Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada

[9.0] "Great match, and I think the only issue I can find is that It was an hour long, It wasn't bad, both Kawada and Kobashi did an amazing job and both are amazing like in this match, but even though it was long, and the begining was maybe a little slow, they end up giving a great match full of action from them (Kawada and Kobashi) and the crowd light it up more, 9/10 [****3/4]"

[7.0] "Kawada and Kobashi go a full hour in a match that's *technically and objectively* good but still a little lacking in my personal opinion. Since it's a 60-minute outing, both guys pace themselves in the early goings and we don't really get any interesting offense in until about the 20-minute mark of the contest. But the third act is REALLY entertaining stuff, with Kobashi targeting Kawada's left leg over and over again -- only for Toshiaki to catch his second wind and start kicking Kenta's ass all over the ring with his-still-good *right* leg. Way to scout that enzuigiri, Kenta! I guess it's solid enough to catch at least once, but it's hardly the kind of thing I can imagine myself watching every year like some of these guys' more iconic (and VASTLY more enjoyable) matches from the '90s."

[10.0] "Loved this broadway. Unfortunately had the result spoiled for me, so the last ~10 minutes didn't have the tension I wish they had, but I still really enjoyed this match overall. Even without knowing the result, it would've been obvious they were gearing up to go long at the start since the pace is very slow. There's a lot of leg work from both guys throughout the match, and to me this is the biggest flaw of the match, as even though the selling (especially from Kawada) is great for the first two thirds of the match, it goes out the window for the final stretch. Also, the commentary was absolutely horrendous. Giant Baba and some other dude just talking and chuckling as if it's their morning tea time. Can't hold that against the match though. The final few minutes were a great culmination to the previous hour, even if the leg work was mostly forgotten. ****3/4"

[7.0] "A good match but I feel it might be a bit overrated. About 5-10 minutes into this my feeling told me that this would go the full 60, which took away from the match a bit. The overuse of time limit draws at the beginning of 1994 in All Japan as well as Kawada not getting a win in his first defense of the Triple Crown have taken away a bit from my enjoyment. Still a good match, especially towards the end."

[6.0] "First of all let me say that the commentary for this match is absolute fucking dogshit. It's Giant Baba and someone else, and they can't muster up a single ounce of excitement for anything in this match. They just casually chat over it and it hurts the match a lot. Anyway, this is a good use of a 60 minute draw as there's no filler or blatant time-killing, and they are constantly fighting and struggling so it never gets boring. That being said, it never gets particularly great either. The only thing to make me react at all was an absolutely horrific and disgusting german suplex in roughly the literal final minute of the match."

[9.0] "First time watching this epic since 1995 and I definitely enjoyed it more today than I did back then. It's an incredible piece of work in terms of pacing, selling and psychology, with the crowd staying red hot for the full 60, which is a credit to the 35-45 minute markers these two set in Triple Crown shots the previous year. I only wish a version existed without Giant Baba's drab, director's commentary-style witterings which really drag the viewing experience down ****1/2"

[5.0] "Strange match. Starter of really well, with classic holds and chain wrestling. Then we had recent working on both guys legs. Smazony selling by Kobashi. Match git worst in every minute. Never hit 2nd gear. Strange ending. Too long for me, bot enough god spots and reversals for 1 hour match. Still great atlethic performance by 2 legends on their prime. ***"

[10.0] "One of my all time AJPW matches. The storytelling was phenomenal if you know the background, the selling was good and the last third is simply out of this world. Kobashi finally didn't quit to Kawada strength and even forced him on a draw on a 60 minutes draw, perhaps is a bit too much slow sometimes but I felt entertained throughout; if you like '90 AJPW bombfest you should see at least the second half but trust me just watch it and make your own idea. *****"

[8.0] "I mostly dread 60 minute matches because there will be some boredom, but this one surprised me. They kept the opening stages of this fresh without resorting to odd bursts of action that occur in most long matches. They stuck to the ground, did some outside work, but it never felt boring. I think there was maybe one suplex in the first 20 minutes. Also the ending, while action packed, didnt just feel like theyre only kicking out because its a draw like so many draws do. All kickouts seemed believable and not overkill. Yes, the leg psychology basically disappeared in the final ten minutes (Kobashis stopped well before that), so thats the main knock here. But everything else is quite good and worth watching."

[6.0] "Surprisingly, the length was not the biggest problem for me. Although it would have been better if it was shorter, that was not hurt this match the most. What hurt the match most was the leg work was established really well, but was quickly forgotten about despite the fact that could have added an interesting layer to the match. Also having your top heel fail to defend the title with a win once in his reign is dumb. ***1/4."

[8.0] "I do not know how smart is it to make your champion draw in his first defense, but the match was great for a 60 minute one. The pace was what you would expect for a such lengthy bout but the finishing sequence was soo exciting and what came before that made perfect sense. Maybe not 5 stars worthy but still a great encounter between two legends. ****1/4"

[8.0] "In isolation, this match could be an all-timer or at least close to it but given context and the final 5 minutes, this falls pretty far from that. The first 10 mins are fine, even a little telling at times given how slow they're moving and there's even a feel that they don't want to go 60. Once Kawada hits a german suplex and transitions into leg work, it does offer something new. The leg work isn't super exciting but Kobashi's attempts to get back into things like hanging onto the sleeper is pretty fun. Moments like Kawada powering through Kobashi's chops and Kobashi doing the same only to get hit in the throat are so great. Around the 30 minute mark, Kawada kicks Kobashi out of mid-air but reaggravates his own knee injury which Kobashi targets in by far the most interesting part of the match. The figure four struggle, Kawada kicking Kobashi in the head to escape the single leg crab and Kobashi chopping Kawada's leg are all highlights. Kawada's fiery offence like the kick/chop combo and wrist-clutch chops to get back into things soon being turned against him by Kobashi were fun as was Kobashi using a Kawada-style powerbomb. Kawada collapsing off irish whip perfectly used the exhaustion of the length of the match to their beenfit and Kobashi sold that exhaustion too but I kinda wish he chose to sell the leg as a reason for not following up on offence. The final 10 is pretty excessive with so many kicks, suplexes and nearfalls that kinda hurt all the story they'd put into the match otherwise but it's impossible to deny how awesome Kawada's struggle on the final powerbomb. Given this was Kawada's first title defence, he needed a strong showing and going 60 against Kobashi probably isn't it, as well as the fact this could've been done so much better had it been later into a different reign as a babyface showing for Kobashi. Still, this ends up on the great side of things - ****"

[8.0] "A confusing but ultimately awesome match. The length brought issues as well as benefits. Kobashi and Kawada are storytelling masters, so they managed to make their 'slow' work in the first 2/3rds still very engaging with their strong selling and displays of physical struggle. Sadly, there were still a few too many rest-holds and generic exchanges where both guys tried to carry the match on selling alone, which wasn't super fun. There'd be a few bursts where they'd break from that formula to hit one or two big attacks, but then they'd return to the slow pace which would quickly temper that excitement. The match finally opened up once Kawada injured his leg and Kobashi capitalised by working it over further. Kobashi showed great determination with his firm control there, and Kawada sold his pain and exhaustion extremely well. The match was still slow but at least *far* more captivating at that point, especially as that then led into both men FINALLY going for broke with all their beautifully dangerous big bombs for the final 20 minutes. As much as I complained about how slow the first 2/3rds were, I have to admit that that ultimately worked in making their eventual big strike and power-move trades far more exciting than if they'd been introduced consistently in the first 1/3rd. Because of how exhausted both men were after their slow but physically draining first 30+ minutes of holds and more basic exchanges, every single bomb they traded after that was rightfully treated as being extra devastating for both the recipient and the deliverer. It was in seeing both men delivering their big moves while struggling to even stay upright and not collapse from immense fatigue and pain that made this match feel special, and it truly showed that they had been in a hard-fought battle. At some points even any mid-tier move was capable of stumbling the recipient or knocking them down, further showing how demanding the match was on both men's bodies. The crowd were living and dying on each near fall Kobashi went for or was the victim of, with that desire for Kobashi to get the win adding even further drama. Kobashi's desperation at the end to evade Kawada's pin-falls following his big signature moves and finishers was awesome, showing that he was near-dead to the point that he'd be happy simply surviving by holding out for a draw rather than wasting all his efforts by getting beaten despite taking the champ so far already. The obviousness that this was heading to a 60-minute draw definitely took a bit of excitement out, but seeing how they got to that obvious result was very exciting. I still would have preferred if the match didn't go as long and/or they cut the rest-holds and basic exchanges down significantly, but I can't deny that their approach ultimately still worked in creating an awesome match that enjoyably strayed from the usual AJPW formula. ****1/4"

[10.0] "I'll grant that the first half of this match doesn't do a whole lot other than establish Kobashi's knee injury. But then when Kawada catches Kobashi coming off the top rope with a kick, he ends up hurting his leg more than he hurt Kobashi, which leads to a battle of 1-legged men. Then the final stretch is ridiculous. Kawada hits Kobashi with seemingly everything in his arsenal, but Kobashi refuses to stay down. Then when Kobashi turns the tide, he hits Kawada with seemingly everything in his arsenal, but then Kawada refused to stay down. Kawada regains control and is seemingly only moments from putting the match away with a powerbomb, but Kobashi fights it off long enough for the time limit to toll to end the match. The match suffered from terrible commentary that doesn't add anything to the match. The finishing stretch would've seemed much more insane with a commentator going ape over it, but instead the commentary is pretty much lifeless. That shouldn't take away from what they did in the ring though. I can see why it was at one time considered the best hour-long match ever. Omega and Okada definitively put an end to this match's tentative grasp on that spot, but this is still a classic 60-minute match. ****3/4-*****"

[4.0] "Did not like this match. Even the final stretch. Firstly, it does not help that the commentary on the verison I watched features Giant Baba and possibly Mitsuo Momota sounding as though they are commentating over a funeral, or randomly chuckling during what are supposed to be dramatic moments. Secondly, yes, I can understand the logic behind this and I understand the layout of the match wherein both men go after each other's knee, and furthermore the desire (I presume? ) to get them over as being undisputed behemoths insofar as them having the stamina to last an hour, but it results in a mercilessly boring stop start match featuring the prolonged execution of normal moves (for instance, 30 seconds to a minute of Kobashi and Kawada going back and forth trying to do a suplex). My biggest problem is that matches that are this long become very synthetic in presentation as it starts to become very obvious where they are trying to simply stretch for time (c. f. the aforementioned minute of Kobashi and Kawada fighting over a suplex), which completely ruins my personal investment in what is being presented I totally respect the hell out of them for managing it and fully acknowledge that the crowd are into it, but it iis my opinion that everything these men did could have been achieved in 30 minutes time. Taking an hour, to me, is simply unnecessary grandstanding, even if it was for the end goal of getting to a draw. They could have just said that the match had a 30 minute time limit instead. **"

[9.0] "I think everyone knows that the reason this match went to Broadway was because Baba wanted to give the fans of the region, who are just a few miles away from where the Great Hanshin Earthquake took place, something special. And sixty minutes of Kobashi v Kawada is special, for sure. Extremely rare for the era. And they do an excellent job at filling the time as well. Even the low points of the match were interesting enough to keep you invested. They opt for a more methodical, technical approach for the most part rather than the brawl heavy style that we've grown accustomed to. Kawada and Kobashi seemed intent on grinding each other down with Kawada attacking Kobashi's taped leg at times. Kobashi kept plugging away though, being able to fight through the attacks on the leg and the nasty strikes Kawada threw at him, including a chop to the throat of all things. Kobashi did a great job at keeping his spectacular offence to a minimum, pacing the moves nicely over the 60 minute, allowing the crowd to soak it in and not get exhausted. Kawada's selling was great. Particular on how he sold his fatigue and wear and tear of the match. He looked near dead at times. Super good match. ****1/4"

[10.0] "great match with great psychology. I really liked the work on each other's body parts and the matchability of the match. how Kavada fell from being tired"

[5.0] "Didn't really like it tbh, most of the match was doing 1 semi-interesting move and then going back to restholds/limbwork. The final few minutes were alright but I had to suffer through the other 55 minutes to get there, it was too late for me to be invested. They also had to sell being exhausted through every "big" move, I would accept this had not everything else in the match be a whole lot of nothing, they shouldn't be this tired. None of their movesets are interesting or deep enough for a 60 minute time limit draw, mediocre match I'll go no higher than **1/2. I've liked the other matches with Kobashi or Kawada I've watched somewhat but this just wasn't it."

[8.0] "This was a really great match that felt more like an athletic contest than a wrestling match. It didn't have any serious flaws, and no minor ones seemed apparent, but there was something lacking to prevent me rating it any higher."

[8.0] "Really good match, but not what I had expected. Lots of grappling and wrestling, not a lot of huge moves or outside of the ring activity. Certainly not a formulaic AJPW match, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The draw at 60 minutes irks me, although I believe in it from a storytelling perspective. Overall this is a very well managed and executed match, but not what I wanted it to be. ****."

[7.0] "This was a good match but far from a classic for me. The first 20 or so minutes were alright but they decided to execute some limb work and while the work was done well, it just ended up getting no sold within about 5 minutes or so. The psychology was there but from what I gathered very little in the realms of a story to go along with this one. The final 20-25 minutes or so was your usual stuff from these two with the big movez and nearfalls. The crowd was hot for this especially but I just wasn't too amazed or blown away by it. ***"

[9.0] "The problem with one hour matches is, that you generally have to start with a big sequence/move/spot to captivate the crowd for the reminder of the match. In this case the match starts off rather slow and I lost interest up until to the 25 minute mark. After that I saw a brilliant match with a fantastic finish. Unfortunately, I can't ignore the boring beginning, so "only" **** 1/2"