NJPW Road to the New Beginning Review

NJPW Road to The New Beginning
January 27th, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

With New Japan’s New Beginning events coming up in the next two weeks, things got started with a “Road to” show here. The show also marks the start of a busy wrestling weekend that will include Evolve events, TakeOver and the Royal Rumble. This isn’t a major NJPW event but it’s meant to build to the New Beginning shows.

Yuji Nagata def. Tomoyuki Oka in 7:41
I’m almost certain this is the first Korakuen match, at least televised, involving Oka. He’s a young lion. He also happens to be one of the bigger ones I’ve seen. I’d say his build reminds me of Manabu Nakanishi. Nagata struggled with his size as Oka would give back his strikes as much as he took them at times. Oka applied the young lion special (Boston crab) but Nagata survived. They exchanged strikes until Nagata hit an exploder. He slapped on a crossface and Oka eventually submitted. Fine start for Oka, who looked good. There’s potential there. Some hard hitting fun involving a new wrestler and a legend to start us off. **½

Tiger Mask IV and YOSHITATSU def. Henare and Jushin Thunder Liger in 9:01
Another young lion! Next month, Tatsu heads to CMLL so I won’t have to deal with his shitty matches anymore. Henare did early work with Tiger Mask and none of it was impressive. Henare hasn’t looked bad in his run, but Tiger Mask is so bland. Tatsu busted out a plancha in his lone highlight. Tiger Mask and Liger renewed their friendly rivalry for a bit here too. They worked the hot tag to Henare, who ran over Tiger Mask. There were a few close calls before our resident Triple H cosplayer won with a lame looking Pedigree. Henare brought effort and Liger looked alright. That’s about it.*½

CHAOS (Jado, Gedo and YOSHI-HASHI) def. Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado, Takashi Iizuka and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) via disqualification in 8:20
Iizuka is still playing the lunatic gimmick, attacking a commentator and ripping his shirt up. SHIRT RIPPER! Like all heel factions in NJPW, Suzuki-Gun attacked before the bell and it led to a brawl outside. There are clear patterns in Gedo’s booking that are overused and that’s one of them. This was mostly the bottom of the barrel of both stables except for YOSHI-HASHI. Tacos was the clear star here and hopefully is given the chance to do more going forward. Just as YOSHI got going, Iizuka hit him with a chair, resulting in the DQ. The match itself wasn’t good, but there were a few wacky antics that were a bit fun. *¼

Killer Elite Squad def. TenKoji in 12:13
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. These teams met a bunch during the original Suzuki-Gun run in NJPW. Archer towers over nearly everyone in New Japan, while Smith looks to be in the best shape of his life. Smith and Kojima had some fun exchanges, reminding me of their good G1 Climax match in 2013. I hope Smith and Archer are in the G1 again this year. Kojima ended up taking the heat for most of the match. The crowd was into everything and loved the hot tag to Tenzan. The finishing stretch saw several near falls and close calls before Kojima went down to the Killer Bomb. Good stuff from two teams that know each other well. The crowd was hot and the work was strong. **¾

During intermission, Yuji Nagata gave the commentator a new shirt.

Great Bash Heel, Juice Robinson and RPW British Heavyweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata def. CHAOS (NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano and RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Will Ospreay) in 14:00
This sets up three matches for the New Beginning shows (the tag teams are involved in a title match, Ospreay faces Shibata and Juice takes on Goto). I love the Ishii/Yano dynamic. Yano carries both titles and Ishii is content to let him do it as long as he gets to kick someone’s ass. Ospreay and Shibata started and went right after one another. They instantly did a great job of showing that Ospreay is a threat to Shibata’s title, despite being a junior heavyweight. If their interactions here are any indication, they could have the best match on the New Beginning shows. The tag guys did well together, especially the Honma/Ishii interactions. The preview of Goto/Juice was rather fun as well. There was a barrage of offense from everyone in the closing minutes, making for a frantic pace. It ended with a Honma Kokeshi on Yano, to cap the most fun I had all show. Great work and it made me more excited for the NEVER and RPW Title matches on the upcoming shows. ***½

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito) def. NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA and Michael Elgin in 12:58
Being the fool that he is, Taguchi came out dressed like EVIL. Nakanishi wore shades and I loved it. Taguchi also mimicked BUSHI for a bit before the match. This set up Naito/Elgin at New Beginning, but also reminded us that EVIL, BUSHI and SANADA will probably get a NEVER Tag Title rematch soon and KUSHIDA/Takahashi II is coming at some point. Taguchi had fun early before we got a bit more serious. KUSHIDA took the heat for team and had his arm worked on. Elgin and Naito showed off their great chemistry before he started tossing everyone around. Nakanishi got a relatively hot tag near the end and the good guys looked like they would win at several points. SANADA and Nakanishi traded the rack and dragon sleeper until BUSHI spit mist at Nakanishi. SANADA put him in the dragon sleeper and won. Again, nobody does the multi-man tag quite like LIDJ. Lots of intensity and close calls down the stretch, while setting up future matches and angles. ***½

Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and TAKA Michinoku) def. CHAOS (IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi Vice) in 16:43
Just hearing Suzuki’s theme again is awesome. While I love Minoru, I hate Taichi. TAKA is kind of just there. This was all about reminding people that Minoru Suzuki is one bad dude. He wrapped Okada up in an armbar and beat him in the crowd with a chair. It was just abuse. He even choked Okada with the Heavyweight Title. The junior tag teams handled most of the in-ring action, which was fine. Taichi went for a cheap win with a title belt shot but it was broken up. Okada beat up the juniors until big bad Suzuki returned. Suzuki put him in the sleeper, while TAKA had Beretta in a submission, allowing Taichi to pin Rocky with a powerbomb. Good main event with some intensity throughout. I’m still not pumped for the Jr. Tag Title match but Okada/Suzuki is something I’m truly looking forward to. This did a great job of showing how much of a threat Suzuki is. ***

Overall: 6.5/10. About what I’ve come to expect from “Road to” shows. Some easy to skip stuff early on (though Nagata/Oka was solid) before the big stars bring the fun in multi-man tags. They did a great job of hyping New Beginning as I’m more invested in Suzuki/Okada, Juice/Goto and Shibata/Ospreay after this show. I also got reminded of the chemistry between Elgin and Naito, making me look forward to their upcoming match. They also set up a future NEVER Six Man Tag Title match and KUSHIDA/Takahashi in an entertaining two and a half hours.

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #25-16

25. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/24/16

When the G1 Climax blocks were announced, this was instantly my most highly anticipated match. Katsuhiko Nakajima is my favorite NOAH guy and, while Katsuyori Shibata is only my second favorite NJPW guy, I knew their styles would make for a great match. It’s two guys that hit and kick hard and they don’t hold anything back. Shibata started with stiff shots, but Nakajima gave them right back, including to Shibata’s taped shoulder. Shibata sold it well, rolling back outside to rest right after Nakajima brought him in. Nakajima began to do some of Shibata’s offense, playing the brash youngster heel role. That was actually when he was at his best in this tournament. They would pop up after offense from the other to show how evenly matched they were. Despite Shibata firing up and kicking ass, Nakajima found himself in control down the stretch. He got too big for his britches though because when he tried to win with Shibata’s Penalty Kick, Shibata caught it. He withstood shots from Nakajima, slapped on the sleeper hold and won with the PK at 14:09. I know people loved a lot of the last few days of the G1, but this was my favorite G1 match this year. Shibata has earned that distinction two straight years now. ****½

24. Open the Dream Gate Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. YAMATO – Dragon Gate Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival 7/24/16

Admittedly, I don’t watch a ton of Dragon Gate. Even so, one guy that always gets talked about is YAMATO. The champion entering this match, Shingo, is my favorite Dragon Gate guy ever since I saw him live at an ROH show back in 2006. Shingo has been a fixture at the top of the company for a long time. This match came off as something of a passing of the torch. Before we get to that though, I must point out that this match is nuts. For 33:46, YAMATO and Shingo went to war. There are so many twists and turns throughout and I can only imagine how it would have made me feel if I was more invested in the company’s stories. YAMATO went after the arm and the crowd was on the edge of their seat each time he applied the cross armbreaker. The challenger came in with a game plan and had Shingo well scouted. The sheer amount of close calls and near falls down the stretch here was breathtaking. Shingo survived the armbreaker, a rana and several enziguris. YAMATO did the same on last falconry and a pumping bomber. Finally, YAMATO won after a second gallarea. Not only did he win the title, but it cemented him as the new ace of Dragon Gate. The match was special and needs to be seen. ****½

23. WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Extreme Rules 5/22/16

An Intercontinental Title match featuring four of the WWE’s top performers in 2016? Yes, please. There were so many things to love about this. The Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn feud came right into play with a Helluva Kick after the opening bell. Cesaro then laid out Miz and gave us a renewal of the excellent Zayn/Cesaro rivalry from their NXT days. Besides the existing feuds being touched upon, each guy played their role perfectly. Owens was a total asshole, Zayn was the fiery babyface, Cesaro ran wild with his crowd pleasing offense and Miz played the cunning heel. Again, there were some great moments like a massive tower of doom spot to Cesaro German suplexing Zayn who was hitting Miz with an exploder. Owens did a cool cannonball barrage after Cesaro’s trademark uppercut train. These incredible sequences all featured some perfect timing from everyone involved. The fans totally bit on a Skull Crushing Finale near fall down the stretch. Miz tapped to Cesaro’s Sharpshooter but a Maryse distraction saved him. Not only did they expertly tease a Cesaro win, they had Miz nearly steal it several times. So much that it was to the point where you thought it wouldn’t happen. Just when Sami hit the Helluva Kick on Cesaro, Owens pulled him outside and they brawled, allowing Miz to sneak in and retain at 18:18. They nailed everything in this match. I love how they played with the emotions of the fans. The quality of IC Title matches dipped for the next two PPVs, but picked up for the rest of the year. ****½

22. NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/16

People can give all their praise to the Tanahashi/Okada rivalry, but for my money, this is the best rivalry I’ve ever witnessed in terms of pure in-ring quality. I’ve watched all their matches since 2013 and have never gone lower than ****¼ on one. Though they had a match I gave the full five to back in 2013 (in this same city no less), their two matches this year were among the best they’ve ever done. After stealing a show a month earlier at Wrestle Kingdom, this was Tomohiro Ishii getting his rematch for the NEVER Title. Ishii and Shibata know what works for them and they deliver it each time. For 18:47, they beat the living hell out of each other for our enjoyment. They follow a similar pattern but each time out feels unique. For example, this time around, there was an emphasis on submissions as they built to the climax. At one point, Shibata hit a spinning back fast that made me gasp loudly. They’re known to trade big strikes so they upped the ante and traded brainbusters. They’re that insane. The closing moments were nuts and Shibata finally hit a shot hard enough to knock Ishii loopy. He used the sleeper hold and penalty kick to retain the title in another fantastic war between two incredible wrestlers. ****½

21. WWE World Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles – WWE Backlash 9/11/16

After beating John Cena cleanly at SummerSlam, the next logical step for AJ Styles was to challenge for the WWE World Championship. Styles and Dean Ambrose had a simple but effective buildup to this match and it worked. This felt like a big fight. Like the matches against Cena, Styles was in control for a good chunk of the 24:56 outing. AJ nailed every cocky mannerism as he just continued to be a step above everyone else in the world. Dean more than held his own though and his wild offensive style made for a great contrast to AJ. There were some scary moments in this, like a super back suplex spot and AJ taking a ridiculous bump into the ring post. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t injure himself on it. AJ worked the leg to set up some great Calf Crusher teases, though Dean’s selling of it could have been slightly better. Both guys busted out the big spots, from AJ’s springboard 450 splash to Ambrose’s diving elbow into the crowd. The final few minutes of this were among the best in WWE all year. Styles hit the Pele and Dean answered with the rebound lariat. Some people didn’t like the finish but I loved it. Sure Styles used a low blow before winning with the Styles Clash, but it wasn’t like he came off as a weak heel who needed it. It felt like he was capable of beating Dean and was a cunning enough competitor to take advantage when he found one. AJ’s win cemented his legacy. Everywhere he goes, he reaches the top. TNA Champion. IWGP Heavyweight Champion. WWE World Champion. Phenomenal is more than just a moniker for him. ****½

20. NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/20/16

2014 was the year of great NXT Title matches. 2015 was the year of great NXT Women’s Title matches. 2016 was the year of the tag teams in NXT and The Revival was a large reason why. After regaining the titles from American Alpha, The Revival needed a new challenge. Enter Gargano and Ciampa, fresh off a great match against one another in the CWC. These two teams took what AA and the Revival did so well and managed to best it. Tag team wrestling is simple to get right. It’s about deprivation and hope spots and the Revival have mastered it. As for Ciampa and Gargano, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. There was an emotional impact to this match (and their rematch) that other tag matches lacked. Ciampa left ROH a while back and his future was uncertain, while Gargano left a comfy spot as WWN’s ace. You felt that the fans badly wanted them to succeed here. #DIY were great sympathetic faces, while the Revival nailed every heel tactic and mannerism. I seriously can’t say enough about them. The false finishes were perfectly done. The reaction when the fans thought it ended but Dawson put Dash’s foot on the bottom rope at the last minute was priceless. Just when it looked like we’d have new champions, Dawson pulled Ciampa out and sent him into the post. An inverted figure four was placed on Gargano who desperately tried but had to give up at 19:10. A fantastic blend of indy style and old school tag work. The emotion of this put it over the top. It was one of those cases where the losers gained a ton. Gargano and Ciampa became stars on this night. ****½

19. CMLL World Lightweight Championship: Dragon Lee (c) vs. Kamaitachi – NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania 1/24/16

Towards the end of last year, I kept hearing about this incredible series of matches between Dragon Lee and Kamaitachi in CMLL. I got to see a pretty great one after my 2015 list was finalized and was excited to see they’d do it again at this joint NJPW/CMLL event. This was apparently the tenth match between them and it was nuts. They knew each other so well that the pace throughout was bonkers. Their chemistry is a sight to behold. From Dragon double stomping Kamaitachi outside to Kamaitachi’s insane senton to the floor, the spots were out of this world. Seriously, this was one of the greatest spot fests I’ve ever seen. The crowd at Korakuen Hall ate it all up and added a lot to the atmosphere. There was a great intensity in the things they did and even if you didn’t know about the feud, you could buy into it by watching this. There is something truly special about these two together. Kamaitachi won the title after countering a Phoenix plex into a ridiculous flipping piledriver at 18:33. An absolute must see match. I would have done more play-by-play or talked more about specific moves but it wouldn’t have done it any justice. Kamaitachi would return to Japan for good at the end of the year and jump right into the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title picture. ****½

18. Fenix and Pentagon Jr. vs. Heroes Eventually Die – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/3/16

Lucha Underground stars Fenix and Pentagon Jr. are brothers in real life though it isn’t mentioned on the show. It was front and center in this non-tournament tag match during PWG’s annual Battle of Los Angeles weekend. They sported matching masked that fused their normal masks together for a dope visual. Heroes Eventually Die consists of Chris Hero and Tommy End. Almost everything about this match ruled. Pentagon yelling obscenities in Spanish at everyone, Fenix and End going at each other viciously and the insane spots from the brothers. At one point, Pentagon launched Fenix up onto his shoulders and Fenix then moonsaulted off onto Hero and End on the outside. Heroes Eventually Die took over as the brute tag team, while Fenix and Penty got to play the resilient babyface duo. Fenix took a beating like a champ before doing some cool double team moves. In the end, it came down to Fenix and End, who just destroyed each other. Fenix scored on a super rana and then a springboard 450 splash to pick up the win at 18:22. This was the second-best tag team match of the year and the best match of PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles weekend. Pentagon Jr. and Fenix should team up more often around the indies because they are fantastic together. ****½

17. KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/21/16

In my opinion, the two best junior heavyweights in New Japan Pro Wrestling were KUSHIDA and Kyle O’Reilly until Kyle moved to heavyweight. In the finals of this tournament last year, these two faced off in the finals. KUSHIDA won and went on to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title because of it. In the first main event of this year’s tournament, they had their big rematch. Their finals match went 30 minutes so both guys tried for their signature submissions out of the gate. I loved the way O’Reilly altered his game after losing last year. He didn’t just go after the arm, instead adding in some leg work to hurt KUSHIDA as much as possible. Their work is so smooth together that watching them catch each other in various submissions is a thing of beauty. That even played into possibly my favorite spot of the year, when O’Reilly sat KUSHIDA in a chair and leapt off the apron to attack him, only to get caught in a mid-air armbar. It sounds so difficult to pull off but they nailed it perfectly. After some spectacular counter wrestling and playing off past matches, O’Reilly nailed a Brainbuster and took the kickout right into stomping on KUSHIDA’s face. He turned that into an armbar and made sure to grab at the leg, again playing off earlier work. KUSHIDA fought hard but fell into a tough position and had to tap at 20:08. Unfortunately, O’Reilly didn’t even make the finals, so we never got the NJPW tiebreaker. Still, this is a tremendous must see match. ****½

16. Aztec Warfare II – Lucha Underground 3/23/16

Aztec Warfare is three for three in producing great matches. Season two’s edition was not just the best so far, it was also a top three Lucha Underground match ever. The reigning Lucha Underground Champion Fenix entered at one and the Temple came unglued when Rey Mysterio Jr. debuted at number two. That set the stage for a match filled with awesome moments. This match had a little bit of everything. Famous B at ringside scouting potential clients was hilarious, Joey Ryan being sleazy and handcuffing himself outside to avoid competing was perfect character work, the debut of Mysterio was handled expertly and several feuds were furthered. For example, Drago and Jack Evans continued their beef, while former champion Mil Muertes was taken out almost instantly thanks to interference from his rival Pentagon Jr. Pentagon wasn’t allowed to compete thanks to Mil’s manager Catrina, since she was running the Temple at the time. After all twenty participants entered and Mil (#20) was taken out, Catrina’s night got worse when Dario Cueto returned to take back his Temple. He brought out a 21st entrant, his debuting brother “The Monster” Matanza Cueto. Matanza proceeded to eliminate every remaining competitor in an incredibly dominant display before defeating Mysterio in the end to capture the title. When a match goes 52:49 (with commercials) and has non-stop action, while being an absolute blast, continuing existing stories and setting up future ones, you know you have something special. Even with everything I covered, there are still plenty of things I didn’t mention. This match was that awesome. ****½

CMLL/NJPW Fantastica Mania Night Seven Review

NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania 2017 Night Seven
January 22nd, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

It’s the final night of the NJPW/CMLL joint series of events!

Barbaro Cavernario, Gedo and Jado def. Blue Panther Jr., Henare and Soberano Jr. in 7:45
Man, Jado just sucks. He did his shitty Shawn Michaels poses throughout this match and was never entertaining. Shit talking Gedo was around, so that helped. Henare took the heat for his guys, which was expected. When Soberano got the tag, the match finally got interesting. He’s been my favorite CMLL performer on this tour, along with Dragon Lee. It came down to Panther and Barbaro inside and Panther tapped out to a surfboard style submission. More dull stuff from Jado, fun antics from Gedo and great work by Soberano. **

Jushin Thunder Liger, Stuka Jr. and Tiger Mask IV def. Hechicero, Okumura and Raziel in 6:58
After some back and forth to start, Mima got involved again. She was quickly disposed of by Liger. Raziel went after Tiger Mask’s mask, so Liger went after his. That led to a train of guys trying to removing the mask of the guy in front of them. Tiger Mask and Raziel both had theirs come off, and they ending up swapping masks. In a funny moment, Liger thought his partner was Raziel and hit him with a backbreaker. Stuka continued to deliver his cool “I don’t give a fuck” dives outside. Tiger Mask won it with a tiger suplex. As decent as the opener, but I give it the slight edge for the funny mask swapping spot. **¼

BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi def. Dragon Lee and Titan in 9:04
This was the match I was most looking forward to today. Hell, possibly for the entire tour. I loved that instead of Los Ingobernables attacking before the bell, the babyfaces hit them with dives in a nice twist of fate. LIJ still took over and tried to remove Lee and Titan’s masks. There’s been a lot of that on these shows. There was only a bit of leg work on Titan today, so him still hitting his high spots was fine. He had some great interactions with BUSHI, while Takahashi and Lee did their expected awesomeness. Just as things truly got going, BUSHI used a low blow to score a backslide pin on Titan and win. About what I was hoping for, though it might have been better with a bit more time. Still, a fun tag match featuring four guys I enjoy. The hatred between Lee and Takahashi has been expertly handled on these shows. ***½

Dragon Lee and Hiromu Takahashi brawled and had to be separated after the bell. Takahashi stole his mask to gain the upper hand.

Ephesto, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay def. Juice Robinson, Maximo Sexy and Ryusuke Taguchi in 8:17
Pharaoh Taguchi was back. Okada came out dressed as King from Tekken, complete with Tekken clips in his tron. It’s the most I’ve ever liked him. Ospreay and Juice started things before Sexy came in to have some fun. Sexy attempted to kiss Will but got Juice instead. Taguchi and Okada had fun as well. Sexy got a thrill when his three opponents took turn slapping his ass. He tried to kiss Will again only to get kicked. Sexy finally got him, leading to Juice kissing him again. Taguchi picked up a few near falls on Okada before falling to the Rainmaker. Good old fashioned fun. A match that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously and is enjoyable if you look at it that way. Plus, Okada as King is dope. **¾

Despite the loss, Maximo Sexy kissed a commentator and Okada after the match.

Los Ingobernables (EVIL, Rush, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito) def. Atlantis, David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA in 9:58
Tanahashi again had his half mask on (or paint, I couldn’t tell), while KUSHIDA entered in a mask of his own. As usual, an NJPW heel stable attacked before the bell. We got the standard brawl around the ring involving everyone before KUSHIDA got left alone with Naito inside. He took the heat and had work done on his shoulder throughout. Rush went after Atlantis’ mask. It’s officially overused on this tour. Tanahashi got the hot tag and did his thing before the match broke down. Nearly everyone got involved in the closing stretch, with KUSHIDA taking out SANADA and EVIL with a plancha. In the end, Finlay got left alone with EVIL and Naito, who hit a double team press slam that got the 1-2-3. Another strong effort from a multi-team match. Lots of action here and almost no dead spots. ***¼

After the match, Naito and Rush worked together to try and destroy KUSHIDA’s arm.

Mistico def. Euforia in 11:22
There was a quick opening exchange that ended with Mistico hitting an Asai moonsault. Euforia came back with a buckle bomb inside before Mistico got in a great springboard SSP. It’s as if he was making up for the tag match where he was mostly grounded yesterday. They continued to do a good job in the power against flight battle. Mistico climbed into the stands and jumped over a few rows to deliver a great flying head scissors. He added another by coming off the top rope and snapping it off outside. Mistico was on his game here. Both guys picked up near falls down the stretch. Euforia missed a big swanton, which allowed Mistico to slap on mistica and make him tap. They did a strong job of playing off previous matches on the tour. Mistico was on fire and the crowd was invested in everything done.***½

Volador Jr. def. Ultimo Guerrero in 15:50
These two had awesome exchanges in the tag match yesterday. On the past few shows, Guerrero has attacked Volador with his leather jacket, so Volador does it back to him here for revenge. Guerrero tossed Volador around outside for a while, but Volador came back with a rana. His next high risk attempt ended badly when Guerrero caught him with a powerbomb on the floor. I appreciate angry old man Guerrero. He hit a dive of his own, just to show he can. Volador knocked him outside and followed with a diving rana. The intensity picked up when the match moved back inside. Volador used several big ranas, while the Guerrero special wore him down. Volador captured the victory with a top rope Spanish Fly. They saved the best for last because that was the best match of the tour. They seemed to go all out, had some great spots and played off their previous matches on the tour. ***¾

Overall; 7.5/10. The best of the three shows that aired on NJPW World. Several matches came in at over three stars and the ones under were mostly enjoyable. Okada as King was awesome, as was the tag between BUSHI/Takahashi and Lee/Titan. The final two matches were a fitting end considering how they were built up. A strong end to a fun series of shows.

CMLL/NJPW Fantastica Mania 2017 Night Six Review

NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania 2017 Night Six
January 21st, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

So I made a mistake yesterday and listed my review as “night one.” It was the first night posted on NJPW World, but actually the fifth Fantastica Mania show of the year. I’ve fixed that for this show.

Ephesto, Gedo, Jado and Raziel def. Blue Panther Jr., Henare, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IV in 6:49
I am just not a fan of Jado. I just wanted to throw that out there. The heels attempted to be sneaky at the start but Tiger Mask went on a hip tossing barrage. He seriously hit all opponents, teammates and the referee with one. It might have been the most fun I’ve ever had watching him work. The heels took over for a while, working heat on Henare. Liger got the hot tag and did his thing. Panther got the tag but didn’t do too hot and got rolled up by Ephesto to lose. Decent enough multi-man tag opener, but nothing special at all. **

Stuka Jr. def. Okumura in 7:55
These two met in a tag match yesterday and it wasn’t bad at all. They went right after one another aggressively before Stuka nailed two suicide dives. Okumura DID THE DEAL but only got a near fall and Stuka came back with more high flying offense. He moves rather well for his size. He looked to take to the skies as often as possible. A woman, who I found is known as Mima, ran in but got suplexed and splashed by Stuka. She also took an accidental senton from Okumura and Stuka splashed them both off the top for the win. More fun than I expected. I even enjoyed the Mima run-in since it was something different. **¾

Barbaro Cavernario, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay def. KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi and Soberano Jr. in 9:42
Interesting that, as far as I can tell, everyone here is a babyface. KUSHIDA and Taguchi were dressed in ridiculous entrance attire, which I like since you can see how much fun these guys have on these shows. KUSHIDA had a giant watch on his head. Okada and Ospreay brought their belts with them today. Ospreay and Soberano got off to a quick start and showed their athleticism. Okada and Taguchi had fun together, with Okada being confused at his antics. Okada removing Taguchi’s pharaoh mask got a good pop. Barbaro didn’t do much since he banged up his shoulder yesterday. The amusing stuff continued, followed by high spots. We got some interaction between Okada and Soberano, which was appreciated. Barbaro won it by making Soberano submit. Exactly the kind of fun match I expect when watching a show like this. Nobody took it seriously, it’s the perfect environment for Taguchi, Okada looked to have a good time and I was impressed by Soberano again. Put him in the BOTSJ this year please. ***¼

Los Ingobernables (BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito) def. David Finlay, Dragon Lee, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson and Titan in 8:57
Instead of making his typical entrance, Naito snuck around and attacked Milano Collection AT on commentary. The heels attacked before the bell and it led to a big brawl. I enjoyed the back and forth between Lee and Takahashi, as well as the short stint between Naito and Tanahashi. They’re no strangers to each other and the chemistry between Takahashi and Lee wowed again. It was cool to see Finlay and SANADA, two personal favorites in NJPW, mix it up. We don’t get that often. We got the typical NJPW tag frantic finish, ending when EVIL hit Finlay with a chair, leading to him tapping to SANADA’s dragon sleeper. Probably my favorite match on this tour so far. Nonstop action with fun interactions and great previews for upcoming matches. ***½

Euforia and Ultimo Guerrero def. Mistico and Volador Jr. in 13:39
An interesting thing to note is the entire second half of this show is all CMLL guys. Euforia and Guerrero were quick to attack (a theme on this show) and they brawled outside. Some of the shots delivered were intense. I assumed Euforia and Guerrero were the heels judging by their attack and the crowd loving Volador. The heels took time to taunt while on offense. The match went along at a decent clip until we got, arguably, the spot of the tour. Volador launched Mistico over the ring post and he connected on a smooth rana, leading to the babyface comeback. The final stretch saw the heels continue to try and use their power advantage, but see it slowly slipping away. Guerrero countered a super rana into a powerbomb, but Volador’s second attempt at it worked for a near fall. Flippy Mistico offense failed when Euforia caught him and slammed him face first into a table by the entrance. Guerrero hit a reverse superplex to get the 1-2-3. Right on par, if not slightly better than the previous match. The powerful heels trying to murder the flippy guys was great. They told a good story and set up some singles matches for tomorrow. ***½

Rush def. Atlantis in 10:46
Rush came out with Atlantis’ mask on his hand, since he ripped it off yesterday. Rush attacked before the bell and why not, everyone else did it. He beat the hell out of Atlantis outside. Rush nailed the heel mannerisms like mocking Atlantis throughout and ripping at the mask again. Atlantis rallied with a suicide dive and they traded chair shots a bit. Atlantis ended up busted open under his mask. He hit a rana and more chair shots but ran into a trio of backbreakers. He slapped on a torture rack until the rest of Los Ingobernables ran in. That allowed Rush to hit the Rush Driver and win. Solid little match but I’m surprised Rush needed help to beat Atlantis. I know heels cheating is standard but I think a clean win would have been better. **½

CMLL Heavyweight Championship: Maximo Sexy (c) def. Hechicero in 15:59
Their interactions in yesterday’s tag were pretty good. There was some early stalling, involving some wacky Maximo antics. They fought outside for a bit, then Hechicero nailed a slingshot senton back inside. Each time it looked like Sexy would get going, Hechicero had an answer. I liked that he continually went for covers because it showed how much he wanted to win the title. It’s a little thing, but it added a fair amount for me. He got a close near fall on a muscle buster before Maximo fired up. They traded some shots before Maximo accidentally kissed the referee. To be fair, he was going after Hechicero. The referee’s sell job led to him missing a Hechicero pin. They fought to the top, where Maximo scored with a rana to retain. Like yesterday’s main event, I found this good but nowhere near great. The crowd was into it but it missed something. There was no drama down the stretch and I never believed the title would change hands. **¾

Overall: 6.5/10. Very similar to night five. The two main events were underwhelming, but there was a fair amount to like here. The tag match involving Okada was good fun, the Los Ingobernables tag was better and the Volador & Mistico vs. Guerrero & Euforia one was my favorite of the shows so far. The shows fly by and are rather enjoyable, which is all I can ask for.

CMLL/NJPW Fantastica Mania Night Five Review

NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania 2017 Night One
January 20th, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

These joint NJPW/CMLL shows were events I skipped (outside of one match) last year. I’m doing my best to watch even more wrestling in 2017, so I’m going to try and review all three nights. I’d like to give a fair warning that I’m not too familiar with CMLL and only know of a few guys, so I’m going in blind on many.

Blue Panther Jr. and Henare def. Ephesto and Will Ospreay in 6:36
I’m unfamiliar with the two CMLL guys here, but obviously know about Will Ospreay and Henare is one of the young lions. The CMLL guys worked quickly to start and when it became Ospreay against Henare, Ospreay showed him up. He went all TJ Perkins and stopped to dab. That angered Henare but he wasn’t able to do much about it. Ephesto and Panther had some more fun together. Ospreay yelling “OH MY GOD”, “WHAT THE HELL?” and “JESUS” at Panther’s power was rather amusing. Henare finally got going with some power and the Boston crab before Ospreay nailed a sweet dive outside. With them outside, Panther pulled Ephesto into a unique submission to win. I found this to be a fun opener with everyone out to have a good time. Nothing too serious and that’s a good thing. [**½]

Jushin Thunder Liger, Soberano Jr. and Tiger Mask IV def. Gedo, Jado and Raziel in 6:40
Again, the only guys I don’t know here are the CMLL folk. We were treated to my favorite kind of Gedo here. The one who shouts English curse words in his matches. It’s always fun. The CMLL guys mostly mixed it up with each other, while the veteran NJPW juniors worked one another. This Tiger Mask continues to be bland as was Jado, but Liger and Gedo did well. I wasn’t too impressed with Raziel but Soberano Jr. was cool. He won with a sweet sequence where he tripped Raziel into a seated position on the ropes and hit a springboard moonsault. Decent fun from most guys involved. [**]

Hechicero and Okumura def. Maxino Sexy and Stuka Jr. in 6:34
Whoa, an all CMLL match. I’m intrigued. Sexy seemed out to have a good time but got dropkicked almost instantly. It broke down quickly and his team hit stereo suicide dives. They kept moving at the typical frantic lucha pace. Stuka wowed me with a ballsy dive outside before Sexy walked the top rope for a splash leading to a near fall. Despite his size, Sexy snapped off a nice diving rana and headbutt through the middle rope. Okumura was left alone with Stuka and bested him with a reverse DDT. The stuff they did was fine, I just couldn’t quite connect with it and that was probably because I didn’t know much about the guys involved. I would like to see more though. [**¼]

There was a post-match promo and beat down to build the two singles matches (Hechicero vs. Sexy and Okumura vs. Stuka) tomorrow.

Los Ingobernables (BUSHI, EVIL, Rush, SANADA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito) def. Atlantis, David Finlay, NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion Ryusuke Taguchi in 10:35
This was apparently a memorial match for former wrestler Black Cat. The babyface team paid respect to him as his wife was in the ring holding a photo of him. A bonus here because I am familiar with all ten participants, even the CMLL guys. Rush started things by beating up Atlantis. Taguchi was in a ridiculous pharaoh mask, which was only fitting since he’s Taguchi. Naito got done with Taguchi’s comedy shit quickly, leading to a big brawl involving everyone. BUSHI and Naito worked some awesome tandem offense on KUSHIDA a bit. KUSHIDA got the hot tag to Tanahashi, who did his thing before Atlantis tagged back in. Finlay showed great fire against the larger EVIL and I was all for that. Finlay has loads of potential. He fought hard but fell to EVIL’s STO. Best thing on the show so far. Everyone worked hard and Los Ingobernables continue to deliver in these settings. [***¼]

They continued the beat down after the bell, including Rush ripping off Atlantis’ mask, setting the stage for their singles match on this tour.

Euforia, IWGH Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and Ultimo Guerrero def. Juice Robinson, Mistico and Volador Jr. in 13:21
Juice is on the road to a NEVER Openweight Title match against Okada’s stablemate, Hirooki Goto. Okada looked like he was having the time of his life out there. Volador and Guerrero kicked things off and since both guys wear masks but have been unmasked for years, they dramatically remove each other’s masks. It’s rather funny and gets more comical when they put back on the wrong masks. Mistico and Euforia traded stuff but the real treat was Okada and Juice. I’m not an Okada fan, but there’s something joyous about watching him work this style so happily. Okada and friends worked well together but had a miscommunication that turned things around. Juice, Mistico and Volador all nailed planchas at the same time. I sweat Guerrero nearly killed Volador with a powerbomb outside. Euforia then made Mistico submit for the win. Another enjoyable match that was about as good as the previous match. Wacky Okada is more likable than normal Okada. [***¼]

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi def. Titan in 14:55
Titan was impressive in the Jr. Tag Tournament last year. We got a fast paced opening between the two, with Titan showing off his athleticism and flying ability. To combat that, Takahashi went after the knee. His work on it was focused and vicious. He also talked a fair amount of trash while doing it. I like this side of Takahashi. The heel in him attempted to remove Titan’s mask to loud boos. Titan shook off the leg work like nothing happened and connected on some aerial offense. Titan would limp a bit but then forgo it for his offense. He came close on a few occasions before a weak series of strikes. The final few minutes were strong with a sick looking rana and wheelbarrow driver off the middle rope. Takahashi hit a running corner DVD and time bomb to win. I wanted to like this more. Takahashi brought something good but I don’t see the point in doing early leg work just to forget it. Either have a match without that or have it matter. [***]

CMLL World Lightweight Championship: Dragon Lee (c) def. Barbaro Cavernario in 20:21
I’ve seen Dragon Lee some and heard about Cavernario. He is a wild looking caveman luchador, so that stands out. Following a standard opening sequence, Lee snapped off a rana and hit a tope suicida that looked fantastic. Cavernario retaliated with a powerbomb on the apron and a nice corner Razor’s Edge. He also nailed a splash to the outside. I like that he isn’t just a wild man in looks, but in style too. Lee busted out the tree of Joey Lawrence double stomp spot that Del Rio used for a while when he returned to the WWE. He nailed it again in the closing stretch before both guys got near falls on suplex variation (Lee) and reverse rana (Barbaro). After trading chops, Lee retained with a cradle back suplex. Another match that I wanted to like more. I think they knew they had to go twenty, so they seemed to work at a deliberately slow pace that didn’t suit them. It got sloppier down the stretch and felt repetitive at times. Still, like the previous match, it was good though it never got near a great level. [***]

After the bell, Hiromu Takahashi ran out to attack Dragon Lee but got sent packing, helping to build their upcoming title match.

Overall: 6/10. A mostly enjoyable show but it lacked things. I thought the undercard performed at a level I expected. Some solid fun from the early multi-man tags before the ones involving Los Ingobernables and Kazuchika Okada delivered the best matches on the card. The two main events were good but disappointed me overall. If they were better, the show would have ranked higher. Either way, the card produced a fun event that’s not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #35-26

35. NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16

Shortly after Katsuyori Shibata won the NEVER Openweight Title, he embarked on a war with the old guard of New Japan. In the previous three years, Shibata lost to legends Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the G1 Climax. In 2016, Shibata put Kojima down on a Road to Invasion Attack show before beating Tenzan at Invasion Attack. He disrespectfully kicked Nagata, setting up a title match at Wrestling Dontaku. Nagata shocked the world when he beat Shibata and took the title. This was Shibata’s rematch and the buildup saw the two just go to war. Yuji brought the rest of the New Japan Dads with him to the ring. Shibata went after the arm early and often, but once this got past the early mat stages, this kicked into next gear. The rest of the 14:56 runtime saw these two beat the hell out of each other. Nagata sold his arm like it was going to fall off and Shibata kept attacking it. Nagata survived the sleeper, while Shibata did the same for the armbar. The battle waged on until Shibata’s next sleeper. Nagata fought and fought but couldn’t break it. Shibata reclaimed the gold after a PK. Not only was the match fantastic, but afterwards, Shibata shook hands with the old guard in a sign that he earned their respect. Even the commentator was in tears. Great storytelling and emotion. ****¼

34. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16

Looking at the Cruiserweight Classic brackets, the most intriguing match of the first round was easily this one. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had been having a really good year as a tag team in NXT and were on the road to a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles. However, they were pitted against one another to close out the first round. They began with some wrestling exchanges until Ciampa hit a loud elbow and things got more physical. Gargano did his best but couldn’t match Ciampa in terms of hard strikes. To combat it, he went to quickness, reeling off move after move in succession. Ciampa came so very close to winning several times, including when he got a knee up on an incoming Gargano slingshot and on a brutal Project Ciampa. Despite being vicious at times, after removing his knee pad for a knee strike, Ciampa decided against it. He held back because Johnny is his friend. Ciampa couldn’t believe Johnny’s resilience. Gargano started demanding shots from Ciampa and caught one into a backslide. Ciampa countered into his armbar, only for Gargano to counter back into another pin to win it at 10:46. Just a tremendous blend of hard hitting action with great storytelling. Gargano is an awesome underdog babyface and played the role to perfection here. They embraced after the match, with their partnership strengthened, in the first of many emotional moments from the CWC. ****¼

33. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16

On the first night of this year’s G1 Climax, Pro Wrestling NOAH standout Naomichi Marufuji beat NJPW’s top champion, Kazuchika Okada. He didn’t just beat him though. Marufuji dominated him. That didn’t sit well with the champ, so Okada challenged Marufuji to this match. Ace of NOAH vs. Ace of NJPW. At the start of this 28:00 match, Okada tried to use his size advantage but Marufuji was too quick. They continued to tell the story of Marufuji having his number and always being one step ahead. I loved Marufuji just kicking and striking the shit out of Okada. Okada is often a smug son of a gun, so him getting his ass kicked is always great. Then, in one of the sickest spots all year, Marufuji delivered a piledriver ON THE APRON! Though Okada beat the countout, he looked dead. I even thought Marufuji pulled off the upset after hitting Shiranui. Okada busted out the Rainmaker but his attempt at a second was countered into a small package for another near fall. Okada went into a desperate flurry, even stealing Marufuji’s Emerald Flowsion, before winning with another Rainmaker. Just great pro wrestling here. Marufuji having guys from NOAH in his corner added to the importance of this match. When Okada is placed with a guy that’s better than him (Tanahashi, Ishii, Styles, Naito, Marufuji, etc.) he delivers top notch matches and this was no exception. It was the second best IWGP Heavyweight Title match of the year and a must-see performance from both. ****¼

32. WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16

It was a surprising call, but the WWE decided to have this match open their No Mercy Pay-Per-View. The build to this was awesome as all three men fired some pretty personal shot s at one another. Dean Ambrose and John Cena were especially insulting. You also had the intrigue of Cena going for World Title #16 and AJ being 2-0 against him. Unlike a lot of triple threat matches, this wasn’t just two guys competing while one rests outside. I mean, it happened a few times but for the most part, all three men were consistently involved. Due to that, there were plenty of great sequences, with the first being a double German suplex by Cena. They all knew each other so well that they were ready with counter after counter. There was a moment where Dean and Cena had a calf cutter and STF applied at the same time, causing AJ to tap out. Of course, that couldn’t end the match because there must be one winner in a triple threat match, so things continued. Cena would hit Ambrose with the AA but AJ laid him out with a steel chair and retained the title at 21:07. Cena doing the job on his way out to film a TV show was perfect and allowed for the Dean/AJ feud to continue. I also love that AJ isn’t they typical coward heel, but still resorts to low blows and chair shots when he gets desperate. Not only did this match make this list but I have it as the third best WWE PPV opener ever behind only Bret/Owen at WMX and Bryan/HHH at WMXXX. ****¼

31. Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins vs. Marty Scurll, Tommy End and Will Ospreay – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16

On one side you have Team Europe, while the other side featured three guys who worked the first Evolve show. Those three would all go on to compete in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic. These are six of the biggest and hottest names in all of wrestling as evidenced by four of them working with the WWE, one over in NJPW and one holding various titles throughout the indy scene. The early exchanges were good, but everyone, including the wrestlers on the apron, went nuts for the interaction between Kota Ibushi and Will Ospreay. Two of the most athletically gifted wrestlers on the planet just going at it full tilt is great. The match really gets going and becomes great when things break down. The second half or so of this 22:47 encounter is just wall to wall action. These guys were pulling out tandem offense like they all team up on a regular basis. It spawned chants of “all these guys” and “they are awesome.” The battle moved into the crowd, where Ibushi and Ospreay fought up in the rafters. It led to them doing stereo moonsaults off them because they’re insane. After everything got back to the ring, Perkins sent Scurll outside, Gargano trapped End in the Gargano Escape and Ibushi pinned Ospreay with his last ride powerbomb. A fantastic capper to one hell of a weekend for Evolve. To top things off, Gargano would leave right after this and go across the street to work NXT tapings. ****¼

30. RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Chris Hero – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16

Less than 24 hours after winning the title, Katsuyori Shibata had a big defense of the RPW British Heavyweight Championship. Shibata dethroned Zack Sabre Jr. on night one of the Global Wars events and his scheduled match for night two with Chris Hero became a title bout. Now, if I had to choose two guys from NJPW for Hero to wrestle, it would be Tomohiro Ishii (who Hero wrestled on night one) and Shibata. Kudos to RPW for delivering. They worked the mat early but things quickly got to the strike exchange that I wanted from these two. Hero tried to do his usual bullying act but Shibata was having none of that shit, giving it right back to the challenger. For 13:18, this was just a war. Hero’s reactions to being hit as hard as he can dish out were perfect. Down the stretch, it felt like Hero would win the title with a piledriver. A lot of people expected it since he’s more of a Rev Pro regular than Shibata, but the new champion kicked out. He then applied the sleeper hold to wear down Hero before finishing him off with the penalty kick. They worked a Shibata style match so well. I winced several times at the vicious strikes, which is just what we needed from these two. ****¼

29. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Michael Elgin (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/25/16

This was about more than the Intercontinental Title. It had to do with respect. Michael Elgin dreamt of working in Japan for years and has found success there. He loves it. Tetsuya Naito disrespects NJPW as often as possible, from attacking officials to badmouthing top stars to treating the Heavyweight Title like garbage when he held it earlier in the year. Elgin didn’t want that to happen to the Intercontinental Title and he was out to teach Naito some respect. There were some early mind games with Naito avoiding Elgin and taunting, only for Elgin to return the favor. Naito made Elgin’s leg his target, which made sense since it was attacked often during the buildup to this match. Elgin sold the leg well and struggled to hit some of his power moves because of it. Naito continually wore it down with his knee bar submission. When it looked like Elgin had things in control, out came LIDJ only for Elgin’s buddies KUSHIDA and Tanahashi to make the save. With things back to one on one, Elgin survived Destino and again was on the brink of a win. Naito would counter the Elgin Bomb into Destino and add a third to win the title at 30:36. The crowd ate this up. The match had twists, turns and was full of drama. The win made Naito the only man to win the IC, Heavyweight, NEVER, Tag and Jr. Tag Titles, as well as the New Japan Cup and G1 Climax tournaments. ****½

28. The Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/31/16

File Brian Kendrick under the list of guys that I never thought I’d see on this list in 2016. Not because he isn’t good, but because I didn’t see him returning to the WWE. He did though and was a great addition to the CWC. Kendrick brought a different style to the show. While there were mat technicians, hard strikers, fun charismatic guys and high fliers, Kendrick was the wily veteran who did whatever it took to win. Kota Ibushi was a heavy favorite to win it all though. Knowing he was outmatched in a lot of ways, Kendrick played mind games, trying to get in Kota’s head. He did little things like trapping Kota’s foot in the guardrail to try and steal a countout win. He targeted Kota’s neck, hitting a neckbreaker on the ring post. I’ve never seen that before and it made sense considering Kota’s neck surgery. He hit Sliced Bread and a goddamn BURNING HAMMER for two very close near falls. You could just feel his desperation. The reaction when Kota missed a Phoenix Splash and Brian immediately applied the bully choke was perfect. Ibushi proved to be too much though, escaping that and winning with the sitout powerbomb at 13:57. An incredible match that got better on a second viewing. Not only was the action top notch but the story of Kendrick’s last stand and the neck work were excellent. Extra points to Daniel Bryan for trying to will his friend to victory on commentary. ****½

27. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 60 5/6/16

Zack Sabre Jr. is almost always in control. In Evolve, he has beaten pretty much everyone there is to beat but Chris Hero remains a thorn in his side. Evolve billed this main event as “the rivalry comes to Maryland”. While the matches are great, it is a pretty lopsided rivalry. I’ve said it before but their styles come together so well. Hero bullied Sabre, who responded by trying to twist Hero up at every opening. No matter how hard he tried though, Sabre remained a step behind. Hero again nailed every interaction. His trash talk was in top form with both Sabre and the fans. “YOU MAY BE THEIR FAVORITE BUT YOU AIN’T SHIT TO ME!” Both guys worked the arm with Sabre being more technical and Hero being brutal. Sabre doesn’t always sell great but he did a good job here and you felt his desperation whenever he’d manage a hope spot. Sabre survived several piledrivers and his pinning combinations made you believe he’d finally get one over on Hero. Finally, a third piledriver kept Sabre down at 29:06. It was honestly one of the sickest I’ve ever seen and I thought Sabre broke his neck. This told a simple story of one man trying everything and showing a ton of heart but being unable to get past the man who has his number. My favorite match in their series and I can’t wait for more in 2017. ****½

26. PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Marty Scurll – PROGRESS Chat Shit Get Banged 1/24/16

The rivalry between Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay has spanned several promotions including Rev Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and PROGRESS. Considering the title on the line and the no DQ stipulation, this was their biggest and most heated altercation. Within the first few minutes of this 30:16 war, Ospreay was bloodied and Scurll had used his signature umbrella as a weapon. They did a wonderful job of blending their past battles of counter after counter with several hardcore aspects. Ospreay’s moonsault off a railing and the two men both taking powerbombs through tables were great. Their chemistry is always top notch and it showed during several fast paced moments of back and forth. After a referee bump, Ospreay applied a crossface with an umbrella for added leverage. Scurll tapped but of course no ref saw it. Scurll would retaliate with some barbaric shots with umbrellas. When Ospreay refused to stay down, Scurll retrieved handcuffs and trapped the champion. He proceeded to beat the hell out of him with umbrella after umbrella. Ospreay was defiant as ever and spat at Scurll. Even with more umbrella strikes, Ospreay still found a way to barely get his shoulder off the mat. Scurll finally used the chicken wing and the referee called the match, giving Scurll the title. This was a grand match with a lot going on. It felt like the kind of match I’d do with my action figures as a kid in the best possible way. ****½