Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. KENTA

[9.0] "Wow they fuckin killedddd each other in there, my lord... how either of them could stand up after a match like that I'll never know. The last few minutes of this in particular were unreal! Absolutely must watch!"

[10.0] "This was such a long physical match done the right way. I was originally going to just rate it a 9 but by the end it definitely kicked into a final gear."

[7.0] "(3.75*) This was a good match but for some reason im not as high on it as people are, maybe because of the length and the no sells. Whats funny is i love both of these two but this match just didnt catch me, i think im gonna rewatch it again one day and see what my thought is."

[10.0] "Absolutely brilliant clash which embodied trends in wrestling style represented by the new wave. Having the greatest match of your career at relatively early stage is a huge accomplishment."

[10.0] "Absolutely sensational match. At the time to of the best up and comers in the entire world of wrestling out on a clinic of hard hitting athletic offense and just a great wrestling match. Recommend this to anyone and everyone. (*****)"

[10.0] "After the last few days of mainstream wrestling, I kinda just wanted a break from any of that stuff for the sake of my own sanity and/or insanity, so I decided to go back on some stuff that I somehow haven't gotten around to watching yet to help properly re-examine why I damn love wrestling so much. Because obviously, trying to navigate the hell-scape that is has become the American-wrestling discourse right now makes me want to run into the sea, and even if I realise I may have contributed to that whole shitshow worse myself, there are times where I want to take a prolonged period of absence from any of it. But anyway, I've always adored a lot of pre 2013 NOAH and especially their biggest ever young shining star in KENTA, so the idea of going through and watching his more relatively underappreciated rivalries seemed like an absolute dream right now, and this really didn't disappoint. I somehow really miss these almost Battlearts/ UWFI -brand matches nowadays, as matches that solely focus on two man trying to beat the soul out of each other is something that I haven't really seen as match as I want to. From the start, the match really helped sell that these two men where perfect opponents for each other, as throughout neither man is really able to get a prolonged period of control over the other. It really helps make this match feel like an absolute war, and the fact that neither man ever backs down or really just takes it, it also helps this match between almost inter-promotional protégées seem like something bigger. Subsequently, from the first kick I knew that this match was gonna be something special, and I was right, Katsuhiko Nakajima probably hits some of the hardest and most ruthless kicks I have ever seen sporadically throughout, and he literally just seems to do them randomly. To be honest, all of his offense was great, especially two awful double-foot stomps on the outside and he really seems like he wants to kill KENTA has the tries to drop him throat-first onto the steel railings. KENTA, whilst probably not as concisely good as Nakajima is still an absolute star, and he does sell himself as being a small portion behind Nakajima perfectly, as his offense later on is added with this sense of desperation as Nakajima doesn't lay off anything in the slightest. However, my favourite thing about this match is how it builds, given how it's like uses that perfect AJPW-type format where the crowd gets louder and louder, and neither man accomplishes this with high-spots or anything like that either, as instead it's sold through either mans refusal to even show the smallest amount of weakness as they continue to batter each other. It also really helps the last STF submission spot, as the crowd goes absolutely mental and it's some of the best submission based selling that I have ever seen. I do love the finish too, as after Nakajima is able to kick out of the GTS, KENTA refuses to beat his opponent with strikes and instead wants to get a convincing post-finisher win, which leads to his downfall as Nakajima is able to counter before simply knocking him out with a spinning wheel-kick. It perfectly encapsulates the fact that KENTA views that Nakajima should be below him, and by him royally fucking himself over in doing so, also brilliantly undermines KENTA's dickhead stubbornness and in turn Nakajima's tenacity. It's a relatively simple idea, as KENTA's close relationship with Kenta Kobashi means that as result he must destroy the 'son' of one of Kobashi's biggest rivals in Kensuke Sasaki, especially given how KENTA is defending a NOAH championship in another, Sasaki-ran promotion, but it's some of what makes cross-promotional and inter-generational wrestling so cool to me. It's surprising then how I've seen better KENTA performances, which shows how much of a handsome, seemingly unhuman being of sheer violence he once was. However, in the notion of fairness I do realise that this match isn't perfect, as I did kinda still want KENTA and Katsuhiko Nakajima's offense to properly have that one last emotive and hatred fuelled-edge that I wanted it to, it does make sense when considering KENTA's aforementioned relentlessness, but I do think it would given itself one last important note of hate that would've properly engrossed me. To be honest, KENTA only really outwardly expressed his hatred of Nakajima once after he mockingly back-heels his head midway through the match, as otherwise both men where kinda verbally silent and sometimes I do think you need that kinda spoon-fed notion of utter distain that was so instrumental in feuds such as Hokuto/ Kandori and more recently Sareee/ Syuri. I do also think that this match was a bit too slow sometimes, and maybe this would've been better if they cut out a bit more of the filler. These things are obviously small nit-picks tho, as otherwise this match is one of my absolute favourites that I've watched in a while. Consequently, looking back 14 years later does make me a little bit sad, as given this match, it should've been obvious that both KENTA and Katsuhiko Nakajima would've been megastars in the upcoming generation, but as fate would have it, KENTA's career would be later hampered with injuries and seeming uninterest and Nakajima's would go into a mess that I don't even understand enough of to properly state here. I do regret not being around for this period of wrestling to see this type of stuff first-hand, as there was simply nobody else like Nakajima and KENTA throughout this time period when it came to puro-violence. But as it stands, this match stays as a perfect reminder of simpler times where there was no dark, weirdly Brock Lesnar-shaped clouds that would transform all nearby discourse into a complete fog-like plague."

[10.0] "[5 Stars] A crazy match between 2 of my favorite wrestlers of all time! The atmosphere was incredible, and the suspense was insane! I highly recommend it, and it's easy to find on YouTube. (*****)"

[10.0] "One of my favorite matches ever. Lots of strikes from both wreslters. Fast paced Japanese style match. I was surprised how young Nakajima was and keeping up with premier athletes. Awesone match."

[10.0] "Amazing match! Nakajima since his 20s delivering incredible matches like a veteran, total hard hitting with big moves coming from both competitors, a match lasting almost 40 minutes that has a slow and even tiring start but once it gets going it's breath-taking action and staying on the edge of the chair. 2009 MOTY (*****)"

[10.0] "This is an excellent match that appears to get slept on. KENTA in his prime is up against a young and upcoming Nakajima and the result is something special. This match goes for 40+ minutes, but the structure and pacing are almost perfect. Nothing feels lost or sluggish while the match takes place, and there is a feeling of a 90s AJPW-style build-up for the first 15-20 minutes, which then gives way for a very hot closing stretch with the crowd firmly behind their homegrown talent in Nakajima. A jam-packed Korakuen Hall makes the last 10 minutes or so feel special. The submission spots had me sold, and I thought the selling was much better than I expected. Worth checking out. ****3/4"

[10.0] "The whole match is almost perfect in how it is paced and has natural peaks and changes of control but it is really the final 10 minutes that take this match to the next level. Simply outrageous. The way they transitioned into different spots while it still feeling like a god damn fight is utter brilliance. KENTA was the best wrestler in the world at this point and Nakajima showed he could get close to that level. Brilliant ****3/4"

[10.0] "Absolutely incredible match between KENTA and Katsuhiko Nakajima. This was a star-making performance for Nakajima and knocked him up to the top echelon of wrestlers in the world (at the time) for me. KENTA was going all out here as well, and both these guys nearly killed each other in this match. They went the distance, for sure, and though this went for almost 40 minutes, it didn't drag one bit. There was incredible bumps and spots one after the other, and the drama and storytelling was nuts. Was this KENTA's best match? Hard to say, but it's certainly ONE OF his best. While the whole match was awesome, the final ten minute stretch was a whole new level of amazing. The near falls were insane. Amazing finish to the match. Amazing match. A masterpiece."

[10.0] "I knew what to expect going in from 2 of my favorites ever but I'm still blown away. I refuse to believe this is 40 minutes with how well this match flowed. Nothing was wasted and we got hit with everything pretty much at once. The trading of heat here was incredible as the crowd was on fire and played along with everything these 2 did. It just keeps building and building in absurdity and my god the fact they even teased some of the stuff in this was enough to make me lose my mind. The last 5 minutes of this made no goddamn sense and I was going insane. Me and the crowd were living and dying by the moves hit and it contains one of the most arrogant things I've ever seen in wrestling ring. The peak of junior heavyweight wrestling here and one of the greatest matches in history. However many stars is the highest nowadays this tops it and more. *****+"

[10.0] "Absurdly great match, these two are both out for complete bodily destruction and it's amazing to watch."

[10.0] "One of the greatest matches in wrestling history. Plain and simple. Nearly 40 minutes of nonstop action, drama, tension, and storytelling in its most incredible form. It started in the opening seconds and it literally never let up. Absolutely INSANE from start to finish! And every time I thought this match might be a bit overrated, it just kept going an growing into something that defies explanation. KENTA was arguably the best wrestler on the planet at this point in time. And this match was a shining example of why. I will not get into the specifics of this match because people who have not seen it need to feel the constantly building story, and I mean feel it. But how he turned being in an Ankle Lock into an STF and then turned that into a Tiger Suplex is one of my greatest marvels as a wrestling fan. As for Katsuhiko Nakajima, he is not fair. He was 22 when this match happened. 22. And he has not slowed down with churning out classics. Unreal. A match for the ages between two living legends. 5 stars, 10 out of 10. One of the easiest 10s I have given."

[10.0] "Absolutely one of the best matches of all time, it went nearly forty and I don't think any of it was wasted, a brutal affair with these two beating the hell out of each other. Nakajima had absolutely no right to be this excellent this early into his career. Five star match easy"

[10.0] "I have been looking for this match for YEARS, and now finally having found it, I can with upmost certainty say it completely lives up to the hype as a rare hidden gem. When looking at career rivals of KENTA, of course the one everyone would mention is Marufuji, but if you're looking at who the next in line would be, it wouldn't be Shiozaki, Sugiura or even Morishima. I think it would clearly be Nakajima for obvious reasons. This match went 40 damn minutes, and it did not drag even a SINGLE moment like you would expect in your stereotypical big NOAH match. Of course, the atmosphere of a white hot Korakuen crowd cheering for their home promotion guy to win helps. The drama that built with each strike, the selling, and a great final stretch put this over their NOAH rematch a month later for me. I don't hold any qualms in saying this match is easily one of the best if not the best match of both guys careers. A true classic when looking at some of the GOAT junior heavyweight matches, *****."

[9.0] "This turned into an excellent match, with the final couple of minutes being especially good and tremendously well executed."

[8.0] "Exactly the sort of match you'd expect from these two: lots of stiff strikes and a lot of focus on their similar fighting styles leading to many great, smooth, and exciting exchanges. Both wrestlers traded roles of being in control or being controlled, so both wrestlers got to show off their underdog selling as well as their heel selling. Being that Kenta was the outsider I thought he should have gotten more of his control work in, especially because Nakajima's facial expressions make him a compelling babyface whenever he's selling his pain from Kenta's strikes. The first 3/4 of the match is pretty standard stiff strikes and exciting counters and exchanges, but does feel to be pushing it a bit with how long it goes on for. The final 1/4 is just crazy great though, which is what really pushed this match into higher territory. First Nakajima delivers many vicious moves to Kenta, but Kenta survives each time, and then Kenta delivers some vicious moves to Nakajima, but Nakajima survives each time. During this control period of Kenta's, Kenta fails to beat Nakajima with the GTS, so he then lays in some stiff headkicks, goes for the pin, but then breaks up his own pin so that he can arrogantly beat Nakajima properly with the GTS, but in crazy fashion Nakajima counters into a frankensteiner, hits a sick headkick, and then ultimately ends up with the victory, all because Kenta chose to be cocky with Nakajima in Nakajima's own home promotion. Lots of great stuff here. ****1/4"