AJPW World Tag Team Title Match: Holy Demon Army (Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada) (c) vs. Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa - AJPW October Giant Series 1995 - Day 12 15/10/1995
The match peaked in the first half before the reset but the last half was still a good closing stretch. Kobashi was absolutely phenomenal from bell to bell with some impeccable selling and great offence. The Holy Demon Army took out Misawa with the Nodawa off the apron and left Kobashi on his own on the defensive for such a long time. He did a great job of credibly taking the fight to Taue (and Kawada, but this stretch was mostly Taue and Kobashi kicking ass) before ultimately getting overwhelmed. Misawa is pretty much on death's door during this time period too. It's basically 2 v 1 for a good chunk. The match lost me a bit during the reset with Misawa returning to the match and the pacing slowing down dramatically. But once it regained some flow, the quality came with it. Kawada opted to work on Kobashi’s arm, locking in some nifty wrist locks and various submissions. Great match in parts, but not totally connected together enough to be a classic. ****
Gary Albright vs. Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW October Giant Series 1995 - Day 18 25/10/1995
This is Kawada's masterpiece. Not only does he adapt to Albright’s UWFI style perfectly, but he is also able to keep the exact elements of a traditional pro wrestling style. The match is hot from the opening bell with Albright’s suplex teases getting a massive reaction - that's showing how well Albright got the move over in the build) - while Kawada was scrambling for a defence. Kawada's defensive striking and submission work was sublime as it also complimented Albright’s strengths and put what he does as dangerous. Albright’s submissions looked great and Kawada's panicked facial expressions made them all the more important. Outstanding match. ****1/2
Triple Crown Title Match: Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs. Kenta Kobashi - AJPW October Giant Series 1995 - Day 18 25/10/1995
A quality match that you expect from these two. However it got a little sluggish towards the finish and Misawa’s comeback didn't come off as earned as it could've been. Kobashi was fantastic. He definitely proved that he belonged in the Triple Crown Title picture and could definitely go toe to toe with Misawa. Kobashi’s opening stretch was utterly fantastic. He beat the hell out of Misawa with his variety of suplexes and innovative offence (Orange Crush in the opening minutes). Then the match got more competitive as Misawa got more into the action. Misawa’s offence was a bit repetitive with a lot of elbows and brutal suplexes but Misawa’s strength is his selling and I thought he did a great job of getting Kobashi over to his level. ****
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