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#MustWatchMonday: Shingo Takagi & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kohei Sato

One of the reasons why I love Big Japan Pro Wrestling so much is because of its focus on hoss fights. Seriously, if you're into hoss fights, you need to be watching the Strong Division of this promotion.

Big Japan is currently holding the 2017 edition of their Saikyou Tag League, and it features hard-hitting action that you would be hard-pressed to find anything else. What really captured my interest is that for this tournament, they've split up the powerhouse team of Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi), and teamed each individual with a guest wrestler from a different promotion. Sekimoto is teaming with ZERO1 main eventer Kohei Sato, while Yuji Okabayashi is with the top heel in Dragon Gate right now, Shingo Takagi. This meant that the two teams would eventually meet, and I was really looking forward to their clash.

What was really interesting coming into this match was that Sekimoto and Sato had already teamed up in the past, even winning a couple of tag team championships together. Okabayashi however, has never teamed up with Shingo. Also, the thing to note about Dragon Gate is that its wrestlers rarely make appearances in other promotions, so Shingo popping up here is a pretty awesome sight to behold.

Being a wrestler in a promotion that wrestles a predominantly high-flying and high-paced style, one would wonder how Shingo would adapt to this hoss atmosphere. Let me tell you, it didn't look like there was any adjustment needed whatsoever. The action from all four men was hard-hitting and stiff, yet they were able to run this match at a pace you wouldn't expect from men of this size. Sekimoto and Okabayashi on the other hand continue to prove why they are among the best wrestlers in the world. In terms of gimmicks, they aren't flashy or attention drawing at all, but they draw you in with the things they're able to do inside the ring. The triple German they perform here, usually a move they use as a team but instead used against each other, never fails to pop me. The fighting spirit that all men show despite being battered and dropped on their head multiple times always inspires me.

The match ultimately ended in a draw, with the match being split essentially into the first 15 minutes being about the setup and going through the motions, and the last 15 minutes all about exchanging counters, grunts, chops, and elbows. I may make it sound simplistic, but these guys legitimately channel Strong Style from the 1980s and the early 1990s; and it is awesome.

What did you think of the match? Are you a fan of these all out hoss battles? Leave a comment!




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