Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW Sakura Genesis 4/9/17) {English}
"Humans Can bleed."there is no match in the history of pro wrestling that can get me as emotional as this one on a rewatch, it was one of the first NJPW matches that i ever watched and even then it brought me to tears, its a story of a human who thought of himself as so much more, trying to repay his debts and almost dying in the process, a man trying to reach the top that was once destined for him, only to bleed.
i could start talking about the match or the crowd but i would love to talk about this shot first.
the money falls on Okada, the title is on Okada, the crowd pops for Okada, all that Shibata wanted as a wrestler belongs to Okada, and it really isn't anyone's fault but Shibata. and this isn't really a moment made for this camera shot, it was real, the regret on Shibata's face was real, the camera was just there to capture the moment, the moment of regret, and maybe at this moment Shibata realized that in order to get the title and the crowd, he had to destroy Okada, i wouldn't call it greed, it was more of a regret, and a decision making moment for Shibata, since he came back he fought hard for this moment, he gained the crowd back and fought his way through the new japan cup to reach this moment, only to be in Okada's shadow.
and then the bell rang.
Shibata didn't really fight from underneath, he fought a totally different style that Okada wasn't truly familiar with, his strikes were harder than Okada ever took, and this wasn't because Shibata is a harder striker than Suzuki, it's because Shibata was different. he got into this match with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it's easily noticeable either from him "no selling" Okada's offence physically or from his "Dojo style" bumps. he was determined to not show Okada that he had the upper hand, and each time Shibata felt like he's showing weakness, he went to his fucking strikes, stealing a page from his mentor Inoki.
i could point out how hard the strikes were or how loud they were but im sure you already read tens of reviews about this match and how they all pointed that out, but i wanna focus on how much Shibata broke Okada mentally by not showing any signs of damage from Okada's Elbows. even making fun of him and telling him to hit where it hurts, but also after every striking exchange Shibata tried to go for a headbutt but he either pussies out or Okada runs away from it, the Danger of the headbutt was really shown early on in the match and they kept reminding us that Okada was afraid, he wasn't prepared for this type of wrestling and Shibata was reminding Okada that he could hit it at any time, but even with this Godly Offence that Shibata put out, Okada Survived.
but this isn't a story about Okada overcoming Shibata or surviving the hardest headbutt in wrestling history, it's a Story about Shibata losing.
when Shibata took this Lariat and Sucked it all in, the crowd popped, and it felt like Shibata was on top of the world, maybe for the first time in this match it didn't just feel like Okada was losing, he was losing, Shibata felt on top of the world and Okada was helpless, And then that headbutt was hit.
Shibata hit his frontal bone, which is one of the softest bones in the skull, on Okada's Parietal Bone, which is one of the hardest bones of the skull, and then came the greatest Camera shot in wrestling History, and Shibata's sanctitude gave in to his Humanity, Shibata bled.
The rest of the match was Okada giving Shibata a beating, He just kept beating the living shit out of him until he fell but realistically. Shibata Lost the moment he hit that headbutt, all throughout this match he tried to kill Okada but he almost died in the process, even tho he lost, but this was Shibata's night, he almost ended his career by delivering the greatest performance in wrestling history.
The perfect showcase of the sin of greed that’s driven by need, this watch showcased humanity at it’s finest because it proved that everyone can bleed, even if it’s Katsuyori Shibata in the Ryogoku Kokugikan on a random Sunday’s Midnight Steed.
fuck, i love pro wrestling.
5* | GMEC
i could start talking about the match or the crowd but i would love to talk about this shot first.
the money falls on Okada, the title is on Okada, the crowd pops for Okada, all that Shibata wanted as a wrestler belongs to Okada, and it really isn't anyone's fault but Shibata. and this isn't really a moment made for this camera shot, it was real, the regret on Shibata's face was real, the camera was just there to capture the moment, the moment of regret, and maybe at this moment Shibata realized that in order to get the title and the crowd, he had to destroy Okada, i wouldn't call it greed, it was more of a regret, and a decision making moment for Shibata, since he came back he fought hard for this moment, he gained the crowd back and fought his way through the new japan cup to reach this moment, only to be in Okada's shadow.
Shibata didn't really fight from underneath, he fought a totally different style that Okada wasn't truly familiar with, his strikes were harder than Okada ever took, and this wasn't because Shibata is a harder striker than Suzuki, it's because Shibata was different. he got into this match with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it's easily noticeable either from him "no selling" Okada's offence physically or from his "Dojo style" bumps. he was determined to not show Okada that he had the upper hand, and each time Shibata felt like he's showing weakness, he went to his fucking strikes, stealing a page from his mentor Inoki.
but this isn't a story about Okada overcoming Shibata or surviving the hardest headbutt in wrestling history, it's a Story about Shibata losing.
Shibata hit his frontal bone, which is one of the softest bones in the skull, on Okada's Parietal Bone, which is one of the hardest bones of the skull, and then came the greatest Camera shot in wrestling History, and Shibata's sanctitude gave in to his Humanity, Shibata bled.
The perfect showcase of the sin of greed that’s driven by need, this watch showcased humanity at it’s finest because it proved that everyone can bleed, even if it’s Katsuyori Shibata in the Ryogoku Kokugikan on a random Sunday’s Midnight Steed.
fuck, i love pro wrestling.
5* | GMEC
Keep it up mate!
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