This review was commissioned by Dan Vacura over on my Ko-fi account.
Ironically, given the title of this show, a match that lives under a very large shadow. So much about this tag feels ass backwards, essentially feeling like a build up tag to a much bigger match that happens the night before. While those deep enough into 2000s indies lore all know about this match as the second of the Kobashi in ROH matches, it doesn’t really have much of its own legacy outside of being a post-script to the greatest dream match of all time. Here, I must confess, that I’ve never even seen this match prior to being commissioned to do so, such is the feeling that this is just a little cherry on top of the decadent sundae that came before.
This does rock on its own though, in interesting ways that I might not have expected. The gravity of the match revolves around Joe and Kobashi’s dynamic. Everything serves to supplement that core dynamic. What’s perhaps most notable about it here is that Joe and Kobashi aren’t content to simply play the hits of their singles match for a Philadelphia crowd that has (mostly) yet to see the fabled dream match from the night before. Instead, their dynamic is directly changed by the previous night in small but rewarding ways. This is seen right at the top of the match when Joe backs Kobashi into the ropes and breaks clean instead of going for that disrespectful slap he so iconically nails the night before. It’s important too that Kobashi gives him the same sporting distance in the corner, both moments demonstrating the respect that has been earned between the two after their war.
After an initial skirmish, the match takes its time by exploring the other pairings in the ring. Joe/Homicide is a tried and true match-up in ROH at this point and they’re comfortable opponents here even if this never hits the heights that they reach together in singles settings. Ki/Kobashi is a fun one here with the heavyweight/junior dynamic playing out in fun ways. See how Kobashi keeps going back to selling an arm that Ki attacks in the opening moments, and Low Ki having to really throw himself into all his offense to really dent the much larger legend. Ki/Homicide might be the weakest pairing of the bunch here with Homicide’s injured shoulder stunting some of the attempted chain wrestling at the start, and the crowd overall being far less invested in this match-up despite being a first-time encounter in ROH.
The match sticks to this mostly loose structure of cycling in and out between pairings, and never really settling down into any sort of extended control segments. Occasionally someone will get isolated from their corner, but there’s no traditional “heat” here as neither of the teams are really leaning into a more heelish demeanor. None of these segments really last long enough to engender any proper sympathy for the person being isolated either. Instead, the match seems to be playing a different trick entirely: instead of denying the hot tag, the match cycles through the pairings to instead deny us the big climactic Joe/Kobashi confrontation. In that sense, intentionally or not, a three-act structure ends up being worked around that pairing–they open the match as a sort of “shine,” we get denied their interactions through much of a “heat,” and the climax is seeing them lock up again.
The eventual action between Joe and Kobashi isn’t nearly as rich and the atmosphere isn’t nearly as electric as their singles bout, but on a pure mechanical still wonderful nonetheless. The strikes all still land, those brutal machinegun chops make a return, and moment-to-moment Joe’s selling remains as nuanced as ever. He’s never just standing there trading with Kobashi, there’s always these very real moments conveying the wear and tear of the bout. Having to lean against the ropes to escape a flurry of chops, or even just the frustration of having to deal with Kobashi’s arsenal once again. Kobashi also turns in some fun moments on defense here, like a signature staggered sell reaching for the ropes after eating a gross backdrop driver right on his dome, or even absorbing some of the early bumps at the start of the match to really put over Joe’s ability.
Ki and Homicide are no slouches here either, both laying in their own strikes and bringing a lot of personality to proceedings, but they can never really outshine the real draw of the bout.
“Unforgettable” is something of a stretch, but great fun nonetheless.
Rating: ****¼
