This was easily my second favorite KO-D Openweight title defense behind the HARASHIMA match from Judgement. Since having an underrated run with the AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Title, Keisuke Ishii has really become one of my favorite junior heavyweights in Japan and he brought his A+ game to Takeshita with some incredibly focused and aggressive neckwork, and excellent counterwork, seemingly having an answer to a lot of Takeshita's attempts. For an ace, Takeshita's selling is some of the best around and while I could nitpick the non-selling on the German suplex bridge, he still did a lot more to show the effects of Ishii's neckwork than most. Like most Takeshita defenses, he displays his dominance early on, clocking Ishii with an elbow and a big chair-assisted running boot on the outside. He shows off that core strength, delivering a suplex with Ishii fighting to escape, and I love his single leg crab with the kicks to the head and then just bending Ishii in half.
Ishii's able to come back and hit his neckbreaker on the guardrail, which sets up his go-to limb-based strategy, and Takeshita proceeds to endure quite the beating, taking a German suplex on the apron, a motherfuckin' Ishii Driller, and a tiger suplex hold for a two count. Ishii tries to murder him with a top rope tiger suplex but Takeshita is able to lariat him off. When the champ attempts the Blue Thunder Bomb, he sells the neck and Ishii elbows him...Takeshita tries again and this time, Ishii counters with a DDT, following up with a sliding kick and a cradle double arm DDT for another two count. Takeshita's neck is just...fucked. Takeshita can't get anything off without a counter from Ishii but when Ishii goes for the Final Cut, Takeshita is finally able to plant him with a lifting reverse DDT. Takeshita's able to deliver that picture-perfect German suplex hold (insert neck selling) and after that, Ishii loses his momentum and all hopes at downing Takeshita, as he eats lariat, a running knee, and the Surprise Rose to go down. Perhaps Takeshita's final comeback felt a little rushed but overall, this was a blast with Takeshita continuing to show his versatility as current ace of DDT.
Post-match, biggest boy Naomi Yoshimura cashes in his "Right to Challenge" armband after a surprise lariat and while he's unsuccessful in his attempt, he does powerbomb Takeshita through a table from the apron!
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