Kevin's Top 130 Matches of 2017: #130-121

For the third straight year, I return with my top matches list. In 2015, I ranked 100 and in 2016, that climbed to 135 due to the sheer volume of great matches. This year gets 130, as I watched over fifteen different wrestling promotions and around 2500 matches. I gave 133 matches at least ****, but wanted a rounder number than 130. I’ll put the other three as honorable mentions. As always, some will enjoy this, some will hate where I put certain matches and some will ignore it and not care. Whatever you want to do is fine by me.

Honorable Mention #1: WWN Championship Last Man Standing Match: Keith Lee vs. Matt Riddle – Evolve 94 10/14/17

Honorable Mention #2: Takehiro Yamamura vs. T-Hawk – Dragon Gate The Gate of Passion 4/7/17

Honorable Mention #3: Super Strong Style 16 Quarterfinals: Flamita vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 49: Super Strong Style 16 5/28/17

130. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Smackdown 1/31/17

For the second straight year, the list officially begins with an AJ Styles Smackdown match. The AJ Styles/Dean Ambrose feud produced some stellar matches in 2016. After losing the WWE Championship in a classic at the Royal Rumble, Styles and Ambrose reignited their rivalry for one night. With both men scheduled for the Elimination Chamber, this served as a preview, with other Chamber participants, Miz and Baron Corbin, on commentary. They opened things with some mat based work, with Ambrose showing he could more than hang there when he wants to. As it progressed, Dean brought out his brawling style, keeping AJ on his toes. After a commercial, things evened out, with plenty of counters due to their knowledge of one another. The finishing stretch reminded me of AJ’s NJPW run. Dean’s counter of AJ’s moonsault DDT was tremendous, as was the Pele Kick into Nigel clothesline spot. Just when things hit the great level, Corbin and Miz came to blows, causing the official to miss Dean’s pin. Dean took them out, only to eat a Styles Clash inside for the finish at 18:44. I’d say their three best matches were Backlash, TLC and this, but the last two are close. Great finish and they managed to work the always lame Corpus Christi crowd into a frenzy. Also, it was the first Smackdown match to get ****+ from Big Dave in several years. [****]

129. Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament Semi-Finals: BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Roppongi 3K – NJPW Road to Power Struggle 10/30/17

Had this match been saved for Wrestle Kingdom 12, it would’ve been the best Jr. Tag Title match in the Tokyo Dome in YEARS. Instead wasn’t even the finals of the Super Jr. Tag Tournament. Hiromu is battling KUSHIDA for best junior, while BUSHI is top five (behind those two and probably Scurll and Ricochet only) and Roppongi 3K are hella talented. SHO and YOH had just won the Jr. Tag Titles, but were still looked at by some as the young boys they were before they went on excursion. Hiromu and BUSHI certainly treated them that way. YOH’s chest was a deep red in the opening minutes from a string of brutal chops. YOH and SHO had a “never say die” attitude and won over the crowd with it. YOH was busting out fresh, impressive offense, while SHO was kicking and suplexing everything moving. I love that BUSHI and Hiromu didn’t play this like two stablemates thrown together for the sake of an extra team in the tournament. There was thought and effort put into their team and it showed. They had great chemistry and dope tandem offense. After an action-packed 20:34, SHO and YOH won via their 3K finisher, which is a flapjack/complete shot combo. This division is one of the worst in all of wrestling, but every once in a while, they deliver something like this and kill it. [****]

128. Evolve Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Ethan Page – Evolve 84 5/20/17

In the record books, Ethan Page held victories over Zack Sabre Jr. at Evolve 72 and 76. His turn (again) on Johnny Gargano near the end of 2016 set Page on a course for success and I bought him as the guy to end Timothy Thatcher’s reign. Sabre wound up doing that and his rivalry with Page spilled over to the Evolve Title on this night. They played this like an animosity filled title match, fighting outside and bringing big strikes. Both were aggressive, which fit the feud, Page’s personality and is the best kind of Sabre. Both men picked up near falls and had some great counters. When Page delivered the Package Piledriver, I legitimately bought it as the finish. Sabre escaped a second and went into a flurry. After two PKs, Page refused to go down, instead defiantly flipping Sabre off. Two more PKs sealed it after 13:52 of action. This worked as a great grudge match, with lots of intensity. The in-ring stuff ruled and the character work from both delivered. [****]

127. Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/29/17

I’ve spoken, at length, about the chemistry between these two. Less than a month after Tomohiro Ishii beat Tetsuya Naito to advance in the IWGP United States Title Tournament, they were paired up again in the G1 Climax. Entering this match, they’d met six times in the past (never in a G1) and were tied at three wins apiece. The fans were pro-Naito for this. He treated them to his usual antics as he got under Ishii’s skin by spitting at him. Ishii had enough of his shit and proceeded to kick his ass for a few minutes. When Naito got in his offense, he focused on the neck. Ishii’s a bad man, though, and he was game to trade suplexes, regardless of what happened to his neck. Down the stretch, they traded strikes several times, with each one sounding brutal. Whatever Naito threw at Ishii, he had an answer for and won via Brainbuster after a great 20:40. It started slow, but really picked up and was helped by the hot crowd. It was a hard-fought match that had the feel of high stakes. Even with this being great, it was still possibly the worst match I’ve seen them have. [****]

126. NXT Tag Team Championship: #DIY [c] vs. The Authors of Pain – NXT TakeOver: San Antonio 1/28/17

At TakeOver: Toronto in November 2016, #DIY won the NXT Tag Team Titles in my personal pick for, not just match of the year, but best tag team match I’ve ever seen. On that same show, the Authors of Pain won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. That set these teams on a course for this title match. Known for their heart, #DIY didn’t back down from their large challenge. It started hot and stayed that way. Even when Gargano took the heat segment, the fans were engaged. Ciampa’s hot tag ruled, as he busted out Germans on both challengers. There was a great callback when the stereo submissions #DIY won the titles with were locked in. It wasn’t enough, though, signaling that something was changing. #DIY’s finisher was countered into the Super Collider in a great spot. A Last Chapter later and new champs were crowned at 14:26. #DIY just “got” tag team wrestling. They played to the Authors’ strengths and it made for an awesome start to a series of matches that only got better. Like Sami Zayn as NXT Champion, #DIY losing the titles in just two months was fine. Their story was more about the journey, while AOP got to play dominant champions and have a great 2017. [****]

125. Cueto Cup Semi-Finals: Fenix vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 8/16/17

A lot of the Cueto Cup didn’t deliver on the high expectations I had, but it got better as we reached the later rounds. The Semi-Finals saw Lucha Underground’s “Mount Rushmore” (at least in my mind) compete. Pentagon Dark, Mil Muertes, Fenix and Prince Puma. Though it came down to the four biggest stars, the Puma/Fenix matchup felt fresh. It had only happened once before, way back in season one. They played this match evenly, like you’d expect the two top babyfaces to be. However, Puma was no longer the straight face he was during his title run. He was more aggressive and it showed. Despite that, Fenix came the closest to winning after a brutal kick to the back of the head. Marty Martinez, Fenix’s rival, arrived to stalk Fenix’s love interest, Melissa Santos. Ever the good guy, Fenix took Marty out. Puma, no longer the straight face, took advantage and hit a Michinoku Driver. Fenix was resilient enough to survive that, but fell after a 630 splash at 10:27. This was as awesome as you’d expect from guys the caliber of Puma and Fenix, with story advancements to add to the action. [****]

124. Kazuchika Okada vs. Tiger Mask W – NJPW 45th Anniversary 3/6/17

Before a fun run in the G1 Climax, Kota Ibushi spent some of 2017 playing the real life version of the anime character Tiger Mask W. To main event one of NJPW’s 45th Anniversary events, he went toe to toe with the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. While watching the G1 Climax, I truly noticed how similar most Okada matches are. This followed that formula early, with some back and forth in the ring, before Okada’s cross body over the guardrail spot on the outside. Luckily, it went away from that typical formula for the most part. Tiger Mask W escaped Red Ink, which should be a finish sometimes if they want to make fans believe Okada could win with it. In tags or some G1 bouts. Like everyone else, Tiger Mask W countered the first Rainmaker attempt, but with a sweet snap German. This was mostly a friendly match with no animosity or backstory, but that changed late. They traded angry strikes, the referee was tossed aside and Tiger Mask W delivered some rather disrespectful stomps. That added fuel to a great finishing stretch that included a SUPER TIGER DRIVER near fall. In the end, we got the Rainmaker, wrist hold, Rainmaker, counter, Okada move, Rainmaker segment to give Okada the win at 27:03. Some parts were lame, but I liked how things got heated and they built drama in what was a wacky match on paper. Ibushi is so good. [****]

123. Mae Young Classic Semi-Finals: Kairi Sane vs. Toni Storm – WWE Mae Young Classic 9/4/17

Throughout the Mae Young Classic, Kairi Sane felt like a huge star. Toni Storm didn’t showcase a ton early, but delivered in the Quarterfinals and was set for this huge clash. A staple of the tournament was battles of size against speed, which came into play here. Storm had the power upper hand and used it to her advantage and wore down Sane’s arm. It was a solid strategy to take Sane’s biggest weapon, the elbow drop, away from her. Sane rallied and hit a huge cross body to the outside, smacking her face on the ramp and concussing herself. Still, she competed at a high level for the rest of the 12:23 and sold everything Storm did very well. Storm’s offense looked great, especially a vicious armbar and bridging Muscle Buster. Sane busted out a desperation spinning back fist and went to the top for the elbow. She clutched at it, but risked it all to win and it worked. It was the best match of the tournament, featuring a hot crowd, smart work and a real sense of urgency. It truly felt I was watching something important. [****]

122. Evolve Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Jaka – Evolve 87 6/25/17

A few months after winning the Evolve Title in Queens, Zack Sabre Jr. returned to defend it against one half of the Evolve Tag Team Champions. The night before this, Jaka wrestled Fred Yehi. Yehi attacked Jaka’s bare feet and Sabre used that strategy here. It allowed Sabre’s submissions to look even better, as he could show us all the added torque on the feet. Each time Jaka got something going, Sabre found a way to trap him in a submission. Despite being at a size disadvantage, Sabre managed to battle Jaka in strike exchanges. There was a great spot where Sabre opened his chest to give Jaka a free shot. Getting in Jaka’s head didn’t work, because the challenger responded with a headbutt. Midway through the match, the fans were split. It was rare to see the bigger guy as the underdog, but it worked here. Jaka survived two PKs and nearly upset Sabre right after. However, the champ used his European Clutch pin to escape with the win in 14:46. It was Jaka’s coming out party, as he had his best match and went toe to toe with the champion. [****]

121. The London Riots vs. War Machine – PROGRESS Chapter 51: Screaming for PROGRESS 7/9/17

Big. Lads. Wrestling. This is what happens when four big, bad dudes just go at it. War Machine had lost to the London Riots in the past, but times had changed. War Machine entered as the IWGP Tag Team Champions and wanted their win back. Knowing what the crowd wanted and what their strengths were, the teams agreed to throw the rulebook out the window. That allowed them to have one of the craziest matches of the year. For 16:02, these two teams beat the hell out of each other in and out of the ring. They did big lad things, like Hanson nailing a powerbomb/world’s strongest slam combo on Lynch or everyone participating in a massive German suplex/powerbomb tower of doom spot. They also showed off their athleticism, with insane dives and even some springboard spots that got a standing ovation. Some of the near falls down the stretch blew my mind. If you like watching big dudes hammer each other, this is the match for you. Unbelievable. [****]

NJPW New Year Dash Review

NJPW New Year Dash
January 5th, 2018 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,737
It’s NJPW’s equivalent to the Raw after WrestleMania. New Year Dash tends to kick off the year. It usually features a bunch of multi-man matches and some major angles. Two years ago, Kenny Omega and the Bullet Club turned on AJ Styles, which set Kenny on the run to the top that he’s been on ever since. Last year, Suzuki-Gun returned to the company. That went less well.

Manabu Nakanishi, TenKoji and Yuji Nagata vs. Ren Narita, Shota Umino, Tetsuhiro Yagi and Tomoyuki Oka
The Young Lions against the Dads. The lions jumped them before the bell, showing that they wouldn’t be intimidated. From there, things evened out, with the veterans all getting a chance to do their thing. Yagi slapped Nagata at one point, causing some BLUE JUSTICE to run wild on his ass. The lions had a few shots at winning with Boston crabs and Umino got two on a solid German on Kojima. Kojima paid him back with a huge lariat to win in 7:09. Your standard tag involving these guys. The dads get to pop the crowd and be their awesome selves, while the lions continue to learn and improve. [**½]

El Desperado, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Henare, Hirai Kawato, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV and Togi Makabe
It’s been a year since Suzuki-Gun returned. The only ones I’m happy to have are Desperado and Minoru. Zack Sabre Jr. as well, but he came along later. Kawato is wild, and he hit the ring too soon, getting jumped by Suzuki-Gun. It’s interesting that Henare now has gear, seemingly graduating from young lion status. SG used all their usual tricks, with Henare taking the heat. Makabe got the hot tag and the faces got some stuff going from there. Kawato ended up alone in the end, and lost to Desperado’s Pinche Loco at 8:49. Not as annoying as most Suzuki-Gun matches. Most importantly, Henare looked fine and Kawato continued to impress. [**]

Post-match, Iizuka used his iron glove to knock out Kawato, who was carried to the back.

Seven Match Trial Series: Jay White vs. Katsuya Kitamura
The winner of the Young Lion Cup, Katsuya Kitamura, embarks on a series of trial matches that starts here. Kitamura was too strong for Jay to start, so he went after the knee, which was already wrapped up coming into this. Jay looked more at home with his stuff here than at WK. He was more aggressive, his offense looked better, and he hit on the little things he needed to. Kitamura got worn down for a while, before using that power in his comeback. Jay blocked a suplex and pulled Kitamura into a crossface. He added elbows, before hitting the Blade Runner to win in 7:31. Though the WK match was better, this was a better showing for White. He looked a bit more comfortable in the role. The match saw solid back and forth stuff. I hope Kitamura doesn’t get sent on excursion. I can’t imagine there’s anything he could learn from a run in ROH or CMLL right now. [***]

Cheeseburger and Roppongi 3K w/ Rocky Romero vs. IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks
Omega had his head and ribs bandaged. Matt was also worn down, so they made Nick do most of the work. We did eventually get to a Cheeseburger/Omega interaction, which got a nice little pop from the crowd. Seeing Cheeseburger do the Kojima chops to all three opponents was great. Of course, it led to him eating a trio of superkicks. Roppongi 3K hit some crisp, before the Cheeseburger train got going again. He’s a blast. Unfortunately for him, he got caught on a cross body and beaten with a popup Indytaker at 11:19. Fun little comedy match. The Bucks weren’t nearly as annoying as they usually are and Cheeseburger was a riot. I totally get them going the comedy route, especially Kenny, taking a night off after a physically demanding WK12. [**¾]

The Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Cody, Leo Tonga, Marty Scurll and Yujiro Takahashi) w/ Brandi Rhodes vs. Taguchi Japan (David Finlay, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA and Ryusuke Taguchi) and Kota Ibushi
Kota is an honorary Taguchi Japan member tonight. Brandi joined commentary for this and didn’t struggle as much as I expected. Juice brought fire to his early exchanges. I hope he wins some kind of title this year. Kota had some fun getting involved in the Taguchi Japan antics. It was a bit strange to see back to back matches with a comedy element. KUSHIDA got the hot tag run and had some solid interactions with everyone, even the limited Leo Tonga. Scurll had a great Indian death lock counter by grabbing KUSHIDA’s fingers to snap them. Their exchange was fun, leading to tags to Kota and Cody. After a bit of that, Finlay came in. Brandi got on the apron to distract him, allowing Cody to hook the American Nightmare and make him tap in 13:20. Some good natured fun and fine action. The stuff involving Kota, KUSHIDA, Cody, Juice and Scurll were best. [***]

Things got interesting in the aftermath. An angry Cody attacked Kota Ibushi. Juice tried to make the save, but ate Cross Rhodes. Cody directed Bullet Club traffic and brought a chair into play. However, Kenny Omega hit the ring and took the chair from Cody. The fans erupted as he got into a shoving match with Cody to save his buddy Kota. LOUD “Kenny” chants. Cooler heads prevailed and Cody left the ring. Kenny remained in the ring and said he was sick of the infighting within the Bullet Club. He said they haven’t been united in a long time and they need to be number one. Kenny called out Jay White to offer him a spot in the Bullet Club. Jay accepted and put on the Bullet Club shirt. BUT WAIT! Jay turned on Kenny and dropped him with the Blade Runner. He said he’s taking Kenny’s title and exited the ring before the BC returned. Lots going on here. The official Kenny babyface turn will be huge, White has another high profile program, the Bullet Club issues continue and the Kenny/Kota stuff was great. I like Jay not joining the group. Everyone’s in a stable, so I like someone wanting to be on his own.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano [c] vs. Bad Luck Fale and the Guerrillas of Destiny
These titles changed hands on this show last year. In fact, there have been 16 reigns in the title’s two year history, and that’s with LIJ holding them for 228 days. This went the way you’d expect. Yano was Yano, getting into some wacky exchanges with Fale and Tama Tonga. Ishii, even though he looked unhappy to be there, put in the effort for his run in the match. He got to hit Fale with a German, which was the highlight. Beretta became the legal man for the finish. He went for the Dudebuster, but Tonga nailed him with the Gun Stun to give us new champions at 14:40. Too long for what it was. The action didn’t deliver the way it did in other matches. Also, while I’ve given up on concerning myself with the title changes, I do question Beretta taking the loss right after the high from last night. That’s what Yano’s for. [**¼]

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin and War Machine vs. The Killer Elite Squad, Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.
Minoru got a BALD HEAD. Minoru jumped Tanahashi during introductions to kick start this. I assume he’s jealous of Tanahashi’s hair. The match saw War Machine battle KES, while Sabre and Elgin got several moments together. The fans just weren’t buying into Elgin’s stuff anymore. I guess news travel over in Japan, too. Minoru focused on Tanahashi throughout. Either he went after him in the ring, or at ringside. It was like he made it his mission to destroy Tanahashi. The Killer Bomb put Hanson down for the finish at 11:36. This had some solid action, though it was nothing you need to see.[**¾]

What does need to be seen a bit more, was the post-match stuff. Suzuki trapped Tanahashi in a knee bar and made his intentions for the Intercontinental Title clear. If they keep the Suzuki-Gun stuff away, this should be awesome. I have their 2012 Heavyweight Title match at *****.

CHAOS (Gedo, NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, and YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and IWGP Tag Team Champions EIVL and SANADA)
Big ovation for Naito, who might be Teflon at this point. And no, just because he remains over as hell, doesn’t mean it was a good decision for him to lose at WK12. Anyway, when you get CHAOS vs. LIJ, you’re almost always guaranteed one hell of a show. They delivered again here. Naito and Okada had some good exchanges with a hot crowd, but the stuff involving everyone else was rad. YOSHI did his best to pick up an upset over the tired Naito, but he couldn’t muster it. Everyone got their stuff in and they’ve met so often that is all came off very crisp. They did a strong job teasing Goto/EVIL and Hiromu/Ospreay. In the end, Naito beat YOSHI with Destino after 13:51. He gets a win back but it doesn’t mean much considering he lost at WK. The match itself was a very good main event. [***½]

After the match, SANADA choked out Kazuchika Okada. Tetsuya Naito got the show closing promo and his buddies left him alone to bask in the crowd’s response. However, Chris Jericho ran in and attacked him. The young lions and wrestlers from the back had to break up the fight. Naito threatened to throw a chair out at Jericho, but instead just sat down and taunted him to get back in the ring. Looks like they’re next in line for one another.

Overall: 7/10. For the most part, this show worked to serve exactly the purpose it needed to. Most of the matches were fine, with the main event being the highlight. However, it succeeded in setting things up going forward. Naito/Jericho, Okada/SANADA, EVIL/Goto, Hiromu/Ospreay, Tanahashi/Suzuki and Omega/White were all set up here, while they also furthered the Omega stories with Cody and Ibushi. Not as newsworthy as the past two years, but a fun show.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 Review

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12
January 4th, 2018 | Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 34,995

It’s that time of the year again. Wrestle Kingdom. NJPW’s biggest show of the year and the night where most people have ****½ penciled in for matches before they even happen. I came in knowing the result of the main event, and it certainly has dampened my interest in the company, but more on that later. I still decided to check out the show. Since I don’t have all the time in the world, I’m skipping the pre-show RAMBO for this review. I’ll check it out some other time.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Roppongi 3K [c] w/ Rocky Romero vs. The Young Bucks
Oh, look. It’s another Dome show opener with the Young Bucks in the Jr. Title match. This was about Roppongi 3K trying to prove themselves against the team with the most reigns in history. The early portions of the match were quite lackluster. Once the Bucks cut the ring in half and put the focus on YOH’s back, it hit a point where things were going well. They avoided a lot of their cliché stuff I hate. They took out Rocky Romero with a powerbomb on the ramp and tried one on YOH, but he escaped. The champions made their comeback attempt following that, but never really felt like they threatened. It was cool to see them tease the finish RPG Vice used to beat the Bucks in the Dome last year. The Bucks lifted the Revival’s spot where once member prevents the other from tapping out. May as well take spots from superior teams. Shortly after, the Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver and won via Sharpshooter in 18:49. Better than most Bucks matches, but not as good as WK11. It started rough, picked up towards the middle, then the heat segment went a bit long. I didn’t mind the idea of the Bucks being a step ahead, it just never felt like the champs had a real shot and they barely got to showcase their stuff. [***]

I really wish title reigns in that division meant something. The Bucks have seven reigns and a grand total of nine defenses. Things like that make seven reigns mean nothing.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match: Bad Luck Fale and the Guerrillas of Destiny [c] vs. Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano vs. Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe vs. Michael Elgin and War Machine vs. Taichi, Takashi Iizuka and Zack Sabre Jr.
It’s odd watching Elgin after the recent stuff came out about him. They started out against the Suzuki-Gun trio. Sabre was the start of this segment, though this feels like kind of a waste of flying him over to Japan. They won when he pinned Rowe, bringing CHAOS out next. Within about forty seconds, Yano rolled up Taichi to eliminate them. The Taguchi Japan trio entered next, for probably the best little portion of the match. Taguchi got a bit overzealous and Yano rolled him up to get rid of them. The Bullet Club champs were the final entrants. Everyone got a chance to shine there, though I feel it went a bit long. Beretta rallied late and scored the win with the Dudebuster at 17:03. This is cool for Beretta. Dude was very good in 2017, so I’m glad he got rewarded. Fine little gauntlet, though it felt like a colossal waste of Ishii for the second straight Dome show. [**¾]

Cody w/ Brandi Rhodes vs. Kota Ibushi
Brandi looked magnificent. Cody and his new hair? Not so much. Realizing he was overmatched early, Cody and Brandi played a trick on Kota. She took a bump and swell fella Kota checked on her, opening the door for a cheap shot from Cody. It was all a ruse, because Brandi wasn’t hurt. From there, Cody targeted Ibushi’s neck, which makes sense. Just when Ibushi began a comeback, Cody caught him with a SICK looking Cross Rhodes off the apron. I swear it looked like Kota broke his beck. The response from the crowd on the replay emphasized just how insane that was. Cody got overconfident, opening the door for Kota to get going. Cody survived a powerbomb, but eventually lost to the Phoenix Splash in 15:08. Up there with Cody’s matches against Sabre in Evolve and against Okada for his best stuff since leaving WWE. I enjoyed the contrast of Kota’s high octane style against Cody working old school heel stuff. The neck focus worked and Ibushi seemed ready to kill himself to get this match to work. Hopefully, he sticks around. [***½]

IWGP Tag Team Championship: The Killer Elite Squad [c] vs. EVIL and SANADA
EVIL and SANADA are the most interesting team NJPW has put together in YEARS. The champions attacked before the bell and hit EVIL with their finish in the opening seconds for an interesting near fall. KES remained in control, with the challengers often looking overmatched. EVIL was hit with a chokeslam off the apron, which left SANADA alone to take a lengthy beating. It honestly felt like it lasted forever. I remember when the Dome Tag Title match lasted less than ten minutes back at WK9. Good times. When EVIL got involved again, things picked up, but not enough to stand out. SANADA kicked out of a Killer Bomb, they hit the Magic Killer, and SANADA earned the victory with a moonsault after 14:14. Though it was the shortest match on the card, I’d still say it went too long. Putting it close to ten would’ve worked better. The heat segment lasted too long and most of the match fell flat. EVIL and SANADA aren’t at their best when working from so far behind. [**½]

Either way, great booking decision. This is the team to build the division around. Use them to make people want to see these matches. Them against War Machine sounds rad. Throw in a Jeff Cobb team, Juice and Makabe, and some more improvements and you might have something.

NEVER Openweight Championship Hair vs. Hair Death Match: Minoru Suzuki [c] vs. Hirooki Goto
Talk about a match with little interest. Their match last April was average and they shit the bed at Dominion. I was done with this feud and wanted Ishii/Suzuki. It sounds fresh and awesome. Alas, we’re here with Hirooki again. Luckily, they came out to have a war. They beat the hell out of each other from the start. Minoru nearly ended Goto quickly (not on this show) with a hanging sleeper in the corner. They did a great job making it look like Goto was out. Every Goto rally was stopped. Once he started gaining real momentum, Taichi attempted a run-in. YOSHI-HASHI cut him off, keeping this one on one. From there, the violence got ticked up to an even higher notch. He nearly had it with the sleeper, but wanted the Gotch Piledriver, which Goto avoided. There was something wild about Minoru using a headbutt, which was the move that ended Goto’s buddy Shibata’s career. Goto picked up the win after surviving a lot, with the GTR in 18:04. They finally had the great match I’d been hoping for. Hard hitting, violent and thankfully, no interference. Just what I want from this title. Maybe Goto will be interesting again in 2018. I can hope, can’t I? [***¾]

Suzuki-Gun tried to get Minoru to leave without shaving his head. However, Minoru is a man of his word and returned on his own. He didn’t want Goto to do it, completing the haircut himself.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Marty Scurll [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay
I love Hiromu and KUSHIDA. Marty’s cool. Will has gone from someone I enjoyed a fair amount in 2016, to someone I basically can’t stand. It was easy to know what to expect here. Everyone was rather familiar with each other and it allowed for a fast-paced battle. Ospreay had a big spot where he moonsaulted off a structure. What I really liked about this was that everything mattered. It never felt like spots for the sake of it. It all led to something of note. KUSHIDA/Will, Will/Marty and KUSHIDA/Hiromu all delivered great callbacks to their singles outings. Marty getting the finger break spot turned back around on him was also a cool touch. They even had a wise idea to keep a man out of the match, when Scurll taped Hiromu to the guardrail. Hiromu got free and went nuts, hitting his awesome sunset flip bombs. I did take issue with Scurll kicking out of the Time Bomb, as I’d have had someone break it up. Hiromu was great and nearly won, but Scurll pulled the ref out to save his title. Scurll took out Hiromu with the umbrella, but then fell to the Oscutter at 21:18. Great match and the best thing on the show so far. They had tons of great spots and big bumps, while making sure everything worked cohesively. They played off their past and never allowed the match to lull. Everyone delivered. [****]

To play armchair booker again for a moment, I’d have done something a bit different. If the plan was to get the title on Will, I wouldn’t have done it back in October. I’d have had Scurll dethrone KUSHIDA. Then, Ospreay could’ve still won here and beat the guy who always owns him. From there, have Ospreay beat KUSHIDA at Sakura Genesis (to avenge that past demon), before facing Hiromu (BOTSJ winner) at Dominion. Just a thought.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Jay White
Tough spot for young Jay. The IC Title match has been tremendous in each of the past three years (Nakamura/Ibushi *****, Nakamura/Styles and Tanahashi/Naito ****½). Tanahashi made the early mistake, which was surprising for the vet, by missing a dive outside. From there, White targeted the knee. That’s a staple of Tanahashi matches and I dug him using that tactic. A clear issue early was that the fans didn’t fully buy into White just yet. A lot of his offense didn’t feel aggressive or vicious enough for his gimmick. Well, except for an apron brainbuster. It took quite a while to get there, but Tanahashi made his expected comeback and won with High Fly Flow in 19:43. It was a big step down from prior Dome IC Title matches, though it wasn’t bad at all. I think the problem was that the fans never fully bought into White and he didn’t feel comfortable in the character. The action and story of the match made sense, Jay just didn’t feel like he came out looking like a star. [***¼]

Jay works as a great babyface right now, though he has time to develop this role. Maybe they should’ve brought him back sooner, to give him more of an introduction than to just thrust him into this role.

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship No Disqualifications Match: Kenny Omega [c] w/ The Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho came out to “Judas” and wore his light up jacket. Despite the jacket, he came in more serious than Kenny Omega and his wacky entrance. They went right at one another, which was great. No need for the slow build fluff in a match with this kind of heat. I liked Jericho holding onto the Walls, even when Kenny reached the ropes. When Kenny went through a table, Jericho brought chaos, attacking Red Shoes and his son at ringside. Omega made a comeback, only for Jericho to springboard dropkick him in his recently repaired knee. It looked great. Jericho busted out the cocky pin, which will always pop me. Omega bumped like a madman, as Jericho brutalized him often. He busted Kenny open and took pride in it. He obliterated a chair by using it over and over. His overconfidence cost him (a theme of the night) as the chair was kicked into his face and then he took a V-Trigger that knocked him through a table. It led to a great series of counters and close calls. Jericho’s One Winged Angel counter into the Liontamer was great, as was him getting his hand on the rope after being hit with hit. Some of it felt overdone. Kenny eventually won with the One Winged Angel on a chair at 34:36. Kenny was clearly superior in terms of athleticism and moves, but Jericho is just a master at all the little things that can elevate a match. That combination worked great here. My major problem with this match was the length. They should’ve gone home about ten minutes sooner. [****¼]

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] w/ Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito
The reaction for Naito was out of this world. Every single form of logic pointed to Naito winning the big one here. Okada wore ridiculous looking bellbottoms. It was easily the worst look of the night. Naito was great at the psychology aspect early, doing small things to alter his style and throw Okada off his game. Okada’s cobra clutch continued to cause problems for Naito. He added a new element and Naito hadn’t adapted yet. Outside of that submission, a lot of the early stuff in the match didn’t work for me. It was what I expect from Okada, where the first third or more of the match is kind of just there and then things picked up. Once it got going, things were great. These two just never seem to click as well as some other top guys do. The fans were way behind everything Naito did and bit on his near falls. The closing stretch was pretty fun, though a bit too similar to other Okada matches. Naito continued the trend of people trying too much tonight. He went for an extra Destino and it cost him, leading to Okada retaining in 34:26. I thought this was a very good main event, just not one that ever touched a great level. A lot of the early stuff didn’t do much for me and the closing stuff was good, but too familiar. There were several strong storytelling elements and a bunch of crisp exchanges, it was just missing something to take it over the top. [***¾]

With the review out of the way, I must make a quick comment on the booking. I hated Naito losing here. Not just because I’m a huge fan of his and because I don’t like Okada. It was absolutely the time. He’s molten hot, his redemption story would’ve been perfect with a Tokyo Dome main event win over Okada, and Okada’s reign has grown tiresome. The booking of Okada is something that people would roll their eyes and groan about anywhere else, but it gets a pass because it’s NJPW. I understand how well Okada performs at the box office. I get that. Take a chance. This was Naito’s night and not pulling the trigger here was an indefensible booking decision.

Overall: 8/10. Better than Wrestle Kingdom 10. Worse than WK9 and 11. This was different than a lot of NJPW shows. They typically have lame undercards and great main events. Here, the entire undercard ranged from solid to good and the NEVER Openweight Title match delivered in a way that it hasn’t in 2017. The big matches weren’t on the level of the stuff from previous WKs, but the consistency of this show helped put it above WK10. Lower ceiling, but higher floor. Good matches, though some questionable booking moves.

Kevin's Random Reviews: WWF Unforgiven 1998

WWF Unforgiven 1998
April 26th, 1998 | Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina | Attendance: 21,427

With WrestleMania XIV in the rearview mirror, the Austin Era was officially underway and the Attitude Era was in full swing. There were certainly a lot of firsts on this card. This was the first time that the scratch WWF logo was used on a PPV, it featured the first Inferno match as well as the first Evening Gown match and would actually be the first Unforgiven ever. It was also the only one to take place in the month of April.

Surprisingly, the opening video package focuses more on the Kane/Undertaker angle than the WWF Title picture. As is almost always the case in this era, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler handle commentary. Also, the WWF blimp is in attendance.

Faarooq, Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman vs. The Nation of Domination w/ Kama Mustafa
Kama was already starting to dress like the Godfather. The Rock had taken over as the leader of the Nation after kicking Faarooq out, so Faarooq wanted revenge. Watching him come out, still in Nation attire, to Shamrock’s theme was classic. Oh my god, Shamrock and Blackman even did the Nation salute with him. Ross was great here at reminding everyone that the Nation had the chemistry advantage. Faarooq brought out a belt and whipped D-Lo with it, which was a highlight. Rock did all of the little things throughout this that just showed you that he had loads of potential. Blackman took the heat for what seems like far too long. Faarooq got the hot tag and finally got his hands on the Rock. While everyone fought outside, Faarooq pinned Rock following the Dominator. 

Winners: Faarooq, Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman in 13:07
A bit too long though it was otherwise inoffensive. The crowd was mostly hot and the Rock was a joy to watch, making this better than it should have been. I’m also pretty sure nothing came of Faarooq pinning the IC Champion. **

The WWF Champion Steve Austin comes out and demands the timekeeper enter the ring with him. The timekeeper rang the bell early on a prior show apparently, so Austin threatens him if he does it again here. I am not a fan of promos on PPVs, but at least this was short. I do have an issue with Austin showing up here. Your first pop is your best one so why waste it here and not during the match?

WWF European Championship
Triple H (c) w/ Chyna vs. Owen Hart
Chyna got involved in the finish of their match at WrestleMania, so tonight, she was locked in a cage. The angry Owen Hart attacked Triple H on the outside, gaining some revenge before things officially started. Chyna got the old school treatment of having her cage raised high in the air. After his fast start, Owen was slowed down by HHH’s offense. Chyna got something out of her boot and seemed to be trying to file her way out of the cage. After dropping it, she managed to bend the bars because she was still very manlike at the time. Seriously, she was just getting out of Nicole Bass territory. HHH plodded through some dull offense as she got free and hung from the cage. Owen locked in the Sharpshooter just as the cage conspicuously lowered and allowed Chyna to safely hit the floor. It was that damn Road Dogg messing with the controls. The distraction was enough for the referee to miss Owen hitting HHH with a Pedigree. X-Pac ran in and laid Owen out with a fire extinguisher so the future “Game” could retain.

Winner and Still WWF European Champion: Triple H in 12:38
I liked their WrestleMania XIV match more. This one was very dull in the middle points when Triple H was on offense. He hadn’t yet mastered the right way to get in heel offense without it dragging on. The finish featured some classic Russo overbooking and not in a good way. **¼

After the match, Owen Hart is interviewed and cuts his first official “enough is enough and it’s time for a change” promo.

NWA Tag Team Championship
The New Midnight Express (c) w/ Jim Cornette vs. The Rock n’ Roll Express
Why? The New Midnight Express was “Bodacious” Bart Gunn and “Bombastic” Bob Holly, while it is the original Rock n’ Roll Express. They get the Rockers theme music. You could see fans getting up and going to the bathroom or to get food. Nobody cared about this. Even Jerry Lawler can’t bring himself to care, talking about Sable’s panties instead. They worked the kind of match you’d expect from them. Cornette got involved and, while he got what was coming to him, it still allowed his guys to retain with a bulldog. Guess what? The crowd didn’t react at all.

Winners and Still NWA Tag Team Champions: The New Midnight Express in 7:20
Oh man, that was painfully boring. The fans wanted no part of the old NWA at this time so they didn’t care. The New Midnight Express consisted of two guys with zero personality, while the Rock n’ Roll Express were way past their prime. ¾*

Evening Gown Match
Luna Vachon w/ Goldust vs. Sable
I always thought this was a weird match to book. The crowd obviously was more into Sable’s looks here so they want to see her get stripped. That means they should cheer for the heel, which kind of defeats the purpose. Luna held serve, Sable rallied and Marc Mero showed up, eventually distracting her. Luna stripped Sable and her tits looked absurdly huge here. Bigger than usual for some reason.

Winner: Luna Vachon in 2:36
Not much to write about here. I’ll give them small points for trying and having the crowd somewhat invested. ¼*

Sable, pissed that she was stripped, attacked Luna after the match. She chased her under the ring and reemerged with Luna’s bra and panties. Side note, but Sable really had no ass.

More time for promos as Vince McMahon, Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson come out. They say nothing of importance at all. Vince promises that he isn’t there to screw Austin.

WWF Tag Team Championship
The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. LOD 2000 w/ Sunny
The Outlaws brought out “Dean Smith” but it was just a blow up doll in a UNC shirt. Get it? It’s a blow up doll. They’re edge and cool because of that. While the actual feuds between these teams had been good, the matches left a lot to be desired. This followed that pattern. Most of what the teams did was kind of just there and came off as lackluster. The crowd was totally dead but finally got into it near the end as LOD did the hot tag stuff. Gunn used the title for offense but LOD no sold it for the most part. Hawk hits a German and gets the three count. OR SO WE THOUGHT! As they celebrate with the straps, the Fink announces that the Outlaws are still the Tag Team Champions since both guys had their shoulders down at the same time.

Winners and Still WWF Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws in 12:13
Holy crap, that was boring. That’s three straight matches that don’t even crack a star. LOD’s time of value had come to an end and the Outlaws were never great in the ring. ¾*

After the match, LOD 200 murder the referee with the Doomsday Device. The replay shows that Road Dogg’s shoulders were down and Hawk’s didn’t seem to be.

The recently returned Jeff Jarrett is out to perform. They’re still trying to get the country singer gimmick over. Tennessee Lee, the former Col. Robert Parker, is his manager. Jarrett performs with a band whose name I missed. Steve Blackman shows up to attack Jeff but takes a guitar to the head from Lee and then gets put in the Figure Four.

Inferno Match
Kane w/ Paul Bearer vs. The Undertaker
The visual of the ring surrounded by flames was pretty awesome. Undertaker was daring as he hit Old School and the flames shot up while he was in midair. Whoever handled the timing of that did their job well though they did get ahead of themselves a few times. Even though their matches weren’t always the best, the comparison between the two brothers was always cool. Kane sitting up was so new for the Undertaker to combat. Kane got crotched up top and I have no idea how his foot didn’t catch fire. The second rope suplex that followed was certainly a highlight. Kane got tossed outside and tried walking out but Vader showed up to stop him. They’d have a match at the next PPV. As they got near the ring, Undertaker got to do his awe-inspiring dive onto them in the coolest moment of the match. Undertaker went after Bearer, eventually hitting him with a drum from the Jarrett concert. It looked lame. Back at ringside, Undertaker hit Kane with a chair, backing him to the flames, where his arm caught fire.

Winner: The Undertaker in 15:57
I actually liked this more than their WrestleMania match. The work itself was similar but the spectacle of the first ever Inferno match added to this. Also, both guys have some serious balls to work a match like this considering a lot of their spots came close to the fire. ***

WWF Championship
Steve Austin (c) vs. Dude Love
Dude Love attacked before the bell. That set the stage for a brawl, which is exactly what this match turned out to be. The fight moved up to Jarrett concert setup again where Austin hip tossed Dude off of it and onto concrete. Can’t be a high profile Foley match without a big bump. With Austin in trouble, Mr. McMahon strolled out with his stooges. JR pretty much hates them on commentary. Vince took a seat at ringside and nodded to the timekeeper. That worked since they hyped the last time Vince sat at ringside being the infamous Survivor Series 1997. Vince just nailed everything in this match. He goaded Austin into chasing him in the aisle, giving Dude Love an opening. Dude applied an abdominal stretch and Vince shouted for the bell to be called but it didn’t. Foley wasn’t done taking bumps as Austin suplexed him outside and his legs banged into the steps. Since it’s the Attitude Era, we got a ref bump. Dude got the Mandible Claw on but Austin fought it off. Things moved outside where a chair came into play. Austin hit it into Dude’s face twice before picking it up and going to whack him with it. Vince was trying to lift Dude and ended up taking the brutal chair shot on his own. Austin nailed a Stunner on Dude inside and counted the three himself. His theme even played. However, he actually lost by DQ.

Winner via disqualification: Dude Love in 18:52
A damn good main event that played perfectly off of the red hot angle going on. Lots of back and forth, some big bumps, story advancement and some really enjoyable brawling. A worthy main event.***¾

Overall: 3/10; Poor. Honestly, this show is kind of indicative of the Attitude Era in general. A fair amount of story advancement, a hot main event, reason to tune in the next night and a trash undercard. Everything before the final two matches is an easy skip. Hell, even the Inferno match isn’t must see. There is some novelty in seeing HHH and the Rock a few months before their star making rivalry but that’s about it. Also, the time spent on promos and the concert wasn’t really good either. Only watch the main event. Next time on “Kevin's Random Reviews”, I take a long look at Survivor Series 2003!