4 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 (Night 2)
2. Hiromu Takahashi Could Sell Fool's Gold As 24-Carat
After a thrilling, 100mph dance of deception, Taiji Ishimori ate sh*t from a killer apron powerbomb. This compelled Hiromu Takahashi, with an iconic moment in mind, to lead a clap up the entrance ramp. He sprinted down it. And then this weird anticlimactic running spot ended in ugly, half-there connection when Ishimori did...something to cut Hiromu off.
A heat sequence that was there didn't shake off the residual weirdness because it's hard to get behind the babyface, even an outwardly extravagant lunatic, when he makes such a dumb decision. They got back on track to deliver something absolutely sublime when Ishimori accelerated the cut-off with his awesome sliding German. Ishimori worked the arm, and Hiromu in turn worked the injury into the comeback with an awesome release overhead into the turnbuckle. He relied on Ishimori's momentum, and not the diminished strength of his arm. This was beautiful, intelligent pro wrestling. Exchanging offence at a furious rate, Hiromu killed Ishimori with a perfectly-timed, sensational German off the handspring.
They slowed the pace at the perfect time to craft a uniquely brutal fighting spirit spot. Hiromu, deranged, ran into forearm after forearm. In control, Ishimori rained down blow upon blow with a sickening connection. This was done so powerfully that it cleansed the weirdness of that bizarre botch. You couldn't not clap for his next-level selling. After a spirited comeback, Ishimori did well not to break Hiromu's arm in two with a nasty-as-f*ck counter into a crossface.
The ending was a bit too sudden to resonate as an iconic finish, but man, that match was tremendous.