This wasn't quite at the same level as the Takayama match for me but it was still a good match, with an especially well-sold performance from Jun Akiyama. Gone is Nishimura's slicked back hair and he's now sporting a fresh buzz for the 2003 G1 Climax. This took a little while to get going as the two go through a few counters and reversals on the mat while looking for an opening. Akiyama takes over on offense with a DDT on the apron and then piledriving Osamu onto the floor to set-up the neckwork. His stuff looks pretty brutal, whether it's the stunner on the ringpost, the stalling piledriver, or the way he viciously cranks on a facelock. Nishimura's subsequent legwork is pretty aggressive too. He kneebreakers Jun onto the timekeeper's table and follows up with a diving knee drop from the apron. He lands another diving knee back inside the ring, setting up the figure-four legwork with a couple of spinning toeholds. Akiyama's selling of the leg is fantastic as Osamu dropkicks his knee out from him and reapplies the figure-four, this time arching back to exert more pressure on the hold. When Akiyama sidesteps a missile dropkick, he goes back to the neck with a dragon sleeper and there's a really awesome moment where he counters the Japanese rolling clutch with a choke sleeper, eventually transitioning into his front necklock. He's able to connect with the high knee > Exploder combo but when he goes for another knee in the corner, Nishimura's able to cradle him for the pinfall in a bit of an upset. Not as nuanced as the Takayama match but still some really neat stuff with Akiyama being the standout here.
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