The opening of this match is great, Stan just starts stomping on a young boy while the streamers are coming down so Kobashi just launches over the ring and starts pummelling him. And then we're into the action and it's good! Kobashi hits a diving shoulder block off the apron and this is just one of those beautifully simple moves that I'm surprised doesn't show up more. It's a really effective move for a bigger wrestler to use without having to sacrifice their aura as a big man, but more on this later.
The first 10 minutes of this match is almost 100% Kobashi, Hansen has a few flurries of offence but they're all shut down almost immediately and it's genuinely shocking to see Stan sell for so long. It's a really good beatdown and there's a lot of cool moments but it did start to feel a bit long in the tooth by the end. However, it did a great job of building my excitement to see Stan fire back, and what a moment the cut-off is. Stan is crumpled in the corner and Kenta runs and dives at him only to be met by Stan just lifting his knee at the perfect time and clocking him right in the head. It's just this beautiful last gasp of effort and the timing is so perfect, not to mention Kobashi going fully limp for the sell and having to roll to the outside, then it's time for Stan to go on the offensive.
His first move is a big dive from the apron and again, it just works so well because Hansen is not a man who should be hitting graceful dives, he just kinda launches his body at Kobashi and hopes it hits. This is the level of aerial offence I want from big wrestlers. I get that it's wildly impressive Keith Lee can hit moonsaults and Lance Archer can hit his old-school style rope flippy deal (does that have a name) I just feel like I've seen every variation of a big man hitting a move traditionally reserved for the small flippy wrestlers and it all starts to feel samey. I just really enjoy big men who wrestle like big men and Hansen is one of the masters at that.
Anyway Hansen's next move is a gnarly powerbomb to the outside followed by an elbow drop from the apron and it almost feels like the two are equally beaten down after these few moves. But Hansen doesn't stop there and the next few minutes are him beating down Kobashi to try and even the score. They then transition into trading offence, Kobashi wins a strike exchange but then misses a top-rope dropkick when Hansen dives to the apron.
This is where the match gets really interesting, they're both beaten down to the point where you can feel the end is coming soon and they just keep bringing out cooler moves and more fire ramping up to a truly spectacular finish.
After Kobashi dropping Hansen with a standing lariat, a sleeper hold that really felt like Stan might go cold, a back suplex from Stan when Kobashi tries to hit some kind of springboard headlock slam, Kobashi ducking a lariat and countering into a drop toe hold and a series of leg drops, the Kobashi moonsault, a series of desperate roll-ups, and yet another Lariat from Kobashi, we're at the end.
Kobashi climbs up for another moonsault only to be cut off by Stan from behind, Hansen then climbs out to the apron to exchange strikes with Kobashi who's still sat on the top rope. After a short but surprisingly brutal exchange Hansen just swings a lariat right into Kobashi's head who then crumples off the corner and into a heap. There's nothing he can do from there and Stan just climbs in to take the pin.
I'm realising more and more that I'm just a sucker for a creative finishing sequence, I will always be a fan of a wrestler just hitting a standard finisher winning and most matches should probably end like that but the end of a match is really make or break and doing something off the wall is just so much fun, this match does that with some style.
So yeah, this was really great but the opening lost me a few times so I can't go as high as the last few minutes make me want to.
****1/2
The first 10 minutes of this match is almost 100% Kobashi, Hansen has a few flurries of offence but they're all shut down almost immediately and it's genuinely shocking to see Stan sell for so long. It's a really good beatdown and there's a lot of cool moments but it did start to feel a bit long in the tooth by the end. However, it did a great job of building my excitement to see Stan fire back, and what a moment the cut-off is. Stan is crumpled in the corner and Kenta runs and dives at him only to be met by Stan just lifting his knee at the perfect time and clocking him right in the head. It's just this beautiful last gasp of effort and the timing is so perfect, not to mention Kobashi going fully limp for the sell and having to roll to the outside, then it's time for Stan to go on the offensive.
His first move is a big dive from the apron and again, it just works so well because Hansen is not a man who should be hitting graceful dives, he just kinda launches his body at Kobashi and hopes it hits. This is the level of aerial offence I want from big wrestlers. I get that it's wildly impressive Keith Lee can hit moonsaults and Lance Archer can hit his old-school style rope flippy deal (does that have a name) I just feel like I've seen every variation of a big man hitting a move traditionally reserved for the small flippy wrestlers and it all starts to feel samey. I just really enjoy big men who wrestle like big men and Hansen is one of the masters at that.
Anyway Hansen's next move is a gnarly powerbomb to the outside followed by an elbow drop from the apron and it almost feels like the two are equally beaten down after these few moves. But Hansen doesn't stop there and the next few minutes are him beating down Kobashi to try and even the score. They then transition into trading offence, Kobashi wins a strike exchange but then misses a top-rope dropkick when Hansen dives to the apron.
This is where the match gets really interesting, they're both beaten down to the point where you can feel the end is coming soon and they just keep bringing out cooler moves and more fire ramping up to a truly spectacular finish.
After Kobashi dropping Hansen with a standing lariat, a sleeper hold that really felt like Stan might go cold, a back suplex from Stan when Kobashi tries to hit some kind of springboard headlock slam, Kobashi ducking a lariat and countering into a drop toe hold and a series of leg drops, the Kobashi moonsault, a series of desperate roll-ups, and yet another Lariat from Kobashi, we're at the end.
Kobashi climbs up for another moonsault only to be cut off by Stan from behind, Hansen then climbs out to the apron to exchange strikes with Kobashi who's still sat on the top rope. After a short but surprisingly brutal exchange Hansen just swings a lariat right into Kobashi's head who then crumples off the corner and into a heap. There's nothing he can do from there and Stan just climbs in to take the pin.
I'm realising more and more that I'm just a sucker for a creative finishing sequence, I will always be a fan of a wrestler just hitting a standard finisher winning and most matches should probably end like that but the end of a match is really make or break and doing something off the wall is just so much fun, this match does that with some style.
So yeah, this was really great but the opening lost me a few times so I can't go as high as the last few minutes make me want to.
****1/2