This got off to an explosive start with the first exchange witnessing Thesz dropping Inoki on his head with a sudden German suplex. Managing to counter Thesz' pin attempt with a body-scissors, Inoki displays the effects of such an unexpected beginning by holding his head before ditching the hold altogether and rolling out of the ring to gather his bearings. This really teased a tantalising direction (Inoki having to fight on rattled and hurt by the shocking start) but it deviated elsewhere and, although what we do receive is still good, I can't help but feel disappointed.
The main body sees each wrestler frustrate the other with successive holds. There's evidence of good struggle invested into the execution and maintenance of holds which is always nice. Clean execution and counters are yucky. As we move on Thesz ramps up the heel shenanigans, but in a subtle way, with little cheap jabs and hints of choking. Tensions gradually rise until we have moments threatening to break the match down into a fist fight. This keeps things interesting whilst we view the slower-paced matwork. The end features a small bombs-away sequence that ties in with the beginning in a way, bookending the performance with an entertaining (and surprising) start and finish.
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