WWE Backlash 2018
May 6th, 2018 | Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey | Attendance: 14,724
The WWE will now be running Pay-Per-Views with both brands. I’m not a fan, as I enjoyed the split PPVs. The roster is currently too loaded to join the PPVs. For example, people like Finn Balor, Ember Moon, Asuka, The Iiconics, Becky Lynch, Elias, Rusev Day, Usos, and many others weren’t booked.
Kickoff Match: Bayley vs. Ruby Riott w/ The Riott Squad
When this was announced, I was hoping for something really good. Unfortunately, this peaked at solid. Bayley looked worse than she has in a long time. Like, when Alexa Bliss embarrassed her last year in the Kendo Stick match, Bayley was bad from a character standpoint. Here, she was in botch mode and looked weak as a wrestler. She did hit a nice hurricanrana to take out Sarah Logan at ringside at one point. A Liv Morgan distraction opened the door for Ruby to hit the Riott Kick and win in 10:06. It was okay, but could’ve done with a better performance from Bayley. The Riott Squad is a united front, while Bayley and Sasha Banks continue to have issues. I’m all for Ruby being the one to dethrone Nia Jax. [**½]
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. The Miz
The Miz looks odd with no title or anyone by his side. Coming into this match, it was clear Seth Rollins was going to win. Miz is on Smackdown, which has the United States Title, so they didn’t need the IC Title. But, these two professionals went out there and made me completely believe in a Miz win on more than one occasion. Seth’s knee became the target, especially after he missed a knee strike and drove it right into the ring post. It was a great spot. Miz worked on it with a Figure Four and really wore down Seth. The roll through into the Skull Crushing Finale spot led to a fantastic near fall. It got bested when Seth went for the Falcon Arrow/Superplex combo, only for Miz to counter into another Skull Crushing Finale. That near fall was insane. After a series of rollups, Seth found a way to hit the Curb Stomp and retain in 20:30. An excellent opener that was about on par with the WrestleMania one. My only grip was the two finisher kickouts, as it was a bit much. However, the leg work was great, they had some really well thought out sports, and this was the highlight of the show. [****¼]
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Nia Jax [c] vs. Alexa Bliss
Their WrestleMania match didn’t work for me at all (*¾), and I feel like Nia needs to just run through Alexa. This suffered from some of the same problems that the Mania match did. Nia working from underneath as a face just doesn’t work for her. Alexa dominated her at a few too many points, and it just lessens their matches. There was some solid drama in the possibility of Alexa managing to win back the title, especially after knocking the champion during a Vader Bomb attempt. Nia caught Twisted Bliss and won via Samoan drop in 10:17. Again, it went too long and had way too much Alexa on offense. But, there was a semblance of a story and some drama that allowed it to be average. [**]
WWE United States Championship: Jeff Hardy [c] vs. Randy Orton
At the start of 2017, it would’ve been insane to hear that Randy Orton would face Jinder Mahal and Jeff Hardy at back to back Backlash events. We still didn’t get motivated Orton on this show, but he was better than some of his dire performances recently. They had a decent back and forth match, where they were booked to be rather even. While the in-ring stuff was technically fine and there weren’t really any botches, it lacked something to make it feel like a Pay-Per-View match. Hardy avoided the RKO and hit a Twist of Fate, before winning with the Swanton Bomb in 11:48. It felt like a good house show match and nothing more. Basically, the best Orton gives us these days. [**½]
Next, we got one of the best segments in some time. I’m not going to fully recap it, because it needs to be seen to be believed. Elias attempted to give us a concert, but got interrupted by the New Day. Each attempt at singing was cut off by a new arrival, including Rusev Day and No Way Jose, who came out with a conga line that included Titus Worldwide and Breezango. The last guy out was Bobby Roode, who planted Elias with a DDT. This was some of the most fun I’ve had watching wrestling in years. Sometimes, you just wanna have a good time.
Big Cass vs. Daniel Bryan
This was a major disappointment of a feud, even if Cass cut one good promo in the build. Coming in, I figured if anyone could get a good match out of Cass, it would be Daniel Bryan. Luckily, they seemed to tell the right story. Cass used his size to take control. I gotta note that commentary going overboard with explaining that Bryan was the underdog was a bit much. Anyway, Cass’ confidence proved to be his downfall. He wouldn’t take advantage of openings, instead taking time to gloat. That allowed Bryan to rally and put him in the Yes Lock. Cass tapped almost immediately, which killed potential drama. The match went 7:46. The story was okay, but Cass on offense was a snoozefest. [**¼]
Post-match, Cass attacked Bryan so this can continue for some dreadful reason. Can Bryan just move on to working interesting people?
WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Carmella [c] vs. Charlotte
I loved the video package for this match. I’ve seen a lot of people are pissed that Carmella is champion. I’m in the opposite boat. I’d much rather she be champion than have to sit through another dull Charlotte run. Anyway, Carmella came in with the right strategy. They’ve built the story around her not being on Charlotte’s level, so she wasn’t trying to mix it up with her. Instead, she ran, stalled, and used those old school heel tactics to her advantage. I liked how Carmella got to apply her Code of Silence finisher, only for Charlotte to power out. It furthered that story. Surprisingly, not only did Carmella retain, but she did so cleanly. Charlotte missed a moonsault and tweaked her knee, so Carmella kicked her there and rolled her up to retain in 10:11. Parts of it were dull, but I truly dug that Carmella came in with a good strategy and won by using her brain. [**¼]
WWE Championship No Disqualifications Match: AJ Styles [c] vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Even though we now know how the match finished, this still should’ve gone on last. Anyway, I saw a lot of folks upset that this wasn’t a No DQ match featuring a lot of weapons and big spots. Why did people expect that? That wasn’t what this was about. It was built around the low blows and how Nakamura is willing to take those shortcuts when he gets in trouble. Granted, it could have used more intensity and more use of the chair that got brought in. It did lead to a rough cut on the cheek for Styles. Once they gave us the first low blow spot, things picked up big time. AJ returned the favor and the final few minutes ruled. Unfortunately, they kicked each other low and neither man could answer the ten count, leading to another no contest in 21:09. They continue to disappoint, but show flashes of what they’re capable of. Those final few minutes were grand and they ultimately told a fine story, but that finish got shit on and for good reason. [***¼]
Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
They had a fun little tag on Raw a few weeks back (***¼). This wasn’t nearly as good. Like too many other matches tonight, it felt like something you’d get on a house show. Things were technically fine, they just felt hollow. The main story was another tease of Owens and Zayn breaking up. They threw each other into their powerhouse opponents to take the beating alone. Sami slapped Kevin, leaving him alone to take Lashley’s delayed vertical suplex for the loss in 8:40. Lashley’s finish is trash. Also, he feels like just another guy already. That was fast. The match was basic and the ending was sloppy, as even commentary noted how Owens wasn’t the legal man. [**]
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
I feel bad for Roman Reigns. I honestly do. He constantly goes out and gives us great efforts, but gets put in these no-win, dumb booking situations. Roman spent most of the year whining about Brock Lesnar being the company favorite, yet here he is main eventing a show with nothing on the line. Also, they laid the match out poorly. Joe attacked Roman before the match and put him through the announce table. Once the bell rang, I think everyone knew where this was going. After a hot start, we went into REST HOLD CITY, BITCH! It felt like it never ended. Fans were literally leaving in droves from what I’ve heard. The ones who remained chanted for everything but this match, including what sounded like “beat the traffic.” Yikes. Roman made his usual rally, they gave us some late near falls, he survived the Coquina Clutch, and won with the Spear in 17:54. Stop doing this. Even if you somehow blame the fans for these reactions, go with it and maybe don’t put Roman in the main event. The match was shit and nowhere near the stuff we’ve seen from Joe and Roman in their Raw matches over the past year. Predictable, boring, and felt like it took forever. [*¾]
The cameras cut directly to the crowd, only to catch a WHOLE BUNCH of people leaving.
Overall: 4/10. Our first look at WWE giving us monthly Pay-Per-Views with both Raw and Smackdown was a failure. So many good people were left off the show and what we got was lackluster at best. The Kickoff match was decent other than Bayley botching. I thought Carmella/Charlotte told a good story and Nakamura/AJ was headed somewhere very good until that terrible finish. Seth/Miz was hands down the match of the night and deserves to be talked about and watched multiple times. Everything else felt something I’d see on a house show and didn’t belong on PPV. The only things you need to see are Seth/Miz and the ridiculous Elias segment.
Imagine finding out that Daniel Bryan gets to make his long awaited comeback to the ring....only to find out that his first singles Pay-Per-View match will be against Big Cass. Yea. Such a let down. Cass was solid on the mic the day he cut the Miz TV promo, but bad when he brought out the little Daniel Bryan. Anyway, this should end up as Cass' best ever match, though that's not saying much. Bryan will win. If they have a brain.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
I have no idea what they're doing with Roman Reigns. If you think he's the guy, then make him the damn guy. Continuing to wait is just killing his momentum. I think he's good enough in the ring to be the guy. Brock's title reign has hurt him and Samoa Joe, as both should've held the Universal Title by this point. Expect this to be a great, hard hitting battle. Reigns will beat Joe as the first step in his redemption.
Winner: Roman Reigns
It's always weird when they run a match on PPV that we just saw on television. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn seem to be stuck in a holding pattern, which is weird considering how big a deal they seemed on Smackdown a while back. Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley is an interesting team. I wonder if they remain a team or if this is a short-term team. Either way, I can't see either of them getting pinned.
Winners: Braun and Bobby
This sounds way more interesting than Orton/Jinder V. Jeff and Orton had a fun match a decade ago (I'm old) at the Royal Rumble. Granted, Orton hasn't put in a good effort in quite some time, so there is worry about that. Still, I think it'll be his best match in a long time. i'm going to say Jeff retains because the US Title has switched around too often lately.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Carmella saved us from another dire Charlotte title reign. Charlotte is fine in the ring, but she's just terrible in promos or anything that involves showing personality. Like Natalya. Carmella is a fresh feeling champion, as she's such a good heel and so much fun with a microphone in her hand. The smart move would be to have Carmella retain, probably with help from the Iiconics. However, I've learned my lesson about betting against LADY BIG DOG.
Winner: Charlotte "We're Trying Hard To Book Her To Be The GOAT" Flair
Alexa hasn't been able to wrestle much lately for, um, reasons. Thankfully, the "Moment of Bliss" stuff has kept her relevant. I was way over her as champion by WrestleMania. Other than an eight day stretch, she had it for a long time and destroyed everyone she faced. Nia Jax, like Carmella, feels fresh as champion. The "Moment of Bliss" segments have been the most I've enjoyed Alexa in months. However, I can't imagine Nia's time as champion is over.
Winner: Nia Jax
Matches like this are kind of the problem with doing a Superstar Shakeup the way they do. Miz and Seth Rollins do have a feud, but with Miz moving to Smackdown, who already has the US Title, I can't see him bringing the Intercontinental Title with him. Plus, with no Brock around, it would be ideal for WWE to build Raw around Seth as IC Champion. He's already had two bangers as champion and a great match where he won it.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Nakamura has to win here, right? He lost to Jinder twice, lost to AJ Styles at WrestleMania, and went to a draw at GRR. The No DQ stipulation fits his new persona and will probably lead to permanent damage to Styles' junk. Nakamura has been much more interesting since the turn. I think he wins and they have their best match yet.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
2018 Prediction Record: 20-15
2017 Prediction Record: 81-37
2016 Prediction Record: 72-41
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35
Backlash Prediction History: 8-5
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night Two
May 4th, 2018 | Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan | Attendance: 6,307
Following a subpar night one, NJPW debuts the second night of Wrestling Dontaku. On paper, this card looks stronger. KUSHIDA/Ospreay and Okada/Tanahashi are both very tired matches, but they’re typically a safe bet to deliver something very good. Plus, the show should also set the stage for whatever’s coming at Dominion.
Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tiger Mask IV vs. Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and Yuya Uemura
Liger currently resides in Fukuoka. The Young Lions jumped him to boos, which was great. It makes sense since they get beat on so often, they should get their licks in where they can. Of course, the veterans responding by kicking their asses. Liger seemed to enjoy wearing Uemura out with chops and the Romero Special. Umino and Narita fared better than Uemura, but not by that much. It came down to Narita and Taguchi. Don Callis kind of ripped the Young Lion concept (and WWE in 1997) because Narita did a Cloverleaf instead of the Boston Crab. HOW DARE YOU TRY TO GET OVER? Narita countered Dodon into a rollup for two, but got pulled into the Ankle Lock and tapped at 6:34. A solid opener. Lots of fire from the Lions and the angry vets brought it to them. Taguchi gets another win heading into the BOTSJ, where he traditionally does well. [**¾]
A pissed off Liger stomped on some of the Lions on their way out. I love angry Liger.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tomoyuki Oka and AJPW Tag Team Champion Yuji Nagata
Yujiro didn’t have Tokyo Latina with him, bringing out another random girl. Don Callis was just as disappointed as I was. I never would’ve thought it in 2015, but the Yujiro/Chase tandem is actually not bad. Meanwhile, Nagata seems to have traded Manabu Nakanishi in for his younger counterpart. Despite teaming with the babyface Golden Lovers, Chase and Yujiro worked heel here. They jumped Oka and stole Nagata’s signature taunt. They isolated Oka for most of the match. When Nagata came in, he was basically unstoppable. Nagata seemed to have it won, but Oka begged for the tag. Nagata complied and his apprentice handled himself better, including a BRUTAL European uppercut. Yujiro occupied Nagata, leaving Owens to beat Oka with the Package Piledriver in 6:11. Decent enough. Chase and Yujiro had a solid strategy, while Nagata was a beast, and Oka continues to impress. [**¼]
Rocky Romero and Roppongi 3K vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, and Takashi Iizuka
Not this again. These teams have literally put on the absolute worst collection of matches all year long. Suzuki-Gun attacked before the bell, as always. There were the usual chairs, biting, and all sorts of underhanded tactics from Suzuki-Gun. Yesterday, Gedo succeeded by having this go under three minutes. We weren’t so lucky on this night. The good guys made the comeback and won with 3K on TAKA in 6:00. They’ve won two in a row. Please, never book this again. It was atrocious each time. At least this wasn’t the worst they’ve done, so there’s that. But, this match happened about five times and never once cracked a single star. [¾*]
Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs. RPW British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
Like the previous match, this has been featured a ton on this tour. Unlike the previous match, this one is usually good. The reason these have been so enjoyable have been the interactions between Henare and Ishii. In fact, their singles match was the second best on the “Road to” events. This saw them do battle in the highlight of the action. Yano was Yano, while Makabe put in some effort tonight. Trust me, it’s better than what we usually get from him at this point. It came down to the Ishii/Henare war, with Henare once again coming achingly close to pulling off the upset. Alas, a Brainbuster put him down at 7:12. Like everything else they’ve done on this tour, they were one of the best parts. I’m loving how well Henare has been doing lately. Another win for Ishii and Yano en route to what I assume will be a Tag Team Title shot. [***]
David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Michael Elgin vs. NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, and YOSHI-HASHI
Elgin challenged Goto for the NEVER Title, but Taichi also has his eyes on it. White continued to own Finlay in a recent title match, but Juice Robinson may be interested in one now. Speaking of Juice, he kind of took the heat in this one, which was unexpected. I thought that was Finlay’s role for sure. Elgin got the hot tag, making him seem legitimate heading into a NEVER Title shot. Jay White continued to not truly be a CHAOS member, refusing to partake in their usual sushi taunt. He and Juice went at it outside, while Goto and Elgin battled. With those two potential matchups setup, YOSHI-HASHI bested Finlay with Karma for the win in 11:04. Another good multi-man tag. It had good action, furthered two programs, and kept the intrigue of White’s character going. [***]
Post-match, Taichi showed up and attacked Goto with his microphone stand. He took him to the back. Jay White convinced YOSHI-HASHI not to go after him. He snuck back in to plant Juice with the Blade Runner, but Juice escaped and sent him packing. Goto vs. Taichi/Elgin sounds super uninteresting, but I’m ALL for White/Juice.
Wrestling Dontaku returns to Fukuoka next year. I mean, it’s been there every single year.
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito, and IWGP Tag Team Champions EVIL and SANADA vs. The Killer Elite Squad, Minoru Suzuki, and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
I was going to note that it was weird how Zack Sabre Jr. was on night one, but not night two. Then I remembered he’s working Super Strong Style 16 in PROGRESS. Hilariously, Lance Archer chased Don Callis to the back, threatening to spit water on him. It’s a testament to Tetsuya Naito that he remains popular despite bad booking. Suzuki-Gun attacked quickly, leaving Naito out in the crowd and Chokeslamming Hiromu from the apron onto EVIL and SANADA outside. That put LIDJ way behind the 8-ball and BUSHI got left to take most of the beating. Naito returned and fought out Minoru, but they built the hot tag to Hiromu. He’s so explosive that the role works for him. LIDJ used that to spark a rally, capped by Destino on Kanemaru to win in 8:31 They’ve worked similar matches, but this one had a bit more energy behind it. I enjoyed the idea of LIDJ being picked apart and guys having to come in. Hiromu as the hot tag guy works well. [***]
After the match, Tetsuya Naito remained in the ring after his buddies left. That made it clear something was gonna happen. Loud “Naito” chants. As he left, he was jumped by a fan in a BUSHI mask. The guy dropped the barricade on Naito’s head and brought him back to the ring. He removed the mask to reveal himself as CHRIS JERICHO! He hit the Codebreaker and busted Naito open with the ring bell. I’m guessing Naito/Jericho happens at Dominion. Naito refused to do the stretcher job and threw it away. Great angle, as at least this match seems important, which is something Naito hasn’t been since the loss Wrestle Kingdom.
Bad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and the Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Cody, Hangman Page, and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Marty Scurll and the Young Bucks
BULLET CLUB CIVIL WAR! Marty promised to slam Fale, but instantly failed. The match progressed to see decent action, while focusing on character work. Some guys showed respect for each other, like the Bucks and GOD, while guys like Cody and Page were all about doing illegal tactics. At one point, Matt refused to attack a downed Ibushi and tagged out. Ibushi got isolated, before making the hot tag to Kenny. The two of them shined in that role. They were cut off by the Bucks in what became an awkward standoff. The fans were completely quiet for it and they kind of stood around waiting for Cody and Page to pull the Golden Lovers out. The Scurll/Fale stuff led to the finish, as Marty went for the slam again. Fale fell on top of him and got the win in 8:47. They hit a few of the story notes that you’d expect, but the match itself was nothing special. [**]
Kenny chased Cody to the back. Owens and Yujiro arrived and the Bullet Club guys all seemed to be okay with each other, while Ibushi was awkwardly left to hang around. The Bullet Club angle has had some interesting moments and one great match (Bucks/Lovers), but like the nWo, it feels like there’s no endgame planned.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. KUSHIDA
Ospreay ranks among my least favorite wrestlers in the world, but KUSHIDA usually knows how to get the best out of him. In NJPW, they met at Invasion Attack ’16 (****½), Dominion ’16 (***½), BOTSJ ’17 (****¼), and King of Pro Wrestling ’17 (***¾). Will only won that last meeting. Here, KUSHIDA remained a step ahead of his foe. One spot saw KUSHIDA move Ospreay’s head scissors over onto the referee, and then get in a kick. He also caught an Ospreay springboard into an armbar outside, keeping a slight edge. It was a little weird to see Will tap while outside so early, yet not do so later in the match. I get that he was resilient, but it was still strange. I liked the idea behind him not being able to lift KUSHIDA in his new move due to the arm work, yet there’s a logic flaw in him even attempting it. If you know your arm is damaged, why go for it? It wasn’t like he was that desperate by that point in the match. This was the usual Ospreay selling, where he yells very loudly and then forgets about it from time to time. KUSHIDA’s DDT off the apron was awesome. However, it didn’t have the effect it should’ve because Will just went back on offense like nothing happened. Down the stretch, Ospreay survived a ton, went into overkill mode (though not as bad as he did against Scull last month), and won following a top rope cutter and Storm Breaker in 23:36. I thought this was a very good match with some top notch exchanges. Will’s selling remain inconsistent and a lot of his choices during matches are just baffling, which keeps his recent stuff from being great. It didn’t help that the outcome never felt like it was in doubt. [***½]
After the match, the BONE SOLDIER vignette ran and he returned. However, he wasn’t the same BONER SOLDIER who sucked in 2016. Instead, we got Tama Tonga to distract Ospreay. Bone Soldier appeared behind him and attacked him. He then revealed himself to be TAIJI ISHIMORI. I really liked him in NOAH and he’s a great addition to the junior heavyweight division. Gedo actually did something right. Now put him and Hiromu Takahashi in the same block in the BOTSJ, please.
Before the main event, here are the ratings I’ve given every Tanahashi/Okada match that I’ve seen.
New Beginning 2012 – Okada def. Tanahashi [c] - ****
Dominion 2012 – Tanahashi def. Okada [c] - ****½
Wrestle Kingdom 7 – Tanahashi [c] def. Okada - ****¼
Invasion Attack 2013 – Okada def. Tanahashi [c] - ****¾
G1 Climax 23 – Ends in a draw - ****½
King of Pro Wrestling 2013 – Okada [c] def. Tanahashi - *****
Wrestle Kingdom 9 – Tanahashi [c] def. Okada - ****½
Wrestle Kingdom 10 – Okada [c] def. Tanahashi - ***¼
G1 Climax 26 – Ends in a draw - ****¼
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] w/ Gedo vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hopefully, this is a big improvement on their lackluster title match the last time (WK10). Okada leads the series 4-3-2. Loud “Tanahashi” chants. I’m with you, Fukuoka. Save_Us.ACE. Early on, I was concerned this was going into the TIRED Okada formula. Never fear, Tanahashi was here. The master knows how to get the best out of Okada. When Tanahashi skinned the cat after Okada dropkicked him from the top (that in itself being a cool spot since Okada usually does that successfully), Okada turned it into a stiff DDT. From there, the champion was in control and seemed to have his fun toying with Tanahashi. This was cocky douche Okada, which is EASILY the best Okada. There was a great moment when Okada did the Rainmaker pose, only for Tanahashi to stand up right in his face. He wasn’t going down without a fight. The final stretch after that was bonkers. I absolutely adored the callback to their previous match at the 30:00 minute mark. In the G1 26, they went to a draw and as time expired, Tanahashi hit High Fly Flow. They did that exact same thing at the same time here, which was genius. Both guys brought out great counters to each other’s finishers and we even got to see Tanahashi hit his own Rainmaker. Okada stopped a High Fly Flow with a dropkick, before nailing a Rainmaker to retain in 34:36. While it wasn’t their best match, it was near the top. Okada started his reign with back to back great defenses (Marufuji and Omega), but he hadn’t quite strung together two greats in a row until now (Sabre and Tanahashi). They had so many callbacks to their history and it felt like a worthy capper. It was paced so well, avoided some of the usual tropes, had lots of drama and emotion, and played to both of their strengths. If this was the end of Tanahashi’s main event tenure, he went out in style: [****½]
Overall: 7.5/10. This was on pace to be a similar show to the disappointment of night one. However, while that event ended on a whimper, this one ended with more of a bang. The Jericho/Naito angle was masterful, while KUSHIDA/Ospreay was a very good match. Tanahashi and Okada delivered in a big time main event that was among the best NJPW main events all year long. The rest of the show was solid, with nothing bad.
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night One
May 3rd, 2018 | Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan
Once again, NJPW has split up one of their major events into two shows. It’s a great business move, but usually leads to weaker cards. Today’s show is headlined by the continuing war between the Bullet Club members, as the Golden Lovers meet Bullet Club members in singles matches. Speaking of the Bullet Club, this show marks their fifth anniversary.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji
Yujiro brought Mao with him, so this match is already a win. This was your typical NJPW opening tag. Owens and Yujiro continue to develop chemistry, as the latter has been at his best since teaming with him. The Young Lions brought the fire we’ve come to expect from them. Umino nearly managed to steal this with a small package. I appreciate how the fans bite on their near falls, even though they never win. Yujiro worked over Tsuji outside, while Owens beat Umino with a Package Piledriver in 5:30. Inoffensive opener. The winning team has been decent lately and the lions always bring heart and energy.[**¼]
Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tiger Mask IV vs. Ren Narita, Tomoyuki Oka, and AJPW Tag Team Champion Yuji Nagata
I miss Hirai Kawato. He’d have gone right at Liger. Like the opener, this went the way you’d expect. Nagata remains an ageless wonder, as does Liger. The Young Lions were filled with fire in everything they did. You can always count on effort from them. Taguchi looked more impressive than usual, most likely because he’s gearing up for the Best of the Super Juniors. He got saved from a Narita crab and his partners cleaned house. That left Narita alone to fall victim to Dodon, ending this in 7:15. It was alright. Nothing that will stand out and one of hundreds of NJPW undercard tags that are forgettable. [**]
The Killer Elite Squad and Takashi Iizuka vs. Rocky Romero and Roppongi 3K
These RPG 3K and Rocky tags against Suzuki-Gun have been the absolute worst. I’ve only given out two DUD ratings this year (both to NJPW matches) and RPG 3K against SG is one of them. Suzuki-Gun jumped these guys before the bell and beat them around the arena. The match basically went nowhere until Sho rolled up Iizuka to steal it in 2:10. Not much of a match. I hate this feud. [NR]
David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Toa Henare, and Togi Makabe vs. NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, RPW British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and YOSHI-HASHI
Man, CHAOS has a lot of titles. This continues White/Finlay, Henare/Ishii, and Elgin/Goto, which also has a hint of Juice/Goto still lingering. Goto and Elgin went at it first, before we got a rekindling of the lengthy rivalry between Ishii and Makabe. They always just beat the shit out of each other and you’ve got to appreciate that. Finlay took the heat segment, before making the hot tag to Juice. I’m all for Juice vs. Ishii at some point in the near future. G1, maybe? In the end, Henare battled with White and fell to the Blade Runner in 10:25. A good tag match that was the best thing so far. Everyone brought some energy and things moved along nicely. [***]
Juice Robinson had some words with Jay White after the match. Maybe he’s gonna lose another title match.
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Bad Luck Fale and The Guerrillas of Destiny [c] vs. Marty Scurll and The Young Bucks
The Bullet Club buddies shook hands at the start. Marty attacked Fale from behind and ran to tag out, but the Bucks wanted no part of the big man. Though the Bucks worked together to eventually take him down, they got beat up outside. That caused Marty to take a heat segment where Fale literally spent time standing on his ribs. When the Bucks returned to the match, the pace picked up. Marty snapped Fale’s fingers and the Bucks busted out tandem offense. The guys began to escape or block the finishers of the others. Magic Killer wasn’t enough and the Bucks started firing off superkicks. Loa got hit with More Bang For Your Buck and we had new champions after 11:05. Another good match. The crowd didn’t seem to get invested until late and while the action was fine, it lacked something to make it stand out. [***]
Post-match, the former champions handed the titles over in a show of respect.
BONER SOLDIER VIGNETTE!
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito, and IWGP Tag Team Champions EVIL and SANADA vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru w/ TAKA Michinoku
TAKA got to continue his role as Suzuki-Gun hype man. Naito didn’t bring out the Intercontinental Title with him, because he still hates it. I don’t like that you’re stuck there either, brother. Suzuki-Gun attacked before the bell because, duh. That set the tone as Suzuki-Gun continues to spend matches against CHAOS by beating them up around the arena and isolating one man. Surprisingly, it was Naito who got isolated here. Sabre and Suzuki had a blast twisting him like a pretzel. Naito eventually made the tag to SANADA, who had some fun back and forth with Sabre. We got the usual barrage late, with EVIL besting Kanemaru following the STO in 13:47. Like most of this show, this was solid, but unspectacular. It’s kind of the same thing we’ve been seeing from these teams for a while now. [**¾]
After the match, the Young Bucks came out and challenged EVIL and SANADA for the Tag Team Titles. Greedy bastards! They superkicked the champs and left, with EVIL accepting the challenge. That match should be fun, but I’m still hoping for EVIL and SANADA against the Golden Lovers.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA vs. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay w/ Gedo
On one of the “Road to” events, this was a very good (***½) main event. It’s here to build to the two main events on tomorrow’s show. Also, I recently read someone say that Ospreay was a top five wrestler in the world and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard in my life. As for tomorrow’s Okada/Tanahashi title match, all I have to say is Save_Us.ACE. Anyway, this worked in the same vein as the 4/27 match. They worked at a quick pace, with some intense exchanges. Ospreay and KUSHIDA had good back and forth, but it was nothing new. The Okada/Tanahashi stuff was way intriguing. Okada has had his number lately, but whenever Tanahashi does get something going, it seems like Okada’s confidence wanes and he becomes worried. Okada did win with a Rainmaker on KUSHIDA in a strong 16:15. It provided us with great action, while building to the bigger singles matches tomorrow. [***½]
Cody vs. Kota Ibushi
Their match at Wrestle Kingdom was one of the better on the card (***½). Back then, the feud wasn’t that personal. Over the past five months, it has picked up in that department and this match was appropriately intense and physical. There was a sense of animosity that other matches on the show didn’t have. However, this was given much more time than their WK match and is one of the biggest examples of more not meaning better. Where that match was tight, this one felt like it plodded on. Moves were done for the sake of moves and everything just felt lethargic. When the Cross Rhodes wasn’t enough, Cody won with a rough looking Kudoh Driver in 23:35. Watch their WK match to see their best. This dragged. [**½]
Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega
Gedo legitimately booked Hangman Page in a main event. That man is wild. This got started when Kenny saved Kota from an attack by Cody and Page. Considering the men involved, I expected something more high impact. They started with some wild stuff, but really slowed down after. Late, after Page had control for a while, Omega began spamming V-Triggers. I typically enjoy his matches more when he doesn’t go that route. However, they were probably a highlight in this one. Page got knocked loopy by Kenny’s knee at one point and was unable to kick out on his own, even though the referee called it a two count. One Winged Angel eventually finished it in 18:25. A disappointing main event. Like the Cody/Ibushi match, it just never fully clicked and felt more like a collection of moves, rather than a match. [**¼]
Overall: 4.5/10. I’ve said NJPW has been lackluster in 2018, but they’re not usually this mediocre. This show literally had just one match go ***½ and nothing went above it. There’s not a match that’s outwardly bad on it, but it was a big collection of “meh.” If anything, this show is proof that stretching these events out over multiple nights is a bad move in terms of quality.
NJPW Wrestling Hi No Kuni
April 29th, 2018 | Grand Messe Kumamoto in Mashiki, Kumamoto | Attendance: 3,435
Man, these “Road to Wrestling Dontaku” shows have been a chore to get through. Some matches delivered, but it was mostly a lot of fluff that could easily be skipped. I didn’t care enough to do full on reviews, but here were my ratings for the key matches.
4/13 – Elimination Match: Taguchi Japan vs. CHAOS - ***½
4/14 – Elimination Match: LIDJ vs. Suzuki-Gun - ***½
4/23 – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru [c] vs. BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi - ***¼
4/24 – Toa Henare vs. Tomohiro Ishii - ***¾]
4/24 – IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Jay White [c] vs. David Finlay - ***¼
4/27 – NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Juice Robinson - ****
4/27 – Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay - ***½
This show is a B or C event for the company, as they head to Wrestling Dontaku in a few days.
Ren Narita and Yuji Nagata vs. Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka
Narita has been rather impressive on these “Road to” shows lately. Guys like Kawato and Oka have probably been best from this class (other than Kitamura), but he’s done well. I was surprised to see Oka against Nagata, since he’s a personal project of Blue Justice. Narita took a beating early, but Oka got cocky and wanted Nagata. Bad move, son. Nagata took these boys to school and forced them to bring intensity as they tried fighting back. They did well, but Umino tapped to the Nagata Lock II in 9:41. That was a fun, energetic opener. The Young Lions brought it, as usual. [**¾]
David Finlay, Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tiger Mask IV vs. IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, Rocky Romero, and Roppongi 3K
I still love how Jay White doesn’t come out with the rest of CHAOS. He’s with them for personal gain (and so Gedo can fit him into his endless sea of multi-man tags) and that’s it. Poor Roppongi 3K. People praise NJPW for how they build stars, and while they do it well sometimes (Juice Robinson), they’ve completely missed the ball with Roppongi 3K. From meaningless short title reigns to a shit set of matches with Suzuki-Gun, it’s been rough. Anyway, they seem to be the one unit within CHAOS that White kind of enjoys. Maybe it’s their Young Lion roots. This had more action than I expected, with no down time. Everyone contributed to make this one of the better undercard NJPW in a while. Finlay beat Romero with a Stunner at 7:18 to cap a delightful little match. [***¼]
Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs. RevPro British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
These teams met during the New Japan Cup (***) and on 4/14 (**¾), while Henare wrestled Ishii on 4/27 in a banger (see above). Both teams have been solid lately. Ishii and Yano have a weird chemistry, while Makabe is the teacher to Henare’s student. After some early Makabe/Yano exchanges, we got the real treat when Ishii and Henare went at it. Henare doesn’t back down and gets his ass kicked, but it’s always great. When he got left alone with Yano, he nearly won this a few times. However, Ishii came back in and bested him with a Brainbuster in 7:56. They kept it short, sweet, and allowed the personalities to shine here. Another fun undercard match. What company am I watching? [***¼]
Chase Owens, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka, and Zack Sabre Jr.
Interesting Suzuki-Gun team as Sabre has been one of the best wrestlers of 2018, while Iizuka has basically been the worst. TAKA is always fine and Taichi has surprisingly not been awful. Weird to see them facing the Golden Lovers Club, who have no real beef with them. I love TAKA’s introduction of Sabre. SG jumped the faces before the match, leading to a brawl around the arena. The focus seemed to be on Omega/Sabre, which I’m all for. Give me that in the G1, please. Once it turned into a more traditional tag, we got to see how great Kenny and Kota are together. There was also a spot where they all did dives outside, including Chase and Yujiro. In the end, it came down to Owens against Sabre. Owens did well, but Sabre countered the Package Piledriver into a grounded octopus hold to win in 8:51. Another good tag. I especially enjoyed the tease of Omega/Sabre. [***]
They hyped the return of BONER Soldier. I only made that joke because of Kenny Omega, by the way. Anyway, this has to be someone new under the mask, right? Gedo wouldn’t really be hyping the return of someone so notoriously bad, would he?
NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA, and Michael Elgin
Following Goto’s win over Juice Robinson, it looked like Elgin stepped up for a shot. Not interested in that, at all. I just realized Okada and Ospreay are my least favorite champions in NJPW. Yes, I know they’re better than the Jr. and NEVER Tag Champions, but I’m talking about personal like. Anyway, the crowd popped for Okada and Tanahashi opening this. In the build to their match, Okada has gotten more aggressive. He’s kind of unhinged, as if the thought of Tanahashi, his oldest rival, ending his reign before he sets every single record ever is taking him off his game. Their fight spilled to the aisle, where Tanahashi hit a slingblade. From there, the rest of the programs got shine, from Juice against Goto to Elgin/Goto, and finally, to KUSHIDA/Ospreay. Their matches have mostly produced diminishing returns, but have never been bad. Near the end, everyone got in offense during a wild barrage. Interestingly, when it seemed like Okada was coming in with a rally, Tanahashi basically kicked his ass and then beat HASHI with High Fly Flow in 10:13. I’m loving the compact style of these matches so far. It didn’t last too long, had bell to bell action, and previewed upcoming matches. [***¼]
Post-match, Taichi attacked Goto with his mic stand to build towards a possible Goto/Elgin/Taichi match that sounds like it’ll make me want to Hangman Page myself. Okada, feeling threatened by Tanahashi, attacked him after the match and it led to a pull apart brawl. Tanahashi is in his head.
BUSHI vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion El Desperado
I’ll say it right here. These are the two most underrated juniors in NJPW. They met in the BOTSJ last year (***). Is t-shirt BUSHI the same as t-shirt Omega or Naito? Like, he wears it for matches he’s not taking seriously? With both men being heels, there was a lot of underhanded tactics, brawling, and cheating. They fought around the ring, BUSHI attacked before the bell, and Desperado tried removing his mask more than once. Things picked up down the stretch, with both guys coming close to winning. I’m a fan of Desperado using the Stretch Muffler, as it’s a move I always liked. As BUSHI went for MX, Yoshinobu Kanemaru ran in and attacked him for the cheap DQ in 9:58. With nothing on the line, there wasn’t really a need for that kind of finish. The champs retained already, so singles wins would’ve been nice for both Hiromu and BUSHI. Anyway, this was fine. [**¾]
Hiromu Takahashi vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Hiromu ran out to save BUSHI from a two on one beating to get this started. Because he’s Hiromu, took a wild bump off the apron in the opening minute. Since he landed on his back, it was key that he spend the match selling that. Luckily, that’s exactly what he did. It showed another aspect to Hiromu’s game that gets overlooked. NJPW hasn’t done much with him since his stellar title run in the first half of last year, but he’s still the best junior they have, with only KUSHIDA being on his level. He resorted to quick bursts of offense to combat his inability to use his back for strength. Desperado got involved, only for BUSHI to make the good guy save. He spat mist at Kanemaru, setting him up for the Time Bomb to get Hiromu a win in 11:29. Some may not like the interference, but I think it worked here. It fit the characters and helped tell the overall story of this match. [***]
IWGP Tag Team Championship: EVIL and SANADA [c] vs. The Killer Elite Squad
This is a Wrestle Kingdom rematch (**½). KES dominated that match, but still lost the titles. It’s taken so long for the rematch due to various injuries, most recently to EVIL. KES attacked before the bell, setting the tone for a brawl. That works best in their favor and honestly, is a good formula for the champs. A table came into play early, but KES got cut off from using it. From there, the champs were in control until KES delivered a vicious Killer Bomb off the apron and through the table onto SANADA. That left them alone with a guy who has been injured for months. Great idea. EVIL took a beating, though he probably ended up surviving a bit too much. SANADA returned in the nick of time and the team was rejuvenated. EVIL nailed the STO on Smith to retain in 17:58. Though EVIL may have survived too much, I appreciated how physical this was. There was an animosity between the teams that we don’t get often enough in NJPW tags. Big improvement on their WK outing. [***½]
Can Gedo book EVIL and SANADA vs. The Golden Lovers soon?
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Minoru Suzuki [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito
Tetsuya Naito is my favorite wrestler in NJPW by a wide margin. However, Suzuki has been great this year as IC Champion. Also, why would Naito want the title? He hated and disrespected it last time. This is the problem with him losing at WK. Going back to this feels strange. Coming into this, I saw some praise it and some call it awful. It turned out to rank somewhere in the middle. It’s a long match (serious problem NJPW has with their big matches), but doesn’t feel that way when compared to some others. Some of Suzuki’s leg work felt a bit repetitive and it reminded me of his match with Okada last February where he applied the knee bar a lot as a time filler. Like that match, Suzuki’s opponent survived a ton in what was basically a one-sided affair. It felt like the finish came from out of nowhere, with a short Naito comeback leading to Destino and another title reign in 30:22. This was good, but nowhere near what they’re capable of. Suzuki was dominant, but then Naito seemingly found a way to suddenly be better than him. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the story. Naito’s been good this year, but has only had one really great match (against Sabre). This worked well enough, just not on the level I hoped. [***]
There you have it, folks. Naito has officially been Nakamura'd. I called it a while ago and here we sit with Naito as IC Champion yet again.
Overall: 7/10. One of the more consistent NJPW events of the year. My biggest gripe with them have been booking decisions, overly long main events, and weak undercards. This one had mostly good booking and a solid undercard. Two out of three ain’t bad. The main event is a disappointment, but everything else on the show is good, which isn’t often the case with NJPW. It flies by and sets up the more important upcoming shows quite well.
