Jun Akiyama © vs. Suwama for the Triple Crown
All Japan Pro Wrestling
January 2, 2016
Korakuen Hall
** ½
A lot has been written in recent years about matches about matches that purposefully set out to be epic. In a nutshell, the idea is that certain matches try too hard to be epics rather than letting that drama flow naturally or not at all. The end result is a match that is not very good and might have been better off had it not attempted to clear such a high bar.
Not all epic matches are bad, although I have noticed the criticism creeping in that direction. Some matches are deserving of a grandiose structure and some wrestlers are able to execute big time main events in a way that feels natural. I contend that a justifiable and well done epic match is the most enjoyable match. Most wrestlers probably feel that way as well, which is why we constantly see examples of wrestlers trying to force an epic match out of a situation does not exactly warrant one. Continue reading
