Top Ten Thursday: AJ Styles NJPW Matches

With the news that AJ Styles, along with Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, are leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling, I decided to look back at his run. I chose AJ because he has a short two or so year span to choose from and he's my favorite male wrestler on the planet. Styles certainly found a lot of success in Japan, winning two IWGP Heavyweight Titles, co-headlining Wrestle Kingdom and having a stellar win/loss record with the company. So with that being said, let's look at the best from AJ in NJPW. Also, you'll notice some write ups are very close to my Top 100 matches list because a fair amount of matches from there appear here.

Honorable Mentions: vs. Kazuchika Okada; King of Pro Wrestling 2015; vs. Karl Anderson G1 Climax 24; vs. Kota Ibushi Invasion Attack 2015

10. AJ Styles vs. Lance Archer – G1 Climax 8/3/14

I know what you’re thinking. A singles match involving Lance Archer, formerly known in TNA and WWE as Lance Hoyt and Vance Archer, can’t possibly be great. Coming into this match, I felt the same way. However, during the G1 Climax, he had some impressive matches. This one against AJ Styles was the best I’ve ever seen him have. Now that I’m done praising him, we can get back to AJ Styles, who is the focus of this list. Yea he won the IWGP Heavyweight Title in his first ever match, but something about him in New Japan didn’t instantly click. It wasn’t until the G1 Climax that everything fell into place. He showed off a versatility that we never saw from him during his time in TNA. Nearly every match in the tournament was great and they all felt very different. This one followed the classic big man/little man dynamic. AJ does a ton to make Archer look dominant, bumping like crazy for him. For the most part, Archer plays a basic bruising game until he busts out a moonsault. While he missed it, it showed how important a win over the IWGP Heavyweight Champion truly was. Styles tried chopping down the tree, always a smart strategy as the smaller man. It worked perfectly as Archer was too big to hit the Styles Clash on, so he moved to the Calf Killer submission and made Archer tap out.

9. AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – G1 Climax 8/10/14

In the last two years, the top four guys in NJPW have pretty much been Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles. On the final day of the G1 Climax 24, Nakamura and Okada were set to square off to determine the winner. However, Styles and Tanahashi would meet on the same night to determine the third place finish. Now, they had met in the past in TNA, but this was the biggest stage they’d wrestle on up to this point. Both men had great tournaments and I’d even consider Styles the MVP of the entire thing. This was incredibly back and forth throughout, really showcasing the fact that they were so evenly matched. Neither guy was put in a position to come out looking better than the other. I looked at this match as the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion still looking to fully prove himself by beating the “ace” of New Japan. That was evident when Styles sent the Bullet Club to the back so that it could be completely one on one. He showed that he was more than capable of hanging with Tanahashi and came close to winning on several occasions. In the end though, Tanahashi countered the Styles Clash into a cradle, scoring the win and setting up an IWGP Title match, which Tanahashi would also win.

8. AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito – Wrestle Kingdom 9 1/4/15

Since my knowledge of New Japan Pro Wrestling wasn’t very high coming into Wrestle Kingdom, I wanted to see this match more than any because it involved AJ Styles. This was the second match between two (we’ll tackle the other later). Their first one was better, but man I still liked how different this was. Naito pinned Styles in that match, becoming just the second guy in the company to do so. Their first match was centered on Naito’s eye injury and a vicious AJ, but this was focused on the Styles Clash. AJ had broken Yoshi Tatsu’s neck with the move and there was an aura around it as something dangerous. Naito came prepared and had it well scouted, countering or blocking it at every single turn. The English commentary on the show really hammered home the fact that the move was something to fear. In the end, the one Styles Clash that Naito couldn’t counter was one from the second rope, which finished him off. Once the match ended, officials immediately ran in to check on Naito, further selling the Clash. Styles was able to pick up a win in his debut on the biggest stage in New Japan.

7. AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – G1 Climax 8/14/15

On this, the final “A” Block show of the G1 Climax, we were treated to rematch of the third place match a year earlier. AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi are possibly the two best wrestlers on the planet and met with higher stakes this time around. Tanahashi beat Styles twice in 2014, while Styles won the IWGP Title back from him in February of 2015. Both men were tied with 12 points here and the winner would win the block, heading to the finals. They wrestled a very smart match, with neither guy taking an early risk. They fought hard for every hold, with each and every single thing they did meaning something. There wasn’t just points where they did stuff for the sake of filling time. It all had a purpose. While that start was a bit slow, they worked the crowd into a frenzy when things started to pay off. During the tournament, Styles’ Calf Killer submission was established as a secondary finisher. When he applied it here, the fans totally bough it as a potential finish. AJ would hit a low blow, only for Tanahashi to do one back because that’s how much this win meant. Tanahashi used the Styles Clash, so AJ hit High Fly Flow (or a regular frog splash but still). The back and forth here was top notch. Tanahashi had to finally use multiple High Fly Flows to win the block.

6. AJ Styles vs. Katsuyori Shibata – G1 Climax 7/20/15

Coming into 2015, I had never seen Katsuyori Shibata, but had heard great things. After seeing him have a fantastic match at Dominion, I started to like him. Seeing him matched up against my personal favorite, AJ Styles, to kick off the G1 Climax, had me pretty stoked. When I first saw this, I thought it was good, but not great. Upon further review, I grew to love it. Shibata came in with a legit hand injury and I expected AJ to target it. I assume it was too hurt to really work, so they wisely found a way around it. Shibata kicked the shit out of AJ, forcing AJ to go after the leg, which also help establish his Calf Killer submission. Shibata took it to AJ with some stiff shots throughout, doing what he does best. In the most infamous moment of the match, AJ was close to breaking Shibata’s sleeper. With only one good hand, Shibata chose to bite down on his good hand to keep the hold. He would miss the PK and fall victim to the Styles Clash. I don’t know what it was the first time around, but maybe I was tired or something when I saw it. It is so very good and the fact that we may never get a rematch is one of the saddest things about AJ leaving New Japan. With that being said, I’d like to note that matches with Tomohiro Ishii and Tomoaki Honma are on the list of matches that I never got to see but really wanted to.

5. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada – Dominion 7/5/15

Headlining a stacked Dominion show, the main event between IWGP Champion AJ Styles and Kazuchika Okada had to deliver. It did exactly that as, in my opinion, it was the best part of the card. A lot of Bullet Club matches feature an overabundance of interference. Early on, this seemed to be headed down that path, but Red Shoes ejected them and even hit them with a classic “SUCK IT!” Once they were booted, the match really started to click. Styles went from extremely cocky to seemingly vulnerable and worried, again showcasing how well he can play almost any role given to him. He knew that one on one with Okada, he was in trouble. The chemistry between them has become so great over time that their exchanges are effortless. There are some near falls in this that are incredibly close. Okada nails the Rainmaker, a very protected finish, and immediately goes for a second. AJ counters this one and it looks like Okada may have blown his chance, adding to the drama of this thing. They continued to counter each other, making for a tremendous closing stretch that came to an end after another Rainmaker, giving Okada his third IWGP Heavyweight Title. Styles and Okada are two of the greatest wrestlers alive and this was their best encounter together. It would be the end of the second and final IWGP Heavyweight Title reign of the “Phenomenal One.”

4. AJ Styles vs. Kota Ibushi – G1 Climax 7/26/15

One of the best guys in NJPW is Kota Ibushi. He had a great 2015, including an IWGP Heavyweight Title match earlier in the year at Invasion Attack, which was great. However, he and AJ Styles bested that with the rematch. Playing off of that one, both men were able to counter a lot of the things the other would do even more than in their first match. Kota Ibushi used his quickness and athleticism to overwhelm AJ Styles, who is not the same man he was ten years ago. Now, AJ is a much smarter worker and it showed in the way he turned things around. At one point, Ibushi hits a backflip kick only for AJ to respond with a Pele, showing he’s still got it. Everything done in this match made sense and they built to a fantastic finish. Ibushi continually avoided the Styles Clash, but AJ had an answer for a lot of the big spots Ibushi tried, like a top rope rana and deadlift German. Ibushi would survive Bloody Sunday and win with the Phoenix Splash that was countered in their first match. This made Ibushi only the fourth man in New Japan to pin Styles, joining Okada, Tanahashi and Naito.

3. AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito – G1 Climax 7/26/14

Exactly one year to the day before the previous match on the list, AJ Styles had the one that stood out at the start of his New Japan run. He had a few matches with Kazuchika Okada, but neither wowed me and they wouldn’t have classics until later on down the line. During his time with TNA, AJ Styles was always miles better as the babyface. His heel runs alongside Christian and Kurt Angle, as well as the awful Ric Flair run, were some of the lesser work he’d ever done. It was here that I realized this older, more mature and polished version of AJ could be a great heel. On the previous G1 show, Tetsuya Naito got busted open against Toru Yano. Styles already had a loss on his record (to Okada), but this was a chance for a big win against the guy who won the tournament the year prior. Naito hit AJ’s trademark dropkick, complete with his signature pose. AJ retaliates by relentlessly attacking the head wound of Naito. It’s a vicious side of Styles that I had never seen before. AJ would go on to lose this match, falling victim to the Stardust Press, but it was something here that just clicked. This was the heel that could lead a stable and be at the top of the card. This was a new AJ Styles. This was the guy who, over the next year, would solidify his position as the best wrestler in the world.

2. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Wrestle Kingdom 10 1/4/16

AJ Styles certainly made the most of his two Wrestle Kingdom opportunities. While his match at WK9 was the highest non-main event of the show, he got the co-main event spot this time around. Not only that, but since his arrival in New Japan, he was kept apart from Shinsuke Nakamura. While he’s had countless bouts with Tanahashi and Okada, this was the dream match. When it was announced, the hype was incredibly real and there was some worry that it couldn’t live up to that. Not because of their ability, but because of the high praise. That worry was for nothing as it lived up to the expectations. They worked a smart opening sequence, trying to feel each other out with no real prior knowledge of one another. Nakamura did a great job of targeting the back and AJ was even better at selling it throughout. It impacted several moves that Styles attempted. They messed up the backflip DDT spot which led to a weird moment and was probably the only time that the selling was up to par. They each kicked out of one finisher, with Nakamura hitting a big time Boma Ye after a Pele from out of nowhere. There were callbacks to previous WK matches like the Sakuraba knee that knocked out Nakamura at WK7 and a tease of a second rope Styles Clash.  Outside of the aforementioned DDT spot, they executed everything nearly perfectly. Nakamura locked in his trademark armbar but AJ got out and hit the Styles Clash for two. I bought into a massive near fall when Nakamura hit a fucking top rope Michinoku Driver. Finally, Nakamura hit a Boma Ye to the back of the head and another to the front to retain. After the bell, the two men fist bumped each other in a show of respect. Even though he worked a tag match the next day, I’ll consider this AJ’s swan song.

1. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki – G1 Climax 8/1/14

I’ve already talked about how great and versatile AJ Styles was during his G1 Climax runs. This was the pinnacle of those runs and his entire time in New Japan. Minoru Suzuki is pretty much a master at professional wrestling and this made for one interesting matchup. Styles was the leader of the Bullet Club, while Suzuki captained Suzuki-Gun. Now, there were greater moments in other matches for sure, but this match isn’t about one moment. It’s a collection of great little things that make for a tremendous match. Yes, there is interference on both ends, but it makes perfect sense here since they lead two of the top heel stables in Japan. It also isn’t overdone. Suzuki attacked AJ’s arm relentlessly. He throws in some finger stretching to add to the brutality of the work he does. They ended up in a fantastic exchange of strikes and counters near the end, which is made even better by Styles only using his left hand because his right arm is too damaged. Again, it’s small, but it makes such a big difference. That’s the kind of selling I want to see and props to AJ for holding his own in the strike battle despite not using his dominant hand. AJ wins with a Styles Clash, capping the best match in the best tournament in wrestling history. Performances like this are going to be greatly missed with AJ gone.

NJPW New Year Dash Review

New Year Dash

January 5^th, 2015 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

One night after their biggest show of the year, New Japan Pro Wrestling ran New Year Dash. It’s set up like a house show, with many multi-man tag matches but should set the stage for the upcoming New Beginnings Pay-Per-View.

Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shiro Koshinaka, Sho Tanaka and Yuji Nagata def. Cheeseburger, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Yohei Komatsu and Yoshiaki Fujiwara in 10:13

If you read my review of Wrestle Kingdom, you’d know that I found the New Japan Rumble to be a blast. This was more of the same as a lot of the guys involved were used here, with a mix of legends and Young Lions. Much like in the rumble, this was ridiculous fun. Cheeseburger was again a highlight, with his act already being over with the crowd. Fujiwara hilariously slapped him at one point, getting annoyed with his offense since it failed against the likes of Nakanishi and Nagata. Komatsu ate the pin in a fun little match that did well as an opener. **½

Ricochet and Matt Sydal def. David Finlay Jr. and Jay White in 6:46

The newest team in the junior tag division, Ricochet and Matt Sydal, get themselves a little showcase here. While I enjoy them, they aren’t really adding anything new to a stale division. David Finlay Jr. and Jay White have blossomed into a nice little team actually. They have one of the worst win/loss records in history, but that’s expected from the Young Lions. They are a unit I’d like to see move into the ranks of the division. This was kept short so they were able to go at a really fast pace, which benefitted them. Solid stuff here. Stereo shooting star presses did the deed. **¾

Non-Title Match: ROH World Champion Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini def. Juice Robinson in 7:11

At Wrestle Kingdom, Jay Lethal was introduced to the Japanese audience by retaining the ROH World Title against Michael Elgin. Here, he faced the former CJ Parker in a fine little match. Juice has been trying to find his footing in NJPW, but I think this was his first actual singles match. I think this would have been better suited on the Road to Tokyo Dome to familiarize the crowd with Lethal but I get that the timing wouldn’t work with Lethal’s US dates. Anyway, this was solid though it featured a bit too much Martini interaction. Lethal shouldn’t need help to beat someone in Juice’s position on the card. Fun fact, it was Martini who trained Juice. He got to do a fun little airplane spin spot to him before falling victim to the Lethal Injection. **½

Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, King Haku, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA, Satoshi Kojima and IWGP Tag Team Champions Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma in 11:10

Yup. MOTHERFUCKING King Haku wrestled in this match and looked pretty damn good too. He got involved in the brawling and got to team with his son, Tama Tonga, which has to be cool. This was a fun multi-man match, with everyone being on their game. It was the usual Bullet Club tag but with something just making it better. Maybe it was having Haku involved, but they seemed fired up. I mean, Haku did a fucking piledriver. Despite the talk about them leaving, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows scored the win on Honma, most likely setting up a rematch at New Beginnings. That could be their final match. Fun match with the rating bumped up a notch because of Haku. ***¼

BUSHI, EVIL and Tetsuya Naito def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mascara Dorada and Michael Elgin in 11:58

EVIL’s gimmick and entrance is just too over the top. It doesn’t work for me in the way that a lot of other gimmicks do. While he is back in the relative midcard for now, Hiroshi Tanahashi is still insanely over and the tandem with Michael Elgin just works with the crowd. Even with the lackluster ROH Title match at Wrestle Kingdom, he and his power offense is still clicking with the fans. Los Ingobernables won after a ref bump and BUSHI spitting the mist at Dorada. He pinned him with a diving codebreaker. This was more fine work on the show, keeping a consistent tone. Los Ingobernables attacked after the match, leading KUSHIDA to try and make the save. He also got misted and BUSHI challenged him for the Jr. Title. That is a fresh matchup that I’m looking forward to. We may also be getting Tanahashi/Naito again, which doesn’t sound bad but also isn’t exciting. Hopefully Naito comes out on top. ***

AJ Styles and Kenny Omega def. IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and YOSHI-HASHI in 12:01

When I woke up today, the post-match angle was the big news, but we’ll get to that in a second. First off, the match itself was really good. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura had some great exchanges early on, reminding everyone of their fantastic Wrestle Kingdom match. Surprisingly, the stuff between Kenny Omega and Nakamura was also very interesting. Even more surprisingly, Omega pinned Nakamura with the One Winged Angel. Then the big angle happened. As the victors celebrated, Omega attacked Styles, hitting him with the One Winged Angel as well. The rest of the Bullet Club ran out to calm things down. As AJ got helped to his feet, Omega and the Young Bucks hit him with a triple superkick. The rest of the group joined in on the assault, ending with Omega planting Styles with a Styles Clash (with superkicks from the Bucks involved). Omega cut a promo about how Styles is fired and that he won’t be challenging KUSHIDA for the title he lost the night before. He calls himself a heavyweight and is going after Nakamura and the IC Title. While I’m not a big Omega fan, this was expertly done as he is now solidified on the fast track to some sort of major role. After the Bullet Club left, AJ Styles was serenaded by chants from Korakuen Hall and he bowed to them, seemingly as a goodbye. If he ever does return, he’ll be a big time babyface. If he doesn’t, it was a thank you for some phenomenal, pun intended, years. ***¼

Hirooki Goto, NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata and reDRagon def. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Roppongi Vice and Tomohiro Ishii in 13:19

Oh my goodness, Meiyu Tag and reDRagon together? What a fucking team. The other side isn’t too shabby either. Outside of the previous angle, this whole match was my favorite thing on the card. The interactions between everyone was great. Ishii and Shibata went to war, Roppongi Vice and reDRagon were their usual selves and the stuff between Goto and Okada was great. The best parts of this though, was seeing Okada and Ishii work reDRagon. I would love to see Okada/O’Reilly when Okada visits ROH in a few months. Goto would make Barreta tap out to win for his guys. Before he left though, Okada got on the microphone. I read that he kind of ran down Goto for wanting to unify the IC and Heavyweight Titles a few months back. Goto beat Okada in the G1, but since then, Goto lost the IC Title, which Okada was sure to point out. It looks like Goto/Okada at New Beginnings, which should be fun. ***¾

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes and Toru Yano (c) def. Bad Luck Fale and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks in 11:02

The newest title in NJPW got defended a day after being created. I honestly would have put the Okada/Goto stuff on last. I get that this was a title match, but it doesn’t feel like a main event to me. This was good old fashioned fun. I’ve gone on record many times in saying I don’t like the Young Bucks, but the Briscoes and Toru Yano are enough to make up for it. Yano was his usual self, calling for BREAK after BREAK and having fun at Fale’s expense. The exchanges between the Bucks and Briscoes were fine but nothing new for them. I like the addition of the Briscoes, especially Mark, so far. They retained with a Jay Driller/Froggy Bow combination to cap a fun little main event. ***

Overall: 7/10. If you hadn’t noticed by my words, this was a really fun show. Nothing about it was MOTY contender level, but that’s fine because it wasn’t supposed to be that kind of event. It did a great job of giving us really fun matches and setting the stage for future programs. It was one of the more noteworthy non-PPVs I can think of in New Japan. An easy three hour watch

Wrestle Kingdom 10 Review

Wrestle Kingdom 10
January 4th, 2016 | Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 25,204

This morning, I stayed up to watch Wrestle Kingdom in its entirety. It was the first time I watched a New Japan event live. The attendance numbers for the show were certainly disappointing, being ones of the lowest totals in Dome show history.

Jado wins the New Japan Rumble in 31:51
On the pre-show we got the New Japan Rumble. This is kind of like a Royal Rumble but with pinfall and submission eliminations. It also doesn’t have the high stakes as it is here so lower card guys and legends can get on the show. This was much more fun than I expected. Liger and Fujiwara started things. There were some great surprises like ROH’s Cheeseburger, who came in and was a ton of fun. I popped for the arrival of fucking Haku, representing the Bullet Club. Unfortunately, he tapped out and made me sad. We also saw the Great Kabuki and even Kazushi Sakuraba, despite just having a fight. Cheeseburger was racking up group eliminations throughout the match. Jado was the last entrant, giving himself a big entrance and eliminating Ryusuke Taguchi to win in the end. A really wacky match which was the light, fun thing it needed to be. **½

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks w/ Cody Hall def. reDRagon (c), Roppongi Vice and Matt Sydal and Ricochet in 16:42
Going into the show, I expected this to be every Jr. Tag Title match ever. Guess what? I was right. This felt very similar to most of what I’ve seen from these teams, even with Matt Sydal and Ricochet being a new addition. I still hate the booking of this match, which made Sydal and Ricochet’s Super Jr. Tag Tournament win irrelevant. This was a retread of their opener last year but it wasn’t as good. There were some cool spots overall, but there is only so many times I can see the same thing and be impressed by it. The Bucks won back the straps with More Bang for your Buck, continuing the revolving door of Jr. Tag Champions. Booking like this is part of the reason it’s hard to take these divisions seriously. Rocky Romero ate the pine, continuing to protect reDRagon at least. **½

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: The Briscoe Brothers and Toru Yano def. Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi in 11:34
This was to crown the inaugural NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Champions. The tandem of the Briscoes and Toru Yano is one of the most random but interesting things I could think of. Yujiro Takahashi had another fine lady with him, but it wasn’t Mao, who is very popular. There was some brawling to start before Yano took some heat. The Briscoes seemed a bit fired up to be in Japan, but the Bullet Club guys, outside of Tama Tonga, were kind of just there. The Briscoes scored with the Doomsday Device to capture the belts. This was a bit long for my taste. The Yano multi-man tag last year was kept short and to the point. Still, all I want in life now is for vignettes starring Toru Yano in Sandy Fork with the DEM BOYS. **¼

ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) w/ Truth Martini def. Michael Elgin in 12:00
Truth Martini came prepared with a Japanese Book of Truth. While the Japanese crowd really likes Michael Elgin, this felt super out of place on this card. Elgin got to show off some impressive power moves which the crowd was really into. Unfortunately, they didn’t give much heat to Jay Lethal. With them seemingly unaware of Lethal, it was hard for them to really show disdain. They put in some effort but the crowd just wasn’t feeling this. Elgin did all of his signature stuff, including the deadlift falcon arrow, but he fell to the Lethal Injection. A very disappointing match. Probably my least favorite Elgin singles match in Japan. **½

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHDA w/ Ryusuke Taguchi def. Kenny Omega (c) w/ the Young Bucks in 12:48
Ryusuke Taguchi played Doc Brown for KUSHIDA while Kenny Omega had the Young Bucks with him. With Omega, the Bucks and Taguchi here, it’s like they tried to make me dislike this as much as possible. These two had a great bout at Dominion last year and a decent at best one at Destruction where Omega won the belt back. They worked some fine strike exchanges early on and we got some interference. Interference was a theme throughout the evening. KUSHIDA focused on the arm, which Omega did a pretty good job of selling. He attempted the One Winged Angel, but KUSHIAD was able to counter with a sloppy cradle and win back the title that he never should have lost in the first place. This was nowhere near the level of their Dominion outing and was much closer to Destruction. The final few minutes were solid though the finish was very anti-climactic. It also left room for a rematch, which I have no desire of seeing. ***

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe def. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson (c) w/ Amber Gallows in 12:49
As usual with Tomoaki Honma, the fans were absolutely rabid for this. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson played their heel roles very well, while Honma and Makabe showed good chemistry. Like the rest of the card up to this point, things felt like they didn’t’ kick into high gear. It was a solidly worked match that had a hot crowd but something was off. Makabe took the heat for a while and gave the hot tag to Honma, who ran wild. He was able to hit Kokeshi, which is always a good sign. The finish to this was pretty cool for the most part. GBH did a doomsday Kokeshi, followed by a top rope Kokeshi and then the King Kong Knee Drop to crown new champions. It was a feel good moment as Honma finally got to win some gold. I do think things would have been much better if Honma got to make the pin, but it was still pretty cool. Another decent match. **½

Hirooki Goto def. Tetsuya Naito w/ BUSHI and EVIL in 12:16
All three usual members of Los Ingobernables were on hand. Tetsuya Naito was sporting a sick white suit and a pretty badass mask. Hirooki Goto also was sporting what seemed to be rather new attire. We are six matches into the show and again there is a pre-match attack and interference. BUSHI and EVIL got involved a lot throughout this match. They brought a table into play and Naito tried a neckbreaker off the apron through it but it didn’t break. The first few minutes were rather dull but it picked up near the end. Goto was able to overcome the odds, surviving attacks from all three members and blocking Destino. He then hit Shouten Kai to win. This was the probably best thing on the show so far, but again didn’t reach great status and part of it was the continuing reliance on shenanigans. Naito needed the win more in my mind. Also, Yohei Komatsu helped Naito to the back and Naito didn’t attack him like he does to other Young Lions. ***

NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata def. Tomohiro Ishii (c) in 17:19
Finally. Finally something brought me to the edge of my seat and made me saw wow. These two have had classics before, especially their two G1 matches in 2013 and 2014. Like those affairs, they just beat the holy hell out of each other for the entire duration of the match. I follow people on twitter seeing these guys for the first time and they were stunned. I saw so many stiff strikes and some headbutts that looked like they would kill a normal man. Katsuyori Shibata is perfect for what the NEVER division has become and his chemistry with Tomohiro Ishii is always spot on. Both men collapsed in exhaustion a few times as they were willing to do whatever it took to win the belt. To me, this felt like two guys willing to kill and die to become champion and that’s what I want from a title fight like this. After tons of great moments, Shibata won the belt with the PK. He breathes new life into a stagnant division. I love that he got to have this moment on the big stage because he’s been one of the best wrestlers of the past year or two. They meshed brutality and drama expertly and was what this show needed to get off of average status. It was the first thing that felt like a big deal. This was spectacular and different from everything else on the show. ****½

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. AJ Styles in 24:18
Here is the dream match that most people, myself included, were looking forward to the most on the card. AJ Styles was out with no Bullet Club and sporting a pretty rad mask for his entrance. The lack of BC is greatly appreciated. Like his match against Jay Lethal last month, Styles was able to do great stuff despite his back injury. They worked a smart opening sequence, trying to feel each other out with no real prior knowledge of one another. Nakamura did a great job of targeting the back and AJ was even better at selling it throughout. It impacted several moves that Styles attempted. They messed up the backflip DDT spot which led to a weird moment and was probably the only time that the selling was up to par. They each kicked out of one finisher, with Nakamura hitting a big time Boma Ye after a Pele from out of nowhere. Styles countered another Boma Ye with a vicious knee strike of his own in one of the cooler moments. Outside of the aforementioned DDT spot, they executed everything nearly perfectly. Nakamura locked in his trademark armbar but AJ got out and hit the Styles Clash for two. I bought into a massive near fall when Nakamura hit a fucking top rope Michinoku Driver. Finally, Nakamura hit a Boma Ye to the back of the head and another to the front to retain. After the bell, the two men fist bumped each other in a show of respect. Just an excellent match that lived up to my expectations. ****½

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) w/ Gedo def. Hiroshi Tanahashi in 36:01
I previously noted that the matches between these two are always top notch. Their main event last year was tremendous and their match at King of Pro Wrestling 2013 is one of the greatest that I’ve ever witnessed. Early on here, I was disappointed. Unlike last year when the things they did seemed to be wise, this seemed like they were clearly going 30+ minutes for the sake of it. Nothing they did was bad, but it wasn’t the most entertaining stuff. Obviously the story here was whether or not Kazuchika Okada could finally beat Hiroshi Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi was his usual self by targeting the leg, while Okada looked for the Rainmaker. They did a good job in calling back to their long series of matches but something about it felt off to me. Tanahashi kind of abandoned the leg work late into the match, which disappointed me since they spent so much time focusing on it early. The final ten or so minutes saw a TON of false finishes and close calls. It seemed a bit overdone but it does kind of make sense in a finality sort of way with this overarching story. It took three straight Rainmakers before Okada could retain and finally put Tanahashi in his rearview mirror. Tanahashi also finally put over Okada as the official ace of New Japan after the match. This was the worst match I’ve seen between them, but their standards are so high that this is still held in high esteem. ****

Overall: 7/10. After the first four or five matches, I was pretty disappointed. The show was middling at best with a very low ceiling. I don’t think anything on the show was outwardly bad, but nothing stood out to me. Then Shibata/Ishii came and woke me the fuck up. Styles/Nakamura followed with a tremendous match and the main event was also good, but overly long. The show was good, and ended on a high note, but outside of those final matches, this didn’t feel like the biggest show of the year.

Kevin's Top 100 Matches of 2015: #40-31

40. Aztec Warfare – Lucha Underground 1/7/15

To crown the first ever Lucha Underground Champion, we were treated to an Aztec Warfare match. It was similar to a Royal Rumble with a new entrant entering the fray every 90 seconds. However, unlike the Royal Rumble, eliminations could only occur via pinfall or submission. That little tidbit allowed for this to be better than any Rumble match in a long time. Also, the match was contested under “Anything Goes” rules. The luchadores were given the freedom to compete in and out of the ring. Talent wise, this was stacked, including the likes of Johnny Mundo, Prince Puma, Pentagon Jr, Ivelisse, Mil Muertes and many others. The action was non-stop for the most part, making the 53:24 move along quickly. They were also wise enough to build this around the storytelling from the first few episodes, making sure that rivalries were touched upon. Storytelling was such an important aspect of LU so it was nice to see it was a big deal even early on. Mundo and Puma, the two men who main evented the first ever Lucha Underground show, were the final two competitors, even though Mundo entered at number two. Their exchange was a blast and ended when Puma won with a 630 to become the first champion. ****¼

39. Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/29/15

Of the entire Battle of Los Angeles, this was the best match to me. That includes the non-tournament matches that took place that weekend. Chris Hero has been on fire since the WWE let him go and Timothy Thatcher has become one of my favorite indy guys. In fact, this was the first match of his that I got to see. This started light enough, with Hero stepping outside to bask in the crowd’s cheers because they love him. Thatcher was all business though. When things actually get going, Hero is more serious, delivering some stiff shots. That’s kind of the theme of this match. For the entire 18:03, both guys just beat the shit out of each other with some of the stiffest blows of the entire tournament. Thatcher brought something different as well, trying to tie Hero into crazy knots at some points. At one point, Thatcher blocks a roaring elbow with a headbutt to the shoulder for a very close near fall that I totally bit on, despite knowing the outcome beforehand. Hero would win with the Hero’s Welcome, in a fantastic match that really felt like it featured two guys giving their all to win a tournament. ****¼

38. KUSHIDA vs. Roderick Strong – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15

Two guys that had tremendous 2015s met around the midway point of the year. It was pretty clear, just by looking at the two men involved, that this would be interesting. They have different styles and that doesn’t always equal something good. This turned out to be better than I expected, and I had some high hopes. While they started by adhering to the Code of Honor, KUSHIDA gained an early upper hand with his quickness advantage. He kind of got showy, which irked Roderick Strong, who shoved him before moving into his style. He slowed things a bit, while really working over KUSHIDA’s back. There were just so many things about this that really clicked. Moments like Strong missing a chop and hitting the ring post to a loud thud, KUSHIDA’s dive to the outside and Strong applying the Stronghold on the ropes, which was similar to Tajiri’s Tarantula and Tajiri was KUSHIDA’s trainer. The red hot crowd only added to this as two of the MVPs of 2015 just went out, put their strengths to good use and had a great match. The finishing stretch saw a great exchange of strikes before Strong won with the Strong Breaker after 16:06 of action. Definitely worth a look. ****¼

37. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15

A buddy of mine made an interesting comparison heading into this match. As part of a preview to this G1 show, he was asked to compare these guys to two current WWE Superstars. He used John Cena and Cesaro. I’ve heard the Hiroshi Tanahashi/Cena comparisons a million times but the Kota Ibushi/Cesaro one surprisingly made a bunch of sense. They’re both freak athletes that are deceptively strong. Before the G1 Climax, Tanahashi was in a feud with Toru Yano, leading many to think he was near the end of his run. It turns out that he was just resting up for a great G1 Climax run and it all started here on night one. Tanahashi went after the leg with dragon screws and submissions, trying to ground the incredible aerial ability of Ibushi. Unfortunately, Ibushi’s selling of the leg left a little to be desired, which was my only major gripe. He did do some of his incredible offense, including the deadlift German. This main evented the first night of the tournament and it felt like a big fight. The crowd was red hot and these two went at it, full throttle, for the entire 20:53. Tanahashi won with the High Fly Flow, earning his first two points en route to winning the whole tournament. ****¼

36. NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15

Women’s matches on NXT TakeOver specials are just that. Something special. At previous TakeOver events, both Bayley and Sasha Banks fell short in dethroning Charlotte but got another shot here. Becky Lynch made her TakeOver debut and was in an alliance with Sasha. That quickly dissolved with the belt on the line as Becky suplexed her nearly out of her boots early on. Four of the best female wrestlers on the planet just went all out in 12:28 of nonstop action. Some of what they do here had never been attempted by the Divas. The work here is so smooth and crisp, never missing a beat despite all of the moving parts. The underlying story of the Sasha/Becky partnership, the crowd being behind Bayley as the underdog, the dominant fighting champion and the history between former BFFs Charlotte and Sasha all came into play here. After seeing this, I knew that it was the best women’s match I had seen up to this point, though they would best themselves later in the year. My favorite thing is that they didn’t use the Fatal Four Way stipulation to have Charlotte not eat a pin or go with a fluke finish. Sasha pinned Charlotte to become champion, starting the best women’s title reign in WWE history. ****¼

35. Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15

On the shelf for five months, Adam Cole made his return here and did so in a huge match. Cole faced the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion and instantly showed that ring rust wasn’t going to be a problem. Outside of a Bloody Sunday on the apron, which was sick, there weren’t many points of this match that made you jump out of seat and say “wow”. However, it was smartly worked. Cole picked up a few near falls that made you actually believe he would beat the IWGP Champion, even though you knew in your heart that it wouldn’t happen.  Cole’s shoulder injury came into play, sold more by commentary pointing out that he returned about four months earlier than expected. Cole was unable to lift Styles at a few points, including on a Styles Clash attempt. He was able to hit it with help from the ropes, but outside of a few superkicks, he couldn’t hit any of his own finishers. Styles went into a bit of a piledriver barrage, nailing two or three painful looking ones before using the Styles Clash to pick up the win at 17:34. Cole had a solid 2015 but I expect him to be on this list a lot more next year, hopefully including a rematch between these two. ****¼

34. Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15

With Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a heated rivalry involving the NXT Title, a tournament was held to determine the next number one contender. Adrian Neville and Finn Balor were the final two men remaining, meeting at TakeOver; Rival. I’m not 100% sure but I believe it was a match against each other in Japan that got both men on WWE’s radar. There was a special feel to this that wasn’t simply because of the high stakes. This was the longest reigning NXT Champion in history against the guy that many, correctly, pegged as the next face of NXT. Finn brought out the “Demon” for the first time two months earlier and it rattled his opponents. Neville refused to be intimidated, looking at Finn as a man in paint rather than a “Demon.” There were little moments during the 13:45 of this match where Finn showed that he’s a different entity in the paint, like crawling/stalking Neville around the ring. I’d love to see more of that from him to differentiate the “Demon” from normal Finn. There were well placed near falls that weren’t overdone before Finn won with the Coup de Grace. This would be Neville’s last high profile NXT match before heading to the main roster and it worked as a passing of the torch in some ways. ****¼

33. AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/15

As noted earlier in the list, the later days of the G1 Climax this year saw the “A” Block match quality fall while the “B” Block rose. On this, the final “A” Block show, we were treated to a main event that more than delivered. AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi are possibly the two best wrestlers on the planet and are no strangers to each other. Heading into this, they were tied with 12 points and the winner would win the block, heading to the finals. With the stakes high, neither man took an early risk. They fought hard for every hold, with each and every single thing they did meaning something. There wasn’t just points where they did stuff for the sake of filling time. It all had a purpose. While that start was a bit slow, they worked the crowd into a frenzy when things started to pay off. During the tournament, Styles’ Calf Killer submission was established as a secondary finisher. When he applied it here, the fans totally bough it as a potential finish. AJ would hit a low blow, only for Tanahashi to do one back because that’s how much this win meant. Tanahashi used the Styles Clash, so AJ hit High Fly Flow (or a regular frog splash but still). The back and forth here was top notch. Tanahashi had to finally use multiple High Fly Flows to win the block after 27:56. Just a well done big time match. ****¼

32. NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East 7/4/15

Beast in the East was unlike any other show in the WWE this year. Besides the fact that it was broadcast live from Japan, this just felt so different. The production, presentation and even commentary was all so refreshing. Finn Balor and Kevin Owens met for the NXT Title earlier in the year, though it was rather disappointing. This time, Finn had home field advantage due to his history in Japan, and he also brought out the “Demon.” There was a big fight feel to this one and the streamers thrown into the ring by the crowd just added to that. Using the emotional upper hand, Finn attacked from the bell, trying to overwhelm the champion and maybe even score a quick win. Owens weathered the storm, slowing the match to a pace that he liked. Owens was phenomenal here, doing all of the little things that he needed to do as a hated heel. From smack talk to purposely doing rest holds to stealing John Cena’s signature moves and more, Owens was on point. They didn’t overdo the false finishes, with Balor not even taking a popup powerbomb, protecting that move. It did take him two Coup de Graces, but it earned him the NXT Title in 19:25. A great, feel good moment capping a great match. ****¼

31. Lucha Underground Championship: Prince Puma (c) vs. Mil Muertes – Ultima Lucha 8/5/15

The Lucha Underground Championship was on the line in the final match of the first season. Since day one, Prince Puma was pretty much the poster boy for the company, while Mil Muertes spent the entire season being built up as the ultimate monster. It all came to a head when the two collided to close the book on season one. It’s a simple, tried and true formula, but it almost always works and especially does when the two guys play their roles as well as these two did. Early on, they went with the brawling and busted out some cool spots. Puma used Catrina, who by the way, has come very far since her days as Maxine, as a weapon at one point. There was a powerbomb onto steps, spear off the apron through a table and Muertes nailed Puma with a steel chair on a suicide dive. It reminded me of the classic Benoit/Jericho spot from their ladder match. When things got back in the ring, both Muertes and Puma kicked out of each other’s finishers and it meant something here because both moves had been very well protected throughout the season. They built up the drama so very well, with Puma fighting tooth and nail out of desperation to overcome the force that is Mil Muertes. Puma went for another 630 but Catrina powered up Muertes, who nailed a top rope Flatliner to end season one as the new Lucha Underground champion after 17:41. A very fitting finish to an excellent year of television from the promotion. ****¼

Kevin's Top 100 Matches of 2015: #50-41

50. NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Tomoaki Honma – NJPW Power Struggle 11/7/15

There is only one trilogy of matches to make the list this year and it’s the three pitting Tomoaki Honma against Tomohiro Ishii. Here we have the third match in the 2015 series, though it was my least favorite of them. Still, when my least favorite match of theirs ranks this high, you know they have something special. Even back to their earliest matches, the chemistry between these two just works. Each and every match they have is an absolute war and this was no different. The always molten hot Osaka crowd bought into Honma again, thinking he’d win. He’s kind of a perennial loser, but the fans always believe in him. Again, their back and forth is just so good and brutal, but by this point, we’d seen it a ton and there’s only so many different things they can do. A highlight was the Kokeshi to the floor, but that move is also usually Honma’s downfall. He missed it inside and fell to the Brainbuster at 17:26, giving Ishii the 2-1 edge in their matches this year. ****¼

49. Open the Twin Gate Championship: Verserk (c) vs. Monster Express – Dragon Gate The Gate of Destiny 11/1/15

I was only able to catch one Dragon Gate show this year, but it was a doozy. The final two matches stole the show and this was the first. While I wasn’t familiar with the duos, I did know two of the men involved. The champions, Verserk, consist of YAMATO and Naruki Doi, while the challengers were Masato Yoshino and T-Hawk. Doi and Yoshino are familiar to me due to their time in ROH, where Doi is actually a former Tag Team Champion. This was so fast paced and their chemistry was just spot on. It never missed a beat. The champions looked incredible and they just fed off of each other so well. The crowd was red hot for this, showing that the match and the titles were both a big deal. There is a powder throwing spot that came off rather lame because once the referee turned around, he should have seen Yoshino’s face just completely covered in it but that was probably the only blemish on this. That led to the finish, as Yoshino fell to two Gallarias at the 21:48 mark and Verserk retained. Honestly, this was my favorite tag team match this year. ****¼

48. Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/15

At this point in the G1 Climax, Kazuchika Okada had just one loss and Yuji Nagata was pretty much all but dead in the standings. Okada was also the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, meaning the result of this was pretty expected going in. Nobody told the fans at Korakuen Hall. They badly wanted the Nagata win. For those unaware, Nagata is pretty much an ageless wonder. The same guy that I saw in WCW during the 90’s is still competing to this day and does so at a pretty high level. This told the story one would expect, with the fans behind the wily veteran and against the brash youngster. Nagata wanted to prove that at 47, he could still deliver, while Okada would have liked nothing more than to further add to his long resume. They had a great back and forth battle until Nagata locked in his signature armbar. Okada reached the ropes and, with the crowd firmly behind Nagata, started to get frustrated. This caused Okada to show some heel tactics, which is when I think he’s at his best. It took 18:16, as well as a tombstone, before the Rainmaker put down Nagata for good. Okada silenced the crowd, earning himself sole possession of first place in the Climax, with one match remaining. A tremendous effort from both men. ****¼

47. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/27/15

Nobody had more high profile matches against each other this year than Hirooki Goto and Shinsuke Nakamura. Goto won the first two, at Wrestling Dontaku and Dominion, winning and retaining the IWGP Intercontinental Title. During the G1 Climax, Nakamura got one back, making Goto tap and setting up one more rematch. While none of their matches were bad, they did suffer from some issues. While they usually finished very strongly, the first two-thirds of the match could be considered dry. It was on this night that it clicked completely, resulting in their best effort for a complete match. Still, their strength has been the finishing stretch, with this possibly being the best they put together. They called back to previous matches and countered each other seamlessly. It took multiple Boma Ye knee strikes but Nakamura was able to regain his title at the 22:58 mark and even the score for the year with Goto. They saved their best for last, but even so, I’d be okay with not seeing them go at it in 2016. However, if you’re going to watch any of their matches from this year, I’d recommend this one. ****¼

46. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 48 8/16/15

Whenever I watch Zack Sabre Jr. he always seems to be in control. Despite not being the biggest man, Sabre is so good on the mat that he never seems out of it or even an underdog. For the first time, I saw Sabre really play up the face in peril against Chris Hero. For 24:28, Hero was pretty much in the driver’s seat and Sabre looked overmatched throughout. Hero stopped every Sabre attempt to make this a mat game and just flat out hit a piledriver early on. From then on, Hero just beat the hell out of him. One thing I like about the Evolve setting, is that you can hear a lot of what the wrestler’s say. That came into play when Hero shouted at Sabre to stay down or when Sabre actually did get to do some mat work, you could hear Hero screaming to be let out. It’s something small, but it certainly added to this match. By the end, Sabre was way out of it from the beating and Hero laid him out with an elbow. Both men played their parts here spectacularly. ****¼

45. WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15

Like the rest of WrestleMania this year, this was poorly built. Like most of the rest of WrestleMania this year, this exceeded expectations. The fans were firmly behind Brock Lesnar as Roman Reigns was not getting many favorable responses at the time to say the least. The WWE did a pretty great job in booking this match. Brock had been a dominating presence for over a year by this point and fans weren’t into the idea of Reigns kicking his ass. So he didn’t. Brock abused him for the better part of this match. Reigns hit Brock hard more than a few times, busting him open, but Brock came back and coined the Suplex City Bitch phrase. I think the bit of Reigns laughing at Brock’s offense wasn’t great. I got the idea, but it didn’t come off as well as they probably hoped. Still, Reigns as the resilient fighter was good and then he found an opening when Brock hit the post outside. It was an instance where blood really added something. This was when things picked up as Reigns hit big move after big move and came so close to winning. Then Brock hit a fourth F5 and both men were down. Enter Seth Rollins. Mr. Money in the Bank ran out and cashed in, pinning Roman at 16:43. It kept Brock from getting pinned, didn’t overdo the Reigns push at that point and sent the fans home happy with the shocking title win for the MVP of the prior year. Excellently done. ****¼

44. AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 1/4/15

Since my knowledge of New Japan Pro Wrestling wasn’t very high coming into Wrestle Kingdom, I wanted to see this match more than any because it involved AJ Styles. Seeing it for the first time, I thought it was great. Later in the year, I went back and saw their G1 Climax 24 match, which was better, before going back and re-watching this. The second time around, I appreciated and enjoyed this more. While their first match was centered on Naito’s eye injury and a vicious AJ, this was focused on the Styles Clash. AJ had broken Yoshi Tatsu’s neck with the move and there was an aura around it as something dangerous. Naito had it well scouted, countering or blocking it at every single turn. When I saw this with Jim Ross and Matt Striker on commentary, it helped as they really built the Styles Clash as something to fear. In the end, the one Styles Clash that Naito couldn’t counter was one from the second rope, finishing him at 14:25. Once the match ended, officials ran in to check on Naito, further selling the Clash. ****¼

43. ROH World and Television Championships: Jay Briscoe (c) vs. Jay Lethal (c) – ROH Best in the World 6/19/15

Ring of Honor billed this match as the “biggest in ROH history.” Considering the double title ruling, the argument could be made. However, when you add in the facts that Jay Lethal had held the Television Title for over 400 days and Jay Briscoe hadn’t been pinned in over 800 days, and you’ve got something great brewing. They knew they had a lot of time, going 27:27, so they built towards their finish. The first half or even two-thirds of this saw them exchanging offense and never gaining a true upper hand on each other. Piece by piece, Lethal’s advantages were taken away, as the House of Truth were ejected. First, almost instantly, Donovan Dijak and Jay Diesel are tossed and later, it is Truth Martini himself sent away. That left Lethal alone and he stepped up, putting on a great performance. The back third of the match was pretty nuts, with some great false finishes, though they didn’t overdo the finisher kickouts, with each guy only surviving one. Lethal finally nailed the Lethal Injection, to become the second double champion in ROH history. It proved that the company completely believed in Lethal, signaling a new era for the company. ****¼

42. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazushi Sakuraba – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15

These are two of the baddest dudes I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring. As expected when it comes to these two, they didn’t do much wrestling. This was absolutely a fight. It was hard hitting and stiff for the entire 11:48 runtime. Throughout this match, there were multiple little things that helped it stand out. In order to break a submission where his arms weren’t free, Katsuyori Shibata resorted to biting the second rope for a rope break. Kazushi Sakuraba threw off his ankle brace before kicking Shibata at another point. The men had a history together, as a tag team and as mentor and mentee from what I’ve looked up. From what I gather, Shibata was never able to beat Sakuraba in their MMA fights, so this was a chance to kind of surpass his mentor in the pro wrestling world. This was exactly the kind of match that it needed to be and Shibata got the victory, gaining momentum before a great showing in the G1 Climax. Just a great fight, especially if that style speaks to you. ****¼

41. Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Fastlane 2/22/15

Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble to one of the worst fan receptions I’ve ever heard for a face. The fans just didn’t believe he was a guy that was ready to main event WrestleMania. Up to that point, his only singles match on PPV was against Randy Orton and I found it to be pretty mediocre. Reigns needed to have a big performance in a big match. That’s where Daniel Bryan came in. He never got his rematch for the WWE Title that he never lost, setting up a match with Reigns with the shot at WrestleMania on the line. Bryan was the perfect opponent for Reigns because he is great enough to lead the way. I’m not saying Bryan carried him, because that’s not the case, but he is the more experienced wrestler. The booking of the match was spot on. The fans would never buy Reigns dominating Bryan or vice versa, so they didn’t. They played power vs. technical ability but neither guy truly gained an upper hand throughout the entire 20:10. They didn’t overdo the false finishes and even brought Reigns’ hernia injury into play. Reigns would win and, more importantly, deliver in a big match, setting the stage for a year full of good to great matches on PPV. ****¼