This was the finals of the 2015 Royal Road Tournament.
On paper, this was genuinely the biggest match that AJPW could book for me in 2015. Akebono has become an excellent big-man wrestler, and Akiyama continues to deliver more often than not even at his advanced in-ring age. The combo of the dominant giant versus the crafty veteran seemed like the recipe for a great match.
Instead, we merely got a good match as neither man seemed interested in putting on a big effort. Akebono dominated by using his size advantage. Akiyama was crafty. He eventually hit the exploder and then used several knee strikes to the head to pick up the win. This was fun and easy to watch. It just should have been more. (***)
Views from the Hawke's Nest 