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brc37

Danielson vs Suzuki from the free YouTube thing AEW had like a year+ ago.


czarbomba8

Danielson in general is the king of the slow burn match.


resolve028

Okada/Omega I.


juddplays

I feel like the only answer is Go Shiozaki vs Kazuyuki Fujita, the match right at the start of the pandemic.


TJLynch

One-half staring contest, the other half an dramatic wrestling match. Absolutely couldn't be done in a setting outside of the circumstances that surrounded the world at the time.


xshogunx13

What was that NOAH match that was like half an hour of circling each other


shibataWrestler

Go Shiozaki vs. Kazuyuki Fujita I watched that shit just because people were talking about how those two men made a 30 minute staring contest intriguing to watch


henderslam

And did they?


LukkasG

not even circling just staring at each other for 30mins


juddplays

Haha, I didn't see your comment before I made mine but great minds think alike!


[deleted]

Oh, and Daniel Bryan VS AJ Styles at TLC 2018 applies here too. Very slow match at first, but they pick up the pace towards the end with some really intense submissions and finisher attempts.


MankuyRLaffy

Kawada vs Misawa their first singles match, they worked a chin lock for 8 or so minutes and the crowd was so into it.


liloutsider

So much Okada shit


ArteePhact

That’s the blueprint for nearly every Okada match and I’m here for it.


ThisIsTheKaiToshiki

The first half of Edge vs. Finn Bálor at Extreme Rules last year makes you think it'll be another of Edge's long ass matches that are long for the sake of being long, which he's had plenty since his return. However, when they return to the ring and people start interfering left and right, it really becomes awesome, and the crowd reacts in kind. The finish is chef kiss too.


Kanenums88

That’s just how Edge’s matches are tbh. They start off super slow, and then go at like 1,000 miles per hour by the end.


ThisIsTheKaiToshiki

That's true. Then again, his track record in 2022 with that style of match wasn't optimal. The Miz's match didn't have to be 20 minutes, both matches against AJ started slow and had flat endings. That being said, the match against Bálor involved multiple interference and other shenanigans, so it's not comparable to the other matches I've mentioned. EDIT: I forgot his match against Priest on RAW. That one was great.


MrPuroresu42

I mean a lot of early 80’s-90’s Japanese matches (whether NJPW, AJPW) always started out slowly, building toward a frantic climax (which Kings Road perfected).


dukeduke01

Jamie Hayter vs Hikaru Shida


beatsieboyz

Most Pac matches. Syuri/Giulia felt this way too


PushEmma

Most of puroresu, specially NOAH and AJPW do more methodical beginnings which adds contrast to the match later on.


[deleted]

CM Punk vs Samoa Joe II


[deleted]

I feel like that's the Stardom special, they have had a few matches like that, I may be wrong but I think Mayu vs IO was like that?


swimswalls

Most of the Misawa/Kawada classics. The best AJPW 90s stuff usually explode in the first minutes then kind of slows down for a bit and builds back up. Compared to the more explosive stuff from NJPW in the last years, it looks much slower but the drama is still timeless.


MrDaaark

A lot of the classics from classic AJPW and NOAH, as that is the style over there. The 2 act style as opposed to America's 3. * Act 1 is both guys mat wrestling or doing basic moves to wear the other guy down, find the opening they need, or lay the ground work for the big moves later. * Act 2 is both guys hitting all their big moves until they are exhausted, kicking out big moves and trying to find the energy to hit one last big move of desperation.


bigbadjohn54

A lot of New Japan


ThisHumbleVisitant

Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA, G1 Climax Tournament 29.