobby Duncum Jr Vs Jun Izumida and Takao Omori

Hansen is a multiple time World Champ and a legend in Japan, whilst Duncum Jr is a young lad getting some reps whilst tagging with the legend. Izumida is a mid-card guy who would follow Misawa to NOAH in 2000, whilst Omori is someone who had possible Main Event potential, but he made some bad decisions when the switch to NOAH happened and he ended up getting turfed from the new promotion. I believe the real life Noah had the same issue with an unruly cockatoo and banished him from the ark in fact, but I haven’t got a bible easily to hand in order to confirm or deny that right now.

This one is joined around the 4 minute mark or so, with Duncum Jr getting worked over by the Japanese side. Duncum Jr has a good physique and takes bumps well enough, but he doesn’t really show much in the way of personality or charisma in there. Izumida and Omori mostly focus on simple offence like strikes and holds, so the action is mechanically sound and Omori even takes an impressive looking tumble to the floor at one stage when he misses a charge in the corner, leading to the American team working over Omori’s shoulder for a bit.

Omori sells all of that well, with the holds and attacks from the American side being soundly applied. The crowd is almost silent for large swathes of this, but they don’t seem to be bored or dis-interested, with it feeling more like the usual “watching intently” behaviour you get from a Japanese crowd. Eventually Omori manages to catch Duncum Jr with a neck breaker and it’s a tag to Izumida, which leads to Duncum Jr taking a very nice bump from an Izumida Dragon Screw. Izumida manages to make the full rotation on a Moonsault attempt, but Duncum Jr dodges it, although the move still got a pop from the crowd.

Hansen eventually decides that he’s had enough of these mother frigging mid-carders on this Monday to Friday All Japan undercard match, so he stomps in illegally and Lariat’s the fudge out of poor Izumida before draping Duncum Jr on top in order to get the three count. Well, sometimes you have to take control of the situation I guess!

WINNERS: HANSEN & DUNCUM JR
RATING: **ish

Thoughts: I can’t give it a proper rating because we only got about 8 minutes of a near 13 minute match, but what we did get to see was decent stuff, if a little bit basic. I did enjoy the finish though, and it clearly showed the pecking order with Hansen being the top of the food chain whilst the Japanese lads and Duncum Jr were WAAAAAAY lower down

Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahito Kakihara Vs Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama

Takayama is sadly in seriously bad health these days, and he didn’t really take off as a star until his shoot fight with Don Frye in 2002. Kakihara was a very talented worker, but Giant Baba just never got behind him because he didn’t think he was big enough. Kakihara also had his own health issues. Speaking of health issues, it’s Kenta Kobashi, a man who now has no knees and had to battle cancer at one stage in his life as well. Akiyama was being groomed for big things at the time, but didn’t get his first World Title until he jumped to NOAH. Kakihara quickly takes the fight to Akiyama and holds his own with the hot home grown star, which is a good way of showing that Kakihara is a dude that needs to be taken seriously.

The standard of the wrestling between Kakihara and Akiyama is really good, with them working holds on the mat and presenting a believable style. Kakihara shows off his UWFi background by throwing some MMA-like leg kicks, which the crowd is impressed by. Takayama and Kobashi get to a do a bit as well, which the crowd enjoys, especially when Takayama just absorbs a Kobashi chop and starts marching over to Kobashi like he’s a monster in a slasher flick before throwing a flurry of stiff kicks. The strikes in general are super snug here, and the crowd is into it whenever kicks, chops, elblows and knees are thrown. Takayama kicks Akiyama off the apron at one stage, which leads to Akiyama coming into the ring to get some payback, only for Takayama to END Akiyama with a Cro-Cop styled high kick in order to send Akiyama on the lightless walk.

Kobashi sells well for Kakihara, making the smallest wrestler in the match look like a credible threat, and the crowd buys it all just fine, showing that they could have pushed Kakihara more in All Japan if it hadn’t been for Baba’s more old-fashioned booking philosophy. Baba isn’t the only booker guilty of that though, as Riki Choshu famously squashed Kakihara at a New Japan Tokyo Dome show once. Kobashi actually gets worked over for quite a bit in the opposition corner, with his selling being spot on as usual. Folks tend to think of the chops and head drop moves when it comes to Kobashi, but what really made him a star was his incredible selling and fiery comebacks. The MOVEZ aspect of his act was just a pleasant dollop of ice cream on top of the delightful wrestling cake.

Akiyama eventually gets back in and goes nose to nose with Kakihara before laying Kakihara out to a big pop. However, Kakihara keeps coming and even manages to counter when Akiyama tries one of his trademark Exploder Suplexes. The exchanges between Kakihara and both of the opposition side continue to be really well worked, as the wrestling is top notch and both opponents do a good job in making Kakihara look like a viable threat. Eventually things breakdown, with Takayama and Akiyama fighting outside of the ring, which allows Kobashi a chance to catch Kakihara with a Burning Lariat for the three count.

WINNERS: KOBASHI & AKIYAMA
RATING: ***

Thoughts: Good stuff here. Takayama often gets slagged off for his work around this timeframe, but he was totally fine here as a big slugger who was throwing kicks and knees. Kakihara got a bit of a showcase, whilst Kobashi and Akiyama were great as always when it came to tagging together

In Conclusion

Easy thumbs up here, and at only 24 minutes it was a brisk and pleasant watch!

If you want some more Japanese wrestling reviews then check out the archives of Maffew, Rick, Alex, J, and Phred, as they’ve got you covered for both modern and classic Japanese action!