This one is a JIP :(((.

My first exposure to Honda and Asako. The first thing I thought when I saw Honda was "How can a 23-year-old have a body that makes him look 45?". I'll give my thoughts on them in the end.

We join the match with Kobashi on top, Honda fights back with headbutts and tags in Kawada. After Misawa, Kobashi and Asako take turns working on Kawada, the match pace begins to pick up. A scrap on the outside sees Kobashi powerbomb Taue on the outside! Misawa powers out of Kawada's barrage of kicks to the face in the corner, probably signaling that his orbital bone injury is mostly, if not completely, healed by now. Honda gives Kobashi a run for his money with headbutts and lariats, I especially love the springboard (kinda) headbutt spot. The match gets even faster when Taue and Misawa come in, the action becomes so fast now that it is literally blink-and-you-miss-it. The crowd are so into it they even go crazy for Honda and Asako going at it. Misawa's team get some heat at some point because they keep entering the ring illegally, normally it's Kawada and Taue the ones to get those reactions. Kobashi Taue Misawa and Kawada all get spots in which they go up against multiple opponents. Amidst all the chaos of people entering and exiting the ring to brawl, Kobashi hits Honda with a Dragon Suplex and gets the 3.

I'm essentially judging this match by its finishing stretch, I know, but this was really exciting. The match got faster and more chaotic the closer it got to its end, with seemingly no letting up. Misawa was very solid as always and we got to see a Tiger Suplex from him, Kawada landed some stiff kicks that will make you wince, even Taue was fast and crisp in this one, he had no problems keeping up. Asako was quite unremarkable really, he usually either got his ass kicked or just used stomps and slaps to attack, he did hit a top rope frankensteiner at some point though. He's only been pro for 4 years, he's still got lots to learn. I really liked Honda here, he had great fire and his headbutt-based offense, while looking a bit dodgy at times, was very welcome and differentiated him from the rest of the wrestlers in this match. He also performed two brutal choke bombs on Asako and a German Suplex on Kobashi, I suspect he would be higher up the card if he had a better look and polished his in-ring work a bit more.

This one is a fun casual watch, no need to think or anything, just look at the pretty moves and awe. It doesn't even seem to have any major storyline progression, apart from Misawa not selling his face anymore. It's pretty good, but you won't miss much if you skip this.