MOTW 58: Shibata vs Akiyama
“M.O.T.W. #58: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Jun Akiyama” - ink & digital illustration
Back again for your weekly instalment of the ‘Match of the Week’ illustration series. And this week, I’m bringing you the ‘main event’ of my most recent Wrestling Club event at The Scratch & one of my very favourite matches EVER!!
This fabulously surly bout took place on August 4th, 2005 at the ‘WRESTLE-1 Grand Prix 2005 - Opening Round’ event at Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall.
So the ‘cocky young punk vs surly, grumpy vet’ thing might be my all time favourite match dynamic. (Thus my big time fandom of Genichiro Tenryu). And this may be the greatest example of that ever. Maybe my favourite match of both of these favourites of mines’ respective careers!
There’s just so much to love about this. Shibata just awakes an absolute demon in ‘Grumpy Uncle Jun’ with his amazing/disgusting head kicks to start it off. Opens him up & the rest of the match is just a terrifically hate-filled affair. There are so many points that I just totally adore. But the whole dynamic of Jun being outraged & angered by Shibata’s sheer temerity is so bloody perfect! Right down to the finishing moments of Akiyama going for a classic Akiyama ‘Sterness’ exploder, Shibata attempting to resist it, only for Shibata’s to just get driven down anyway in gross fashion! TREMENDOUS!!
Artists’ Note: The actual moment was again quite tricky to choose. In a perfect world, I would’ve liked to capture both guys faces but that visual of the claret running down Shibata’s arm was too badass to pass up! Also had to include a tribute to one of the greatest referees ever in Kyohei Wada.
ENJOY!
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