NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night Two
May 4th, 2018 | Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan | Attendance: 6,307
Following a subpar night one, NJPW debuts the second night of Wrestling Dontaku. On paper, this card looks stronger. KUSHIDA/Ospreay and Okada/Tanahashi are both very tired matches, but they’re typically a safe bet to deliver something very good. Plus, the show should also set the stage for whatever’s coming at Dominion.
Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tiger Mask IV vs. Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and Yuya Uemura
Liger currently resides in Fukuoka. The Young Lions jumped him to boos, which was great. It makes sense since they get beat on so often, they should get their licks in where they can. Of course, the veterans responding by kicking their asses. Liger seemed to enjoy wearing Uemura out with chops and the Romero Special. Umino and Narita fared better than Uemura, but not by that much. It came down to Narita and Taguchi. Don Callis kind of ripped the Young Lion concept (and WWE in 1997) because Narita did a Cloverleaf instead of the Boston Crab. HOW DARE YOU TRY TO GET OVER? Narita countered Dodon into a rollup for two, but got pulled into the Ankle Lock and tapped at 6:34. A solid opener. Lots of fire from the Lions and the angry vets brought it to them. Taguchi gets another win heading into the BOTSJ, where he traditionally does well. [**¾]
A pissed off Liger stomped on some of the Lions on their way out. I love angry Liger.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tomoyuki Oka and AJPW Tag Team Champion Yuji Nagata
Yujiro didn’t have Tokyo Latina with him, bringing out another random girl. Don Callis was just as disappointed as I was. I never would’ve thought it in 2015, but the Yujiro/Chase tandem is actually not bad. Meanwhile, Nagata seems to have traded Manabu Nakanishi in for his younger counterpart. Despite teaming with the babyface Golden Lovers, Chase and Yujiro worked heel here. They jumped Oka and stole Nagata’s signature taunt. They isolated Oka for most of the match. When Nagata came in, he was basically unstoppable. Nagata seemed to have it won, but Oka begged for the tag. Nagata complied and his apprentice handled himself better, including a BRUTAL European uppercut. Yujiro occupied Nagata, leaving Owens to beat Oka with the Package Piledriver in 6:11. Decent enough. Chase and Yujiro had a solid strategy, while Nagata was a beast, and Oka continues to impress. [**¼]
Rocky Romero and Roppongi 3K vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, and Takashi Iizuka
Not this again. These teams have literally put on the absolute worst collection of matches all year long. Suzuki-Gun attacked before the bell, as always. There were the usual chairs, biting, and all sorts of underhanded tactics from Suzuki-Gun. Yesterday, Gedo succeeded by having this go under three minutes. We weren’t so lucky on this night. The good guys made the comeback and won with 3K on TAKA in 6:00. They’ve won two in a row. Please, never book this again. It was atrocious each time. At least this wasn’t the worst they’ve done, so there’s that. But, this match happened about five times and never once cracked a single star. [¾*]
Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs. RPW British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
Like the previous match, this has been featured a ton on this tour. Unlike the previous match, this one is usually good. The reason these have been so enjoyable have been the interactions between Henare and Ishii. In fact, their singles match was the second best on the “Road to” events. This saw them do battle in the highlight of the action. Yano was Yano, while Makabe put in some effort tonight. Trust me, it’s better than what we usually get from him at this point. It came down to the Ishii/Henare war, with Henare once again coming achingly close to pulling off the upset. Alas, a Brainbuster put him down at 7:12. Like everything else they’ve done on this tour, they were one of the best parts. I’m loving how well Henare has been doing lately. Another win for Ishii and Yano en route to what I assume will be a Tag Team Title shot. [***]
David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Michael Elgin vs. NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, and YOSHI-HASHI
Elgin challenged Goto for the NEVER Title, but Taichi also has his eyes on it. White continued to own Finlay in a recent title match, but Juice Robinson may be interested in one now. Speaking of Juice, he kind of took the heat in this one, which was unexpected. I thought that was Finlay’s role for sure. Elgin got the hot tag, making him seem legitimate heading into a NEVER Title shot. Jay White continued to not truly be a CHAOS member, refusing to partake in their usual sushi taunt. He and Juice went at it outside, while Goto and Elgin battled. With those two potential matchups setup, YOSHI-HASHI bested Finlay with Karma for the win in 11:04. Another good multi-man tag. It had good action, furthered two programs, and kept the intrigue of White’s character going. [***]
Post-match, Taichi showed up and attacked Goto with his microphone stand. He took him to the back. Jay White convinced YOSHI-HASHI not to go after him. He snuck back in to plant Juice with the Blade Runner, but Juice escaped and sent him packing. Goto vs. Taichi/Elgin sounds super uninteresting, but I’m ALL for White/Juice.
Wrestling Dontaku returns to Fukuoka next year. I mean, it’s been there every single year.
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito, and IWGP Tag Team Champions EVIL and SANADA vs. The Killer Elite Squad, Minoru Suzuki, and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
I was going to note that it was weird how Zack Sabre Jr. was on night one, but not night two. Then I remembered he’s working Super Strong Style 16 in PROGRESS. Hilariously, Lance Archer chased Don Callis to the back, threatening to spit water on him. It’s a testament to Tetsuya Naito that he remains popular despite bad booking. Suzuki-Gun attacked quickly, leaving Naito out in the crowd and Chokeslamming Hiromu from the apron onto EVIL and SANADA outside. That put LIDJ way behind the 8-ball and BUSHI got left to take most of the beating. Naito returned and fought out Minoru, but they built the hot tag to Hiromu. He’s so explosive that the role works for him. LIDJ used that to spark a rally, capped by Destino on Kanemaru to win in 8:31 They’ve worked similar matches, but this one had a bit more energy behind it. I enjoyed the idea of LIDJ being picked apart and guys having to come in. Hiromu as the hot tag guy works well. [***]
After the match, Tetsuya Naito remained in the ring after his buddies left. That made it clear something was gonna happen. Loud “Naito” chants. As he left, he was jumped by a fan in a BUSHI mask. The guy dropped the barricade on Naito’s head and brought him back to the ring. He removed the mask to reveal himself as CHRIS JERICHO! He hit the Codebreaker and busted Naito open with the ring bell. I’m guessing Naito/Jericho happens at Dominion. Naito refused to do the stretcher job and threw it away. Great angle, as at least this match seems important, which is something Naito hasn’t been since the loss Wrestle Kingdom.
Bad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and the Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Cody, Hangman Page, and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Marty Scurll and the Young Bucks
BULLET CLUB CIVIL WAR! Marty promised to slam Fale, but instantly failed. The match progressed to see decent action, while focusing on character work. Some guys showed respect for each other, like the Bucks and GOD, while guys like Cody and Page were all about doing illegal tactics. At one point, Matt refused to attack a downed Ibushi and tagged out. Ibushi got isolated, before making the hot tag to Kenny. The two of them shined in that role. They were cut off by the Bucks in what became an awkward standoff. The fans were completely quiet for it and they kind of stood around waiting for Cody and Page to pull the Golden Lovers out. The Scurll/Fale stuff led to the finish, as Marty went for the slam again. Fale fell on top of him and got the win in 8:47. They hit a few of the story notes that you’d expect, but the match itself was nothing special. [**]
Kenny chased Cody to the back. Owens and Yujiro arrived and the Bullet Club guys all seemed to be okay with each other, while Ibushi was awkwardly left to hang around. The Bullet Club angle has had some interesting moments and one great match (Bucks/Lovers), but like the nWo, it feels like there’s no endgame planned.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. KUSHIDA
Ospreay ranks among my least favorite wrestlers in the world, but KUSHIDA usually knows how to get the best out of him. In NJPW, they met at Invasion Attack ’16 (****½), Dominion ’16 (***½), BOTSJ ’17 (****¼), and King of Pro Wrestling ’17 (***¾). Will only won that last meeting. Here, KUSHIDA remained a step ahead of his foe. One spot saw KUSHIDA move Ospreay’s head scissors over onto the referee, and then get in a kick. He also caught an Ospreay springboard into an armbar outside, keeping a slight edge. It was a little weird to see Will tap while outside so early, yet not do so later in the match. I get that he was resilient, but it was still strange. I liked the idea behind him not being able to lift KUSHIDA in his new move due to the arm work, yet there’s a logic flaw in him even attempting it. If you know your arm is damaged, why go for it? It wasn’t like he was that desperate by that point in the match. This was the usual Ospreay selling, where he yells very loudly and then forgets about it from time to time. KUSHIDA’s DDT off the apron was awesome. However, it didn’t have the effect it should’ve because Will just went back on offense like nothing happened. Down the stretch, Ospreay survived a ton, went into overkill mode (though not as bad as he did against Scull last month), and won following a top rope cutter and Storm Breaker in 23:36. I thought this was a very good match with some top notch exchanges. Will’s selling remain inconsistent and a lot of his choices during matches are just baffling, which keeps his recent stuff from being great. It didn’t help that the outcome never felt like it was in doubt. [***½]
After the match, the BONE SOLDIER vignette ran and he returned. However, he wasn’t the same BONER SOLDIER who sucked in 2016. Instead, we got Tama Tonga to distract Ospreay. Bone Soldier appeared behind him and attacked him. He then revealed himself to be TAIJI ISHIMORI. I really liked him in NOAH and he’s a great addition to the junior heavyweight division. Gedo actually did something right. Now put him and Hiromu Takahashi in the same block in the BOTSJ, please.
Before the main event, here are the ratings I’ve given every Tanahashi/Okada match that I’ve seen.
New Beginning 2012 – Okada def. Tanahashi [c] - ****
Dominion 2012 – Tanahashi def. Okada [c] - ****½
Wrestle Kingdom 7 – Tanahashi [c] def. Okada - ****¼
Invasion Attack 2013 – Okada def. Tanahashi [c] - ****¾
G1 Climax 23 – Ends in a draw - ****½
King of Pro Wrestling 2013 – Okada [c] def. Tanahashi - *****
Wrestle Kingdom 9 – Tanahashi [c] def. Okada - ****½
Wrestle Kingdom 10 – Okada [c] def. Tanahashi - ***¼
G1 Climax 26 – Ends in a draw - ****¼
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] w/ Gedo vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hopefully, this is a big improvement on their lackluster title match the last time (WK10). Okada leads the series 4-3-2. Loud “Tanahashi” chants. I’m with you, Fukuoka. Save_Us.ACE. Early on, I was concerned this was going into the TIRED Okada formula. Never fear, Tanahashi was here. The master knows how to get the best out of Okada. When Tanahashi skinned the cat after Okada dropkicked him from the top (that in itself being a cool spot since Okada usually does that successfully), Okada turned it into a stiff DDT. From there, the champion was in control and seemed to have his fun toying with Tanahashi. This was cocky douche Okada, which is EASILY the best Okada. There was a great moment when Okada did the Rainmaker pose, only for Tanahashi to stand up right in his face. He wasn’t going down without a fight. The final stretch after that was bonkers. I absolutely adored the callback to their previous match at the 30:00 minute mark. In the G1 26, they went to a draw and as time expired, Tanahashi hit High Fly Flow. They did that exact same thing at the same time here, which was genius. Both guys brought out great counters to each other’s finishers and we even got to see Tanahashi hit his own Rainmaker. Okada stopped a High Fly Flow with a dropkick, before nailing a Rainmaker to retain in 34:36. While it wasn’t their best match, it was near the top. Okada started his reign with back to back great defenses (Marufuji and Omega), but he hadn’t quite strung together two greats in a row until now (Sabre and Tanahashi). They had so many callbacks to their history and it felt like a worthy capper. It was paced so well, avoided some of the usual tropes, had lots of drama and emotion, and played to both of their strengths. If this was the end of Tanahashi’s main event tenure, he went out in style: [****½]
Overall: 7.5/10. This was on pace to be a similar show to the disappointment of night one. However, while that event ended on a whimper, this one ended with more of a bang. The Jericho/Naito angle was masterful, while KUSHIDA/Ospreay was a very good match. Tanahashi and Okada delivered in a big time main event that was among the best NJPW main events all year long. The rest of the show was solid, with nothing bad.
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night One
May 3rd, 2018 | Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan
Once again, NJPW has split up one of their major events into two shows. It’s a great business move, but usually leads to weaker cards. Today’s show is headlined by the continuing war between the Bullet Club members, as the Golden Lovers meet Bullet Club members in singles matches. Speaking of the Bullet Club, this show marks their fifth anniversary.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji
Yujiro brought Mao with him, so this match is already a win. This was your typical NJPW opening tag. Owens and Yujiro continue to develop chemistry, as the latter has been at his best since teaming with him. The Young Lions brought the fire we’ve come to expect from them. Umino nearly managed to steal this with a small package. I appreciate how the fans bite on their near falls, even though they never win. Yujiro worked over Tsuji outside, while Owens beat Umino with a Package Piledriver in 5:30. Inoffensive opener. The winning team has been decent lately and the lions always bring heart and energy.[**¼]
Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tiger Mask IV vs. Ren Narita, Tomoyuki Oka, and AJPW Tag Team Champion Yuji Nagata
I miss Hirai Kawato. He’d have gone right at Liger. Like the opener, this went the way you’d expect. Nagata remains an ageless wonder, as does Liger. The Young Lions were filled with fire in everything they did. You can always count on effort from them. Taguchi looked more impressive than usual, most likely because he’s gearing up for the Best of the Super Juniors. He got saved from a Narita crab and his partners cleaned house. That left Narita alone to fall victim to Dodon, ending this in 7:15. It was alright. Nothing that will stand out and one of hundreds of NJPW undercard tags that are forgettable. [**]
The Killer Elite Squad and Takashi Iizuka vs. Rocky Romero and Roppongi 3K
These RPG 3K and Rocky tags against Suzuki-Gun have been the absolute worst. I’ve only given out two DUD ratings this year (both to NJPW matches) and RPG 3K against SG is one of them. Suzuki-Gun jumped these guys before the bell and beat them around the arena. The match basically went nowhere until Sho rolled up Iizuka to steal it in 2:10. Not much of a match. I hate this feud. [NR]
David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Toa Henare, and Togi Makabe vs. NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, RPW British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and YOSHI-HASHI
Man, CHAOS has a lot of titles. This continues White/Finlay, Henare/Ishii, and Elgin/Goto, which also has a hint of Juice/Goto still lingering. Goto and Elgin went at it first, before we got a rekindling of the lengthy rivalry between Ishii and Makabe. They always just beat the shit out of each other and you’ve got to appreciate that. Finlay took the heat segment, before making the hot tag to Juice. I’m all for Juice vs. Ishii at some point in the near future. G1, maybe? In the end, Henare battled with White and fell to the Blade Runner in 10:25. A good tag match that was the best thing so far. Everyone brought some energy and things moved along nicely. [***]
Juice Robinson had some words with Jay White after the match. Maybe he’s gonna lose another title match.
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Bad Luck Fale and The Guerrillas of Destiny [c] vs. Marty Scurll and The Young Bucks
The Bullet Club buddies shook hands at the start. Marty attacked Fale from behind and ran to tag out, but the Bucks wanted no part of the big man. Though the Bucks worked together to eventually take him down, they got beat up outside. That caused Marty to take a heat segment where Fale literally spent time standing on his ribs. When the Bucks returned to the match, the pace picked up. Marty snapped Fale’s fingers and the Bucks busted out tandem offense. The guys began to escape or block the finishers of the others. Magic Killer wasn’t enough and the Bucks started firing off superkicks. Loa got hit with More Bang For Your Buck and we had new champions after 11:05. Another good match. The crowd didn’t seem to get invested until late and while the action was fine, it lacked something to make it stand out. [***]
Post-match, the former champions handed the titles over in a show of respect.
BONER SOLDIER VIGNETTE!
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito, and IWGP Tag Team Champions EVIL and SANADA vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru w/ TAKA Michinoku
TAKA got to continue his role as Suzuki-Gun hype man. Naito didn’t bring out the Intercontinental Title with him, because he still hates it. I don’t like that you’re stuck there either, brother. Suzuki-Gun attacked before the bell because, duh. That set the tone as Suzuki-Gun continues to spend matches against CHAOS by beating them up around the arena and isolating one man. Surprisingly, it was Naito who got isolated here. Sabre and Suzuki had a blast twisting him like a pretzel. Naito eventually made the tag to SANADA, who had some fun back and forth with Sabre. We got the usual barrage late, with EVIL besting Kanemaru following the STO in 13:47. Like most of this show, this was solid, but unspectacular. It’s kind of the same thing we’ve been seeing from these teams for a while now. [**¾]
After the match, the Young Bucks came out and challenged EVIL and SANADA for the Tag Team Titles. Greedy bastards! They superkicked the champs and left, with EVIL accepting the challenge. That match should be fun, but I’m still hoping for EVIL and SANADA against the Golden Lovers.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA vs. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay w/ Gedo
On one of the “Road to” events, this was a very good (***½) main event. It’s here to build to the two main events on tomorrow’s show. Also, I recently read someone say that Ospreay was a top five wrestler in the world and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard in my life. As for tomorrow’s Okada/Tanahashi title match, all I have to say is Save_Us.ACE. Anyway, this worked in the same vein as the 4/27 match. They worked at a quick pace, with some intense exchanges. Ospreay and KUSHIDA had good back and forth, but it was nothing new. The Okada/Tanahashi stuff was way intriguing. Okada has had his number lately, but whenever Tanahashi does get something going, it seems like Okada’s confidence wanes and he becomes worried. Okada did win with a Rainmaker on KUSHIDA in a strong 16:15. It provided us with great action, while building to the bigger singles matches tomorrow. [***½]
Cody vs. Kota Ibushi
Their match at Wrestle Kingdom was one of the better on the card (***½). Back then, the feud wasn’t that personal. Over the past five months, it has picked up in that department and this match was appropriately intense and physical. There was a sense of animosity that other matches on the show didn’t have. However, this was given much more time than their WK match and is one of the biggest examples of more not meaning better. Where that match was tight, this one felt like it plodded on. Moves were done for the sake of moves and everything just felt lethargic. When the Cross Rhodes wasn’t enough, Cody won with a rough looking Kudoh Driver in 23:35. Watch their WK match to see their best. This dragged. [**½]
Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega
Gedo legitimately booked Hangman Page in a main event. That man is wild. This got started when Kenny saved Kota from an attack by Cody and Page. Considering the men involved, I expected something more high impact. They started with some wild stuff, but really slowed down after. Late, after Page had control for a while, Omega began spamming V-Triggers. I typically enjoy his matches more when he doesn’t go that route. However, they were probably a highlight in this one. Page got knocked loopy by Kenny’s knee at one point and was unable to kick out on his own, even though the referee called it a two count. One Winged Angel eventually finished it in 18:25. A disappointing main event. Like the Cody/Ibushi match, it just never fully clicked and felt more like a collection of moves, rather than a match. [**¼]
Overall: 4.5/10. I’ve said NJPW has been lackluster in 2018, but they’re not usually this mediocre. This show literally had just one match go ***½ and nothing went above it. There’s not a match that’s outwardly bad on it, but it was a big collection of “meh.” If anything, this show is proof that stretching these events out over multiple nights is a bad move in terms of quality.
NJPW Wrestling Hi No Kuni
April 29th, 2018 | Grand Messe Kumamoto in Mashiki, Kumamoto | Attendance: 3,435
Man, these “Road to Wrestling Dontaku” shows have been a chore to get through. Some matches delivered, but it was mostly a lot of fluff that could easily be skipped. I didn’t care enough to do full on reviews, but here were my ratings for the key matches.
4/13 – Elimination Match: Taguchi Japan vs. CHAOS - ***½
4/14 – Elimination Match: LIDJ vs. Suzuki-Gun - ***½
4/23 – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru [c] vs. BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi - ***¼
4/24 – Toa Henare vs. Tomohiro Ishii - ***¾]
4/24 – IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Jay White [c] vs. David Finlay - ***¼
4/27 – NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Juice Robinson - ****
4/27 – Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay - ***½
This show is a B or C event for the company, as they head to Wrestling Dontaku in a few days.
Ren Narita and Yuji Nagata vs. Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka
Narita has been rather impressive on these “Road to” shows lately. Guys like Kawato and Oka have probably been best from this class (other than Kitamura), but he’s done well. I was surprised to see Oka against Nagata, since he’s a personal project of Blue Justice. Narita took a beating early, but Oka got cocky and wanted Nagata. Bad move, son. Nagata took these boys to school and forced them to bring intensity as they tried fighting back. They did well, but Umino tapped to the Nagata Lock II in 9:41. That was a fun, energetic opener. The Young Lions brought it, as usual. [**¾]
David Finlay, Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tiger Mask IV vs. IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, Rocky Romero, and Roppongi 3K
I still love how Jay White doesn’t come out with the rest of CHAOS. He’s with them for personal gain (and so Gedo can fit him into his endless sea of multi-man tags) and that’s it. Poor Roppongi 3K. People praise NJPW for how they build stars, and while they do it well sometimes (Juice Robinson), they’ve completely missed the ball with Roppongi 3K. From meaningless short title reigns to a shit set of matches with Suzuki-Gun, it’s been rough. Anyway, they seem to be the one unit within CHAOS that White kind of enjoys. Maybe it’s their Young Lion roots. This had more action than I expected, with no down time. Everyone contributed to make this one of the better undercard NJPW in a while. Finlay beat Romero with a Stunner at 7:18 to cap a delightful little match. [***¼]
Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs. RevPro British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
These teams met during the New Japan Cup (***) and on 4/14 (**¾), while Henare wrestled Ishii on 4/27 in a banger (see above). Both teams have been solid lately. Ishii and Yano have a weird chemistry, while Makabe is the teacher to Henare’s student. After some early Makabe/Yano exchanges, we got the real treat when Ishii and Henare went at it. Henare doesn’t back down and gets his ass kicked, but it’s always great. When he got left alone with Yano, he nearly won this a few times. However, Ishii came back in and bested him with a Brainbuster in 7:56. They kept it short, sweet, and allowed the personalities to shine here. Another fun undercard match. What company am I watching? [***¼]
Chase Owens, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka, and Zack Sabre Jr.
Interesting Suzuki-Gun team as Sabre has been one of the best wrestlers of 2018, while Iizuka has basically been the worst. TAKA is always fine and Taichi has surprisingly not been awful. Weird to see them facing the Golden Lovers Club, who have no real beef with them. I love TAKA’s introduction of Sabre. SG jumped the faces before the match, leading to a brawl around the arena. The focus seemed to be on Omega/Sabre, which I’m all for. Give me that in the G1, please. Once it turned into a more traditional tag, we got to see how great Kenny and Kota are together. There was also a spot where they all did dives outside, including Chase and Yujiro. In the end, it came down to Owens against Sabre. Owens did well, but Sabre countered the Package Piledriver into a grounded octopus hold to win in 8:51. Another good tag. I especially enjoyed the tease of Omega/Sabre. [***]
They hyped the return of BONER Soldier. I only made that joke because of Kenny Omega, by the way. Anyway, this has to be someone new under the mask, right? Gedo wouldn’t really be hyping the return of someone so notoriously bad, would he?
NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA, and Michael Elgin
Following Goto’s win over Juice Robinson, it looked like Elgin stepped up for a shot. Not interested in that, at all. I just realized Okada and Ospreay are my least favorite champions in NJPW. Yes, I know they’re better than the Jr. and NEVER Tag Champions, but I’m talking about personal like. Anyway, the crowd popped for Okada and Tanahashi opening this. In the build to their match, Okada has gotten more aggressive. He’s kind of unhinged, as if the thought of Tanahashi, his oldest rival, ending his reign before he sets every single record ever is taking him off his game. Their fight spilled to the aisle, where Tanahashi hit a slingblade. From there, the rest of the programs got shine, from Juice against Goto to Elgin/Goto, and finally, to KUSHIDA/Ospreay. Their matches have mostly produced diminishing returns, but have never been bad. Near the end, everyone got in offense during a wild barrage. Interestingly, when it seemed like Okada was coming in with a rally, Tanahashi basically kicked his ass and then beat HASHI with High Fly Flow in 10:13. I’m loving the compact style of these matches so far. It didn’t last too long, had bell to bell action, and previewed upcoming matches. [***¼]
Post-match, Taichi attacked Goto with his mic stand to build towards a possible Goto/Elgin/Taichi match that sounds like it’ll make me want to Hangman Page myself. Okada, feeling threatened by Tanahashi, attacked him after the match and it led to a pull apart brawl. Tanahashi is in his head.
BUSHI vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion El Desperado
I’ll say it right here. These are the two most underrated juniors in NJPW. They met in the BOTSJ last year (***). Is t-shirt BUSHI the same as t-shirt Omega or Naito? Like, he wears it for matches he’s not taking seriously? With both men being heels, there was a lot of underhanded tactics, brawling, and cheating. They fought around the ring, BUSHI attacked before the bell, and Desperado tried removing his mask more than once. Things picked up down the stretch, with both guys coming close to winning. I’m a fan of Desperado using the Stretch Muffler, as it’s a move I always liked. As BUSHI went for MX, Yoshinobu Kanemaru ran in and attacked him for the cheap DQ in 9:58. With nothing on the line, there wasn’t really a need for that kind of finish. The champs retained already, so singles wins would’ve been nice for both Hiromu and BUSHI. Anyway, this was fine. [**¾]
Hiromu Takahashi vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Hiromu ran out to save BUSHI from a two on one beating to get this started. Because he’s Hiromu, took a wild bump off the apron in the opening minute. Since he landed on his back, it was key that he spend the match selling that. Luckily, that’s exactly what he did. It showed another aspect to Hiromu’s game that gets overlooked. NJPW hasn’t done much with him since his stellar title run in the first half of last year, but he’s still the best junior they have, with only KUSHIDA being on his level. He resorted to quick bursts of offense to combat his inability to use his back for strength. Desperado got involved, only for BUSHI to make the good guy save. He spat mist at Kanemaru, setting him up for the Time Bomb to get Hiromu a win in 11:29. Some may not like the interference, but I think it worked here. It fit the characters and helped tell the overall story of this match. [***]
IWGP Tag Team Championship: EVIL and SANADA [c] vs. The Killer Elite Squad
This is a Wrestle Kingdom rematch (**½). KES dominated that match, but still lost the titles. It’s taken so long for the rematch due to various injuries, most recently to EVIL. KES attacked before the bell, setting the tone for a brawl. That works best in their favor and honestly, is a good formula for the champs. A table came into play early, but KES got cut off from using it. From there, the champs were in control until KES delivered a vicious Killer Bomb off the apron and through the table onto SANADA. That left them alone with a guy who has been injured for months. Great idea. EVIL took a beating, though he probably ended up surviving a bit too much. SANADA returned in the nick of time and the team was rejuvenated. EVIL nailed the STO on Smith to retain in 17:58. Though EVIL may have survived too much, I appreciated how physical this was. There was an animosity between the teams that we don’t get often enough in NJPW tags. Big improvement on their WK outing. [***½]
Can Gedo book EVIL and SANADA vs. The Golden Lovers soon?
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Minoru Suzuki [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito
Tetsuya Naito is my favorite wrestler in NJPW by a wide margin. However, Suzuki has been great this year as IC Champion. Also, why would Naito want the title? He hated and disrespected it last time. This is the problem with him losing at WK. Going back to this feels strange. Coming into this, I saw some praise it and some call it awful. It turned out to rank somewhere in the middle. It’s a long match (serious problem NJPW has with their big matches), but doesn’t feel that way when compared to some others. Some of Suzuki’s leg work felt a bit repetitive and it reminded me of his match with Okada last February where he applied the knee bar a lot as a time filler. Like that match, Suzuki’s opponent survived a ton in what was basically a one-sided affair. It felt like the finish came from out of nowhere, with a short Naito comeback leading to Destino and another title reign in 30:22. This was good, but nowhere near what they’re capable of. Suzuki was dominant, but then Naito seemingly found a way to suddenly be better than him. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the story. Naito’s been good this year, but has only had one really great match (against Sabre). This worked well enough, just not on the level I hoped. [***]
There you have it, folks. Naito has officially been Nakamura'd. I called it a while ago and here we sit with Naito as IC Champion yet again.
Overall: 7/10. One of the more consistent NJPW events of the year. My biggest gripe with them have been booking decisions, overly long main events, and weak undercards. This one had mostly good booking and a solid undercard. Two out of three ain’t bad. The main event is a disappointment, but everything else on the show is good, which isn’t often the case with NJPW. It flies by and sets up the more important upcoming shows quite well.
PROGRESS Chapter 67: Bourbon Is Also A Biscuit
April 7th, 2018 | Ponchartrain Centre in New Orleans, Louisiana
A day after hosting Chapter 66, PROGRESS remained in New Orleans for Chapter 67. Though there were less people in attendance for this show (mostly due to Saturday being a busy Mania weekend day), the card still looked pretty loaded.
Jim Smallman made note of the smaller crowd, saying they’d need to be loud to make up for those who weren’t there.
Chris Brookes vs. Ray Horus
Horus is not a PRGORESS regular. Couple that with the push Brookes has had lately and the outcome seems fairly obvious. The lack of commentary continued to make these chapters feel out of place. Anyway, this match was more back and forth than I expected. Horus was given ample time to show what he’s got and some of his acrobats were impressive. Brookes was the crowd favorite, though he got booed for going after Horus’ mask. Their late exchanges were the highlight, though there was an odd moment where they ran to opposite corners and stood there, unsure of the next spot. After Horus survived a Michinoku Driver, Brookes trapped him in the Octopus Hold for the win in 14:41. This was good, though I felt it went a bit too long. Solid back and forth exchanges and some impressive spots sprinkled in. [***]
PROGRESS Women’s Championship: Toni Storm [c] vs. Mercedes Martinez
This came about after Martinez scored a win over Shazza McKenzie in a tag on the last chapter. Like that tag, this opened with some very even grappling between the ladies. Toni’s brash attitude seemed to anger Martinez, which turned it into more of a physical contest. Martinez came close with a Tower of London and her variation of Three Amigos. Toni had to fight from behind, which she doesn’t do often. She would burst out offense here or there, but that’s it. Toni got her foot on the ropes following a Fisherman Buster, then caught Martinez in an armbar from out of nowhere to retain in 8:23. With a few more minutes and a crowd that believed in Martinez as a threat, this could’ve been special. It was still very good, with a logical, well told story. I might be the high man on this, but I dug it. [***¼]
Will Ospreay came out to have a word with the crowd. At one of his many appearances over the weekend, he got pretty banged up and changes had to be made to this show. To stick to his commitment, he offered up the idea of doing a mixed tag.
WWN and FIP Champion Austin Theory and Jinny vs. Kay Lee Ray and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay
Surprised Theory didn’t go with Priscilla Kelly as his partner. Or at least at ringside. He insinuated that Ospreay went this route so Theory didn’t embarrass him in a singles match. This opened with a great moment of Jinny putting on a Jimmy Havoc mask (her trainer) to try and get in Ospreay’s head considering their rivalry. From there, we were treated to some wacky spots involving a voodoo doll that KLR brought to the ring. They set things up for a hot tag to Ospreay so he could shut Theory up. Will mostly played it safe, though he still took a rough bump on a lariat. KLR and Will worked great together and pulled off an assisted reverse rana, before KLR hit Theory with a wild modified Tombstone. However, she fell to a Jinny middle rope X-Factor to end it in 11:50. If you take your wrestling too seriously, you probably won’t enjoy this. But, for what it was, I had a pretty good time and the crowd seemed too as well. It also got Jinny more momentum heading into her upcoming title match.[**¾]
David Starr, Keith Lee and Evolve Champion Matt Riddle vs. Flash Morgan Webster, Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins w/ Vicky Haskins
This marked the first appearance of heel Flash with these guys. They were all serious, but the faces came in to have a good time. To combat Starr’s introduction, his opponents were introduced as “not giving a fuck about Twitter or foreskin.” Even with those attitudes, they couldn’t help but get involved in some shenanigans. Havoc bit Riddle’s foot, so Lee came in with confidence because he wore boots, only for Havoc to bite his knee. There were also times when the heels broke and could be seen laughing. Starr was the clear choice to take the heat. Once he finally got free, Lee came in and started throwing people around. That included sending Flash over the top and onto a big pile outside. In the end, Starr ended up alone and took the Kiss of Death, with an added knee from Flash, for the finish at 17:01. The best thing on the show so far. The action was very good and all the personalities got a chance to shine through. Good win for Vicky’s trio. [***½]
Number One Contender’s Match: PROGRESS Atlas Champion WALTER w/ Timothy Thatcher vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Winner gets a shot at the PROGRESS World Title. This was one of my most anticipated matches of the weekend. It started with fine grappling, until Sabre slapped WALTER. WALTER threw up his hands as if to say, “Come on, man. We were having a respectful battle.” The Atlas Champion proceeded to chop Sabre all around the ring. Sabre sold them like death, until catching one and stomping on WALTER’s arm. He made that body part his target. However, he seemed to forget that WALTER could chop just as hard with his other hand. Sabre remained a defiant little shit. He slapped and flipped off WALTER at every turn, taking chops for it. He went into attempting near falls, including his signature European Clutch. One of his pins got countered into a rear naked choke and he tapped at 12:51. Not the MOTY contender I heard it was, but still a great match and possibly top five of Mania weekend. Sabre remained in character and had a great strategy, only to get stuck when WALTER had an answer. The finish felt a bit abrupt and some of Sabre’s bumps on chops were a bit comical, but other than that, this delivered. [****¼]
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Grizzled Young Vets [c] vs. Ethan Page and Rickey Shane Page
The match was announced as Rickey and a mystery partner. He chose his real life “brother,” Ethan Page. They cut a funny promo about the Page “wrestling family,” which included Paige Page and DDP. Zack Gibson interrupted to his typically large amount of heat. He ran down the crowd and his opponents before the bell. The Pages worked well together. We got a funny moment where RSP came in for tandem offense, but did so while holding a detached tag rope, so it was all legal in his mind. Not a ton happened in this. The challengers were surprisingly in control for most of it. Near the end, Eddie Dennis appeared and distracted them. He said something about “their buddy Mark.” That allowed Ticket to Mayhem to hit for the champs to retain in 9:46. It had some funny moments, but that’s about it. [**]
Post-match, Dennis said Mark Andrews was who PROGRESS reached out to for RSP’s partner, but he chose to wave to the crowd for five seconds of fame on the WWE Network instead. Eddie called himself the “last independent wrestler left” and then attacked RSP with the microphone.
PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. Jeff Cobb
Cobb was cashing in his Thunderbastard title shot that he won a night earlier. Banks cut a pre-match promo calling himself, “Big Kiwi.” He tried a Roman Reigns Superman punch to start, but Cobb caught him in a belly to belly and began throwing the champ around. That’s how Cobb spent the first half or so of the match. He was in firm control. Banks rallied and made sure to do what was necessary to keep the crowd against him. Cobb pulled out the Superman Punch taunt and hit a Spear, getting a surprising pop. Banks fought through it and won with a spinning Kiwi Krusher in 9:27. One of the shortest PROGRESS main events I can recall. It was fine, but it also kind of just ended abruptly. It felt like it never truly got going. Good action overall, just not really enough of it. [***]
Overall: 7/10. Slightly better than Chapter 65, but both didn’t really deliver the way I hoped. The last two matches were average and disappointed for the most part. The rest of the card is pretty strong, though. The mixed tag was fun, the opener was solid, and I enjoyed the Women’s Title match. The six man tag was very good and WALTER/Sabre was one of the best matches from PROGRESS all year.
WWE Greatest Royal Rumble
April 27th, 2018 | King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
It’s not your typical WWE event. This network special featured a loaded ten match card, the biggest Royal Rumble ever, and took place in a huge stadium. With no women on the show (a controversy I’m not going to get into) the Kickoff show was hosted by Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T.
The stage and entire setup for the show looked fantastic.
John Cena vs. Triple H
What is it, 2008? Both guys got some cool entrances. Triple H looks like Kratos. I just wanted to point that out. The fans popped for every little thing they did, making for a wild atmosphere. They worked this like two big stars who didn’t need to do a ton, which is fine. It gave it an old school feel for the first half. HHH had Cena’s FIVE MOVES OF DOOM well scouted. He even stole the Five Knuckle Shuffle, complete with a crotch chop. He also caught Cena’s diving Fameasser into a powerbomb, which was how Cena broke his neck in 2008. When Cena finally hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle, it felt earned and he slightly altered it because of HHH’s scouting. They both kicked out of each other’s finisher, with the second being too obvious to bite on. After a series of submission counters, Cena hit an AA, a slingshot into the corner, and added another AA to win in 15:44. That was a great old school match. They started slow and built to something bigger, investing the crowd perfectly. They didn’t overdo anything, which you want from an opener. It was a smartly worked match by two great veterans in front of the right crowd. [***¾]
Post-match, Cena cut a promo about being thankful for the opportunity to be on this show.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander [c] vs. Kalisto
Kalisto earned this shot in a Gauntlet Match on Tuesday. It’s Alexander’s first defense. Both guys barely got a reaction. They opened with a much faster pace than the opener, but the crowd just didn’t react to any of their high spots. They brought the big spots and had some great exchanges throughout. Kalisto hit a sick tornado DDT at one point, while Alexander delivered his snap Michinoku Driver. There was a great C4 off the top rope by Kalisto. He avoided the Lumbar Check, but had Salida Del Sol countered into a huge Lumbar Check and that was all at 10:13. Despite almost no crowd reaction, these two worked hard to have a very good match. Great counters, non-stop action and a strong closing finish. [***¾]
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: The Bar vs. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
Like the cruiserweights, these guys didn’t get much of a reaction. The weird tandem of Bray and Matt did manage to get a pop after some double team offense. However, none of it looked particularly good. Matt got isolated by the Bar, who are just so good at what they do. Bray’s hot tag was alright. He eventually got worked over but did his creepy crab spot and tagged Matt. They proceeded to win with their shitty tandem Twist of Fate in 8:50. Yea, that was a big step down. Rough match. The Bar’s heat segment was fine, but most of what the new champions did just didn’t work. [*]
WWE United States Championship: Jeff Hardy [c] vs. Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh
Nothing about this has made any sense. Angle got Jinder, then set him up to lose the US Title to a guy he sent to Smackdown. Anyway, Jeff had promo like it was 2008. This was a mess at points. Jinder completely missed a spot and Jeff crashed on Whisper in the Winds. It was hilarious. I also couldn’t help but laugh when Jeff took off his shirt to no reaction from all the men in the crowd. Jinder nearly won after a Sunil distraction. Jeff escaped and won with a Swanton Bomb in 6:10. It was better than the last match, but nowhere near as good as their solid bout on Raw. [*½]
They killed time, most likely so the crowd could pray, with video packages, the panel, and interviews with Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho. Jericho’s was great, as he put Mojo Rawley on the list like four times.
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Bludgeon Brothers [c] vs. The Usos
As they’ve been doing for a while, the Bludgeon Brothers dominated. They hit Jey with everything they had. He made the tag to Jimmy and the Usos got going. They used a series of superkicks and a big splash from Jimmy to come close to victory. The champions survived and got back in control. Rowan hit a particularly nice spot to the outside. They hit their finish and retained in 5:09. Like Mania, this felt rushed. It was a well-executed match, it just felt like they tried to pack a 10 minute match into five. [**]
WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe
What a loaded lineup. Miz’s entrance had a TON of pyro. There were some great moments throughout this, as expected from four talents like this. Joe and Miz nearly formed a team, only for Joe to take him out. Finn and Seth got to showcase their athleticism. There were several spots of guys being thrown or slammed onto ladders and they all came off looking great. The Skull Crushing Finale on Joe onto the edge of a ladder was particularly great. Seth took an RVD style bump on a Miz DDT. It’s hard to mention all the really good moments sprinkled in throughout this match. The finish was really cool, as Finn was inches away from winning. Then, Seth springboarded onto the ladder and beat him to the top to pull it down in 14:34. This wasn’t a blow away Ladder Match, but it was still great. It was the first thing to get the crowd invested since Cena and HHH. Lots of good, hard hitting spots and a cool, inventive finish. [****]
Four dudes who got signed after a tryout in Saudi Arabia were interviewed and cut short promos in the ring. In a surprising moment, Ariya Daivari’s theme hit and he came out, with his brother! That’s right, Shawn Daivari. They badmouthed the new guys and got beat up for it. This was a way better segment than you’d expect.
WWE Championship: AJ Styles [c] vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
We got some of their greatest hits in the early stages. The knees from Nakamura and his “COME ON” spot, as well as AJ’s big dropkick. The heel/face dynamics allowed this match to work better than the Mania one. There was more aggression from both and it was paced better than the slow Mania match. They began building to something bigger down the stretch and I totally bit on a near fall when Nakamura used a low blow behind the referee’s back. AJ got his hand on the rope at the last second to save his title. AJ cut off the Kinshasa attempt, remaining one step ahead of Nakamura. They fought to the outside and AJ tackled Nakamura over the announce table. From there, they brawled until the double countout finish in 14:26. Again, they didn’t have something that touched their WK match, but I enjoyed this more than Mania. The alignments are working for both guys. While the finish may seem cheap, it continues the feud and sets up another match at Backlash. [***¾]
Casket Match: Rusev w/ Aiden English vs. The Undertaker
Bury me softly, brother. The fans actually sang along with English on “RUSEV DAY.” I half expected this to be a squash even shorter than what Undertaker did to John Cena at WrestleMania. Luckily, it wasn’t. Taker continued to look great in 2018 and even took a bump or two. Rusev got in much more offense than expected. Aiden English also took a Tombstone where he legit landed on his head. Both guys were placed in the casket and it was shut at 9:38. Solid little match, Taker looked good, Rusev wasn’t made to look like a joke, and I had fun. [**¾]
WWE Universal Championship Steel Cage Match: Brock Lesnar [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Roman Reigns
WWE doesn’t have the best track record with cage matches and these two totally shit the bed at Mania. There wasn’t a lot going for this coming in. And again, they didn’t do very well. I appreciated Brock choosing to just beat up Roman because he’s so confident against him to this point. Then, it went into finisher overkill. A fair amount of Spears and F5s. Roman also used a chair, but we mostly just saw a bunch of bad camera cuts because WWE cameramen do some weird things. Roman hit another Spear, sending himself and Brock crashing through the cage. Though Brock laid on the steel and Roman rolled off onto the ground, Brock was declared the winner after 9:14. Why aren’t they just pulling the trigger on Roman? Either make him the guy or cut the bullshit with these matches. I don’t care anymore. Put us out of our misery. [*¾]
50 Man Royal Rumble Match
This was one of those matches that probably makes no sense or won’t hold up that well, but it was a blast to watch live. Daniel Bryan came in at #1 and began a record setting run during the match. I’m not going to try and mention everything that happened. Bryan lasted a record 76 minutes, while Braun Strowman eliminated a record 13 competitors. Some of the other highlights included a surprise appearance by Roderick Strong, as well as some hilarious cameos from guys like Tucker Knight, Dan Matha, and an E Honda looking dude nobody had ever heard of. Elias got a ton of shine and eliminated Kurt Angle and Saudi crowd favorite Randy Orton. Babatunde is massive, even bigger than Braun, and got a small showcase. Hornswoggle had a fun appearance, while Titus O’Neil tripped and stumbled on his way to the ring in an incredibly funny moment. Cass eliminated Bryan to end his run, then got tossed by Braun to end it in 77:19. A wacky match that was a blast with the right winner.[***½]
Overall: 7/10. All in all, I thought this was a good show. It had the spectacle of a WrestleMania and featured some strong matches. Though the Raw Tag Titles, US Title and Universal Title matches weren’t any good, five of the ten matches clocked in at ***½+. That’s impressive. AJ and Nakamura improved on Mania, the Rumble was fun, the cruiserweights delivered, HHH and Cena had one of their better matches ever, and the Ladder Match was great. A success.
