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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: KENTA – Go 2 Sleep – Disc 2

April 9, 2015 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: KENTA – Go 2 Sleep – Disc 2  

 

United We Stand
Dayton, Ohio
June 22, 2007

KENTA vs. Rocky Romero

Rocky got control first. KENTA fought back and had firm control. Rocky managed to make a comeback and got a handful of nearfalls. They started going back and forth. Rocky got the flying armbar. KENTA hit two tiger suplexes. KENTA hit a buckle bomb and then a Penalty Kick. BUSAIKU KNEE: 1…2…NO! The Busaiku Knee quickly became a no-reaction nearfall for KENTA in ROH. He called for the GTS. They traded cross armbreakers. KENTA somehow managed to reverse one into the GTS: 1…2…3!

For such a spotty match with little in the way of emotion or in-ring storytelling, this was pretty fun! It went too long for the match they had, but this is one of the most enjoyable Rocky matches that I’ve ever seen.

Match Rating: ***

 

Driven
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
June 23, 2007

KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson

They go back and forth with holds and strikes for a while with neither man keeping an advantage for very long. Dragon was eventually able to get the advantage and worked over various body parts of KENTA. KENTA came back with an ace crusher on Dragon when he came off the second turnbuckle. The two guys then went back and forth again after that. Dragon went for a suicide dive, but he was met with a kick from KENTA for his troubles. Dragon came right back with a belly-to-bell suplex from the apron to the floor. Back in the ring, Dragon delivered some big forearms and locked in Cattle Mutilation. KENTA was able to make the ropes to break the hold. They then started trading head-dropping suplex variations much to the dismay of their brains. They followed that up with some strikes, until KENTA hit the Busaiku Knee. KENTA locked in Cattle Mutilation and hit a Tiger Suplex for a nearfall. KENTA hit a Buckle Bomb with such momentum that he sent himself through the ropes to the floor. KENTA got a sleeper, but Dragon hit a Go 2 Sleep. KENTA shrugged it off only to run into the elbows. Dragon blocked a Go 2 Sleep and hit a Tiger Suplex: 1…2…NO! Elbows! Go 2 SLEEP!!!!: 1…2…3!

The fans chant “Match of the Year.” This result still puzzles me as KENTA did not get another ROH title shot until 2009, and Dragon was the #1 contender at the time (perhaps NOAH had something going on that prevent him from doing a job?). The match was compelling all the way through and peaked perfectly right at end. Great stuff.

Match Rating: ****

 

Glory By Honor
New York City, New York
November 3, 2007

Mitsuharu Misawa(c) vs. KENTA [GHC Heavyweight Championship]

KENTA surprisingly had the early advantage. Misawa finally fought back though and got control. KENTA eventually made a comeback. Misawa blocked a springboard move and then wiped out KENTA with a tope suicida. Misawa hit a Tiger Driver for a nearfall. KENTA made a comeback after blocking a diving crossbody. He actually hit the GTS: 1…2…NO! Misawa came back with Emerald Flowsion: 1…2…NO! Busaiku Knee! Misawa eventually finished KENTA with the Emerald Flowsion Kai.

Beyond the fact that Misawa was in ROH at all, this match was nothing special. It was fun enough to watch, but it’s really just a match. Glad I saw it though.

Match Rating: **3/4

 

Tokyo Summit
Tokyo, Japan
September 14, 2008

KENTA & Kota Ibushi vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Katsuhiko Nakajima

I’ve never seen this one, but I believe it’s a thirty minute draw. Mehhh.

After a lot of (fun) back and forth action, KENTA got cut off and then worked over. KENTA and Kota fought back. Kota did a great sequence with Nakajima. Kota eventually got cut off and then worked over. KENTA made a hot tag. The teams continued to go back and forth. And back and forth. And back and forth. This is just a style that is not for me at all. Kota survived an ankle lock from Nakajima as the time limit expired.

The teams asked for five minutes. Cary Silken approved it. KENTA and Marufuji went at it. Both teams battled for five more minutes, but we still did not have a winner. It officially ended in a draw.

I have not seen much Japanese tag team wrestling from the last decade that appeals me. I find it exhausting and boring most of the time. This was not exception. I can completely appreciate other fans feeling different though and the effort put into the match. It just was not for me in any way.

It’s hard for me to rate a match like this. I lost interest after the first ten minutes, and there were twenty five more minutes after that.

Match Rating: **

 

Anniversary Show
New York City, New York
March 21, 2009

Nigel McGuinness(c) vs. KENTA [ROH World Championship]

This match is for Nigel’s ROH World Championship. Nigel had been champion for around 500 days at the time of this match. Nigel had two torn biceps at the time of this match.

Nigel had already dropped a lot of weight by this point, and he was looking great. KENTA scored with some slaps in the early goings. KENTA then went after Nigel’s arms. KENTA was in complete control, and Nigel was whimpering in pain. Nigel couldn’t get anything going. Nigel got draped on the ropes. Nigel avoided a double stomp, and he then managed to hit a Tower of London to the floor. I like that a desperate Nigel went for his biggest weapons early. Especially since his injuries took away the lariat. Nigel started to go after KENTA’s left arm. Nigel was in control for a while because of his work on KENTA’s left arm. KENTA managed to come back with some strikes and a suplex. KENTA hit a diving lariat for a nearfall. KENTA locked in a kimura. Nigel escaped. Nigel went for another Tower of London, but KENTA avoided it and hit a Yakuza and a snap powerslam. Nigel crotched KENTA on the ropes. Nigel went for the lariat, but KENTA avoided it. Nigel managed to send KENTA to the floor. KENTA hit a Yakuza that sent Nigel into the crowd. KENTA draped Nigel on the barricade and then hit a top rope double stomp. Jee. Zus. Nigel managed to avoid being count out. KENTA then hit a springboard dropkick, two Yakuzas, and then a dropkick in the corner. KENTA got a nearfall with a Fisherman buster. KENTA hit the Busaiku Knee for a silent nearfall. They traded pinning combinations, and then Nigel locked in a London Dungeon. KENTA made the ropes. Nigel hit a Tower of London: 1…2…no. No one bought that nearfall. KENTA came back with the super Falcon Arrow: 1…2…NO! Good nearfall. KENTA called for Go-2-Sleep, but Nigel avoided it. KENTA got a nearfall with a bridging German. Nigel teased the Jawbreaker, but KENTA managed to hit the G0-2-Sleep: 1…2…FOOT ON THE ROPES! Nigel managed to come back with a Tower of London onto the ring apron. They almost got counted out, but both men got in at 19. Nigel went for the headstand kick, but KENTA got him up for the Go-2-Sleep. Nigel blocked the knee strike and hit a Go-2-Sleep of his own: 1…2…NO!!! London Dungeon! KENTA reversed it into a rollup for a nearfall. Nigel went for the Dungeon again, but KENTA escaped. Nigel hit a Divorce Court, and he then locked the Dungeon again. Nigel then pulled back and held KENTA on his knees as he held onto the Dungeon! KENTA TAPS OUT!

While this match didn’t have the atmosphere of a lot of Nigel’s best defenses (ROH was pretty cold by this point), I have a soft spot for this match that probably makes me overrate it slightly. While Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and probably even CM Punk had more celebrated reigns as ROH World Champion, my favorite ROH champion ever was Nigel McGuinness. I think he was the perfect champion and had a number of excellent feuds as champion, which were all seemingly going on at the same time. So, to see the broken champion fight on here smartly and with honor was an awesome story to see unfold. He lost his main weapons (his arms), but he still managed to defeat one of the best wrestlers of the last twenty years in a believable fashion. Just an excellent match. Check it out.

Match Rating: ****

Watch this fantastic match here.

 

Supercard of Honor
Houston, Texas
April 3, 2009

KENTA(c) vs. Davey Richards [GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship]

Davey got control early on by going after the left leg. KENTA started to fight back, but Davey sent him to the floor and hit the wild tope con HELLO into the crowd. Back in the ring, KENTA came back after avoiding a superplex. They started going back and forth soon enough. The action was quite fun. KENTA hit a Busaiku Knee, but Davey then reversed a GTS into a Cloverleaf on the injured knee! KENTA survived but ate a DR Driver for a very weak nearfall. Davey avoided another GTS and then handspringed onto KENTA’s shoulders. After a very awkward cut (more on that in a second), Davey inexplicably dropped onto KENTA’s knee, face-first: 1…2…3

These two reportedly botched an inverted (?) GTS twice in a row before just ending the match on a regular GTS.

While the finish and the half-hearted knee story took this down a tad, I still really enjoyed it all these years later. Davey always did better in singles matches that were action heavy and ended before they went on too long. This match managed to accomplish both of those things.

Match Rating: ***3/4

 

Take No Prisoners
Houston, Texas
April 4, 2009

KENTA & Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima

The teams went back and forth for a bit. Aries eventually got cut off by KENTA, and he was then YOUR heel in peril. Aries made his own comeback on Tyler and cut him off. Tyler then got worked over for a while. KENTA made a flat hot tag. He got cut off and worked over. Well, it’s a good thing that wasn’t the match’s real hot tag. Tyler made the real hot tag finally. Very few people cared. Tyler and Aries went at it. KENTA saved him from the Last Chancery. Nakajima and KENTA went at it. Tyler finished Aries eventually by reversing a brainbuster into God’s Last Gift.

The last few minutes redeemed what was otherwise an unspectacular match. ROH had clearly just completely given up on PPVs by this point, as this main event felt completely meaningless. (The whole card was completely mystifying actually.) The match was just good enough, but you would think these four would be able to put something more impressive together.

Match Rating: ***

 

End of an Age
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
June 27, 2009

KENTA vs. Tyler Black

KENTA got control first. Tyler fought back. KENTA cut him off again though and got control again. Tyler managed to fight back again to an apparent draw, but KENTA got the STF. He then hit a pop-up Ace Crusher. Tyler came back and scoop slammed KENTA to the floor. Tope con HELLO. Tyler then made a comeback in the ring; the crowd largely responded with apathy. KENTA avoided the buckle bomb and came back. They botched a GTS reversal. It looked bad. KENTA then reversed God’s Last Gift into the GTS: 1…2…NO!? What? Wow. Tyler came back, but KENTA then reversed a kneeling superkick into a GTS: 1…2…3

Much like the last match, this feeling so insignificant brought it down a ton. The closing sequence was almost able to save it, but they had an ugly botch to bring it right back down to average territory. KENTA’s use in 2009 was bizarre to say the least.

Match Rating: **3/4

 

Watch KENTA matches for free!

KENTA vs. Low Ki

KENTA vs. Nigel McGuinness

KENTA, Kevin Steen, & El Generico vs. Chris Hero, Davey Richards, & Eddie “Eddie Edwards” Edwards

8.5
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
While this set does not cover every single match KENTA had in ROH, it absolutely has the great majority of the highlights and does a great job of capturing the narrative of KENTA's time in ROH. After KENTA's exclamation point debut against Low Ki, KENTA's matches were seemingly all about building him up as a challenger to Bryan Danielson. His matches were super hot in that time and there was a great purpose to his matches. As soon as that chase end, KENTA's matches took on a exhibition-y tone that brought them all down slightly. For all of his talent, KENTA did not do a great job of changing up his matches. ROH really should have given him a new purpose in 2007 (or even the same purpose). Maybe there were outside reasons for why that couldn't happen, but the lack of concrete purpose for his character brought down his 2007 matches ever so slightly. As for 2009, I do not know what to say. He definitely did some great stuff, but it's not clear why he was brought in exactly. (Not that I am against good matches for the sake of good matches, but ROH had clearly proven they could more with him.) With all that in mind, this is a great set with lots of good matches. The 2006 matches just have a bit more meat to them.
legend

article topics :

KENTA, TJ Hawke