LogFAQs > #947437640

NBIceman posted...

Okay, sorry for the delay, folks.

Iceman's Match of the Week

Chris Sabin vs Katsuhiko Nakajima
AJPW Pro-Wrestling Love In Ryogoku Vol. 3 - August 26, 2007
Match Link: https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/k34tJU2QWitz68w2oTb

The "familiar face" in this one is, of course, Sabin making a rare singles tour of Japan, but for a lot of fans, Nakajima, who has spent more than a decade now as one of the most enduring and consistently good members of NOAH, could probably also qualify, especially considering he's walking in as the champion.

Sabin earned this challenge by winning AJPW's Junior League over such names as TAKA Michinoku and, many years before his dick kicking and garrote wiring escapades, Dick Togo, including a victory in the finals over Shuji Kondo, who had just recently held this title for an almost-500-day reign. Sabin was doing some of the best singles work of his career at this point, and his booking everywhere he went reflected that.

If you're not familiar with Nakajima, suffice it to say that he was a prodigy in every sense of the word. He's 19 years old here and already in his fourth year as a pro. And considering he was good from the time he first stepped in the ring, that's a great combination. And that puts Sabin in a fun position; he was no grizzled vet by this point by any means, but he got to work like one, punishing every mistake his overaggressive opponent makes and showing some great smarts by targeting the leg and trying to take away his brutal kicks.

Brutal kicks still abound, though. Oh, do they ever. This match is much more violent than you may expect, with some of the best looking strikes you'll ever see coming from both guys. It's fast-paced and exciting and, for two guys that have had careers in which AJPW was pretty much just a blip on the radar, it's a hell of a hidden gem.

Oh hey, Chris Sabin with knees! I had forgotten what that was like. Man, that made this a treat to watch after years of seeing him in his current condition.

If any of you haven't seen Katsuhiko Nakajima before, this is a great introduction to him and his style. He loves his kicks and his kicks look amazing. He hasn't changed that much from his younger years but he also hasn't really needed to. His stuff is great and he's stayed healthy. I just wish he'd spend more time in promotions that weren't circling the drain. <_<

I think what I really loved out of Sabin is that it was clear he came into this with a game plan. He was going to work that leg, try to take away Nakajima's offense, and hopefully that will leave him in a position to be able to get a Cradle Shock for the win. Sabin showed off some really great submission offense and impressive quickness with his ability to keep slipping Nakajima up whenever Nakajima seemed like he was going to take control back. That dive spot where Nakajima nailed him with a perfect high kick was excellent.

I guess my final thought on this is how much it sucks to be Chris Sabin. At this time, he was a part of the conversation for being one of the best juniors in the business. However, the back-to-back ACL tears completely derailed him and I feel as though he's never been able to adapt to it. It's a shame that so much of his career is tied to TNA where they never really used him or Alex Shelley to their fullest and we didn't get more performances like this.