Clips of the Trios Tournament so far kick things off, as well as Catrina saying that the Disciples of Death are in. We also see Matanza highlights.
Fenix is in Dario Cueto's office, sitting with Aerostar and Drago. Dario is surprised that Fenix survived Matanza, saying that he really is the man with unlimited lives. Dario needs a new team in the tournament and these three partnered up last season. Aerostar and Drago couldn't get along though. Dario says that Fenix will take on the Disciples of Death with PJ Black and Jack Evans as his partners instead. Fenix doesn't like that news. He puts Drago and Aerostar in a match for an Aztec Medallion to test their friendship.
Gift of the Gods Aztec Medallion Match: Aerostar def. Drago in 6:33
These two competed in a pretty rad Best of Five last season. Drago sported a new mask during his entrance. Matt Strike admits that Drago is his favorite but he's been in a slump so far this season. This was the typical fast paced battle between the two. Their chemistry is pretty natural and easy by this point. Striker made the best commentary remark by calling a dude in the front row with an afro "Bob Ross' son". Drago busted out the old Faarooq Dominator like he's a heavyweight. Aerostar won with a slingshot splash. Solid match between two guys that work very well together. ***
Johnny Mundo is working out backstage when Taya comes up to him. She spoke to Dario Cueto who granted Mundo a shot at an Aztec Medallion next week. But, he has to face Cage in a Steel Cage. Mundo's "Cage in a cage" line was classic.
Trios Tournament First Round: Fenix, Jack Evans and PJ Black def. The Disciples of Death w/ Catrina in 9:08
There was clear tension between Team Fenix from the start. PJ offered Fenix a tag only to fake him out. He went to tag Jack who hilariously responded with "KEEP GOING, YOU'RE DOING SO GOOD!" The crowd popped for Fenix's hot tag adn he made it worth it. Dude is so fluid in the ring. Like Mil Muertes, the Disciples looked to rip Fenix's mask though they didn't get very far. Jack Evans got a tag and showed off some babyface fire before instantly reverting back into douche mode. Interestingly enough, PJ Black started to work well with Fenix and it led them to victory. This was fun but I expect more when Fenix, Evans and Black get someone better to work. ***1/4
Back to Dario's office, where he sits with the Trios Champions. He makes sure to bring up the dysfunction that they overcame last season. He calls their reign a miracle. Ivelisse says that it doesn't matter who wins the tournament because they will remain champions. Dario says that they are in the tournament and will compete against the three teams that already advanced in a four team elimination match next week. The winners will be the Trios Champions. Dario also calls them "Team Havoc", causing them to argue a bit more. I love their dynamic.
Catrina scolds the Disciples of Death for losing, especially for losing to Fenix. She wants one good reason why she shouldn't destroy them. Siniestro de la Muerte decided to take matters into his own hand and rip the fucking hearts out of his partners, making him the sole survivor. Ain't that some shit?
Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) w/ Dario Cueto wrestled Mil Muertes w/ Catrina to a no contest in 7:03
Sometimes in wrestling, all you want is two monsters going toe to toe. That's what this was. Mil and Matazna clubbed away at each other and earl yon, Mil actually got Matanza down to the mat. The crowd reacted to this like it was a big deal, which is just what they were going for. They did a good job showing that Matanza is human. Mil hurt Matanza's leg and went after him with a suicide dive. Dario couldn't bear to watch this and hit Mil, who lifted him with a choke but Matanza made the save. They fought to the top of Dario's office and just continued to level each other. Mil teased throwing Matanza off but Matanza held on. Dario's facial expression was spectacular. Then, they died as Mil hit a Flatliner through the roof and into Dario's office. The match was called there, which was perfect since the match accomplished exactly what it needed to. It showed that Matanza can possibly be beaten and allowed them to not blow off Matanza/Mil just yet. ***1/4
Cut to the police station. There's a missing persons section featuring Hernandez, Blue Demon Jr. and Alberto El Patron. A councilman comes into talk to the captain. This councilman is played by goddamn Lorenzo Lamas! He tells the captain to stop her investigation into Dario Cueto because his employer says so. She thinks it's the Mayor but he says it's someone more powerful. She's not happy about this.
Overall: 7.5/10. Another strong effort from Lucha Underground tonight. Their shows are such easy watches and time just flies by. The opening match was pretty good and the Trios Tournament bout was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the backstage stuff tonight. Watching the Disciples of Death stuff was actually enjoyable and the closing stuff was cool. The main event had a sick finish and accomplished everything it needed to.
If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
G1 Climax 23 Night One Review
August 1st, 2013 | Shizuoka, Japan
A few months back, I went and reviewed the G1 Climax 24. It was my first viewing of the entire tournament, which turned out to be the greatest wrestling tournament I’ve ever witnessed. For those unaware, it’s a giant round robin tournament featuring two blocks of ten wrestlers each. Each guy faces the other nine in their block, earning two points for their wins. The two winners of each block meet in the finals and the winner gets an IWGP Heavyweight Title shot at Wrestle Kingdom.
The A Block is loaded. It includes Davey Boy Smith Jr., Hirooki Goto (2008 winner), Hiroshi Tanahashi (2007 winner), Katsuyori Shibata, Kazuchika Okada (2012 winner), Lance Archer, Prince Devitt, Satoshi Kojima (2010 winner), Togi Makabe (2009 winner) and Tomohiro Ishii.
In the B Block, you still have talent. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2003, 2004 & 2006 winner), Karl Anderson, Kota Ibushi, Minoru Suzuki, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura (2011 winner), Tetsuya Naito, Toru Yano, Yuji Nagata (2001 winner) and Yujiro Takahashi.
Block B
Kota Ibushi (0) vs. Toru Yano (0)
Toru Yano, ever the sneaky bastard, attacks at the bell. He throws Kota Ibushi outside and hits him with a chair before sending him deep into the crowd. He also unties the turnbuckle cover. Kota beats the count but continues to take a beating in the ring. Yano does his signature taunt, which frees Ibushi to catch his breath. He sends Yano outside and scores with a pretty moonsault. Ibushi continues with some high impact offense until Yano gets his knees up on another moonsault, rolling through for a near fall. He also gets two on a rollup after a drop toe hold into the exposed middle turnbuckle. Yano tries to distract the referee and get a low blow but Ibushi avoids and hits a kick followed by a bridging German. He nails the Phoenix Splash for the first tournament win.
Winner: Kota Ibushi (2) in 7:32
Decent little opening contest here. There may be better choices to kick off a show on the card though. Toru Yano was his usual self and Kota Ibushi had to persevere through it. Not bad, but not very good either. **¼
Block A
Lance Archer (0) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0)
In the past two G1’s, Tomohiro Ishii has been one of my favorite performers but it looks like this was his first appearance in one. The height difference between these two is pretty nuts. Ishii can’t take down Lance Archer no matter how hard he tries. His chops have ZERO effect on Archer, who just swats him down with one strike. Archer is completely dominating. It takes everything in Ishii’s power to start rallying and he finally hits a suplex that the crowd pops for. He follows with a German that the crowd loves even more. Archer stops his comeback with a splash and Bossman slam. He sucked so badly in TNA and WWE, but seems to be completely different in Japan. A Chokeslam earns him two. He looks for his finisher but Ishii survives and starts leveling him. Archer fights him off and goes up top, where Ishii stops him. Some headbutts from Ishii are followed by an insanely impressive second rope Brainbuster. A lariat somehow only gets two. They go through an exchange that sees Archer hit a snap reverse DDT for another near fall. Archer then nails the Blackout to score the win.
Winner: Lance Archer (2) in 10:43
In his first G1 Climax match, Tomohiro Ishii delivered the goods that he would become known for. It told the story of Ishii trying to overcome his huge size disadvantage with his hard hitting style. The false finishes near the end were really good and the crowd helped. ***½
Block B
Hiroyoshi Tenzan (0) vs. Shelton X Benjamin (0)
While he wasn’t one of the bigger guys in WWE, Shelton X Benjamin has portrayed a bit of a monster like heel when I see him in NOAH. Here, he does overpower Tenzan in the early goings. Tenzan starts in with his Mongolian chops, which the crowd loves. A superkick and neckbreaker but Shelton back in the driver’s seat. He pummels Tenzan and take shim outside. Tenzan blocks a suplex before countering with one of his own. Back inside, Tenzan goes up top and hits a face crusher like move, driving his knee into Shelton’s back. Shelton escapes the Anaconda Vice, but Tenzan is still in control. He goes up again, only for Shelton to leap up and reach him. Tenzan knocks him off but misses a headbutt. Shelton strikes Paydirt for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Shelton X Benjamin (2) in 8:20
This was kind of just there. They did some pretty solid stuff, but something was missing to keep it from fully clicking. Hopefully we get better performances from both men down the line. This was just average. **½
Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (0) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (0)
These two would meet in the G1 again in 2014, which is a match I gave ***½. Let’s see if their first match topped it. They start here by exchanging holds, jockeying for position. Smith slams Shibata to the ground and works a chinlock. Smith beats up Shibata outside, but back in, Shibata starts firing off some uppercuts. There’s that hard hitting style he’s so well known for. He reels some vicious kicks until Smith catches one and suplexes him over for two. Smith reaches into his family’s bag of tricks, applying the Sharpshooter. Shibata survives and locks in his sleeper hold. Smith gets out with a back suplex for two. He nails a powerbomb and covers, but Shibata kicks out and instantly applies a triangle choke. Smith tries to lift him for another powerbomb but is too weak. Shibata lets go, hits the PK and gets two points.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata (2) in 9:08
Similar to the match I saw between them previously, this was solid. Davey Boy Smith Jr. has gotten better since leaving the WWE, while Shibata is almost always good. They work well together, making for a good, but not great match. ***
Block B
Tetsuya Naito (0) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0)
I saw these two meet more than a few times. They’re usually solid, but nothing more. I’ve never seen anything in Takahashi at all. Early on they go through a feeling out process. As former tag partners, they know each other well, so it’s tough to gain an upper hand. Naito uses his quickness to nail a dropkick. Takahashi utilizes a second rope front suplex to start taking control. A fisherman buster follows shortly after, with him being in firm control. Naito starts applying submissions until Takahashi reaches the ropes. They fight up top where Takahashi nails a low blow, sending Naito crashing to the mat. Naito doesn’t let that stop him, nearly hitting big offense but Takahasi counters. He hits a bridging German for a close near fall. He then hits Tokyo Pimps and wins.
Winner: Yujiro Takahashi (2) in 9:30
As with most of their matches, this wasn’t bad. It was fast paced and featured some pretty cool offense by both guys. There wasn’t much psychology behind things though, making it seem like a bit of a moves exhibition. The surprising result was a nice touch, even if I dislike Takahashi. **¾
Block B
Minoru Suzuki (0) vs. Yuji Nagata (0)
Who doesn’t love watching two old dudes beat each other up? That’s exactly how this starts, as both men exchange strikes. The fight spills outside where Suzuki continues to be the badass that we know and love. Nagata gets in some shots but Suzuki aggressively goes after the leg, even shoving officials away. He wraps Nagata’s leg around the guardrail and slams a chair on it. Inside, Suzuki slaps on a submission but still gets in some strikes while the hold is applied. Nagata comes back with kicks, at least having the common sense to not use the busted leg. Minoru has some of his own for Yuji. Nagata fights back, looking for the armbar but can’t get it. He just goes to hitting armbreakers instead. Then, he gets it locked in. Suzuki survives and they just go back to slapping the hell out of each other. Suzuki wins out, sending Nagata to the mat. Suzuki locks in a sleeper hold, which is like the third I’ve seen tonight. Nagata rallies, hitting an exploder and spinning heel kick. Nagata wins a slap exchange, before nailing a badass looking exploder to win.
Winner: Yuji Nagata (2) in 14:34
Best match of the night so far. It had two guys kicking each other’s asses, with one focusing on the arm and the other focusing on the leg. I liked that as it give each guy’s offense a very distinct feel. The level these two can consistently go at despite their age is always so high. It’s basically two tough bastards trying to see who the tougher man is. I like it. ****
Block A
Hirooki Goto (0) vs. Togi Makabe (0)
Both guys seem pumped from the start, hitting each other pretty hard. Goto is going after the leg, which seems to be bandaged up. Things spill outside where Makabe clotheslines Goto over the rail and into the crowd. Inside, they just wail on each other for a bit. It’s as if they saw the previous match and wanted to try and top it in terms of toughness. Goto starts laying in the lariats, keeping Makabe down. They exchange some forearm shots now, with Goto seemingly winning out, only to run into a powerslam. Goto comes back with a big neckbreaker, but can’t keep the former G1 Climax winner down. Makabe nails a huge lariat but can’t make the cover. Up top, Makabe hits the Spider German and the King Kong Knee Drop, earning the victory.
Winner: Togi Makabe (2) in 11:20
As noted, it seemed like they wanted to one up the Suzuki/Nagata fight. They didn’t quite reach their level, but this was still one hell of a match in its own right. I don’t usually love Makabe, but he certainly has his days and this was one of them. ***½
Block B
Karl Anderson (0) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (0)
Karl Anderson made the finals of the 2012 G1 Climax, becoming the first American to do so since Rick Rude. Shinsuke Nakamura is the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Unlike some other matches, this starts quickly. Both men go for a fast exchange, rather than a slow paced feeling out process. However, like other matches, it goes outside early. Nakamura hits a running knee, but then gets kicked into the crowd. With that, Anderson takes over, beating on Nakamura. Anderson portrays a solid heel, even resorting to biting Nakamura. Nakamura starts to rally, hitting some of his signature offense. Anderson comes back with a running powerbomb but can only get a near fall. Strike exchange time. Anderson doesn’t win out, but is able to hit a TKO for two. Nakamura is up, hitting a suplex but has the Boma Ye countered. He slips free and goes for it again, but Anderson dodges and nails a neckbreaker for one. Bernard Driver connects and Anderson again can’t put down the IC Champion. He uses the Gun Stun to end things.
Winner: Karl Anderson (2) in 12:54
I’ve now seen these two wrestle three or four times and they never have a bad match. This was wasn’t their best but it was still damn good. They worked seamlessly and I bought into many of the near falls in the end. Another solid match for this show. ***½
Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) vs. Satoshi Kojima (0)
These two would have a pretty great match in the G1 the following year. They go through an early back and forth that Kojima wins with a big shoulder block. He does some flexing afterwards. Tanahashi nails a cross body, arm drag and dropkick, causing Kojima to regroup outside. Outside, Kojima ends up nearly killing Tanahashi with a massive apron DDT. The fans are firmly behind the veteran here. Tanahashi beats the count at 17 but keeps taking a beating. When he gets in some shots, the crowd boos. They pop for everything Kojima does, especially his flurry of corner chops. Kojima nails a top rope elbow for two. Tanahashi starts the comeback with a flying forearm. Tanahashi hits some more offense, but Kojima stops him in his tracks with another DDT. Both looked great. He sets Tanahashi up top and lariats him to the floor outside. Back inside, Kojima nails a Brainbuster but Tanahashi survives. Tanahashi blocks a lariat but still ends up eating one for another near fall. Time for the Tanahashi special stuff, including the Slingblade. He looks for High Fly Flow but Kojima gets the knees up. He hits a lariat to the back of the head and removes the elbow pad. Tanahashi ducks two lariats and slips before getting caught with the third for two. Kojima strikes with one more lariat and wins but the referee botches it. He dead stops the count at two, before lightly slapping the mat for three. It killed the crowd’s response to the win.
Winner: Satoshi Kojima (2) in 16:07
Damn good match up until that horrible referee both in the end. Satoshi Kojima had to dig way deep and find something, anything that would be enough to defeat Tanahashi. It took multiple lariats but he finally did it. The upset was great to see and the crowd was MOLTEN hot for it. ***¾
Block A
Kazuchika Okada (0) vs. Prince Devitt (0)
Kind of surprising to see Prince Devitt in the G1 since it’s traditionally a heavyweight tournament and he is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion here. Kazuchika Okada holds the IWGP Heavyweight Title at this time. A few weeks before this, they met for the Heavyweight Title and Okada came out on top. Their first time locking up is won out by Okada. An irritated Devitt chooses to get in a cheap kick to take Okada down. Things move outside because a G1 match isn’t complete without that. Devitt sits Okada by the guardrail before running and dropkicking him. Inside, Devitt nails a loud chop and wears down Okada. Devitt makes a mistake by going high risk, eating an uppercut and DDT for his troubles. Okada nails the top rope elbow and RAINMAKER POSE! Devitt avoids the signature dropkick, hitting one of his own in the corner. They start exchanging forearms in the middle of the ring. Devitt nails Bloody Sunday, but it’s not enough. Okada comes back with a Tombstone and tries the Rainmaker but Devitt pulls the official in the way. This allows Bad Luck Fale to get in the ring and attack Okada. Gedo hops in to hit Fale with a chair but it has no effect. Fale puts him down with ease and then plants Okada with a Samoan drop. The referee is up as Devitt gets two on a rollup with a handful of tights. Okada hits the big dropkick but Devitt avoids the Rainmaker. He sends Okada into the ropes, where Fale levels him with a chair. Bloody Sunday hits and Devitt gets the W.
Winner: Prince Devitt (2) in 12:56
A solid enough match, but it didn’t have a big main event feel. Since Okada beat Devitt in their title match shortly before this, I kind of expected Devitt to even the score here. The interference makes sense but was a bit much here with the ref bump, two moves from Fale and Gedo all coming into play. ***¼
Overall: 7/10. This was a solid show as a whole. Nothing outside of Nagata/Suzuki was must see, but most of the show was strong. Kojima/Tanahashi was reaching greatness levels until the lame finish. I wouldn’t say any of the matches were bad and it was an easy watch in the end. There are ten matches on the show, seven of which get at least three stars and none clock in under two.
Block A Standings
Prince Devitt 2 points
Satoshi Kojima 2 points
Katsuyori Shibata 2 points
Togi Makabe 2 points
Lance Archer 2 points
Hiroshi Tanahashi 0 points
Kazuchika Okada 0 points
Tomohiro Ishii 0 points
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 0 points
Hirooki Goto 0 points
Block B Standings
Karl Anderson 2 points
Kota Ibushi 2 points
Yuji Nagata 2 points
Shelton X Benjamin 2 points
Yujiro Takahashi 2 points
Shinsuke Nakamura 0 points
Tetsuya Naito 0 points
Minoru Suzuki 0 points
Toru Yano 0 points
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 0 points
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
ROH Conquest Tour Philadelphia Review
March 12th, 2016 | 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
One of the most highly anticipated Ring of Honor non-PPVs in recent memory was this one from the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. There were some relatively big matches scheduled including an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match, triple threat tag team match and ROH World Title match.
Jenny Rose, Mandy Leon and Sumie Sakai def. Kyoko Kimura, Taeler Hendrix and Veda Scott in 9:26
I’m doing this as a bonus. It took place on the show but wasn’t part of the VOD and instead was uploaded for free on ROH’s YouTube page. There’s something about Veda Scott that I really like. Each girl was given some time to showcase their abilities. The crowd mostly cared about the women they see often (Hendrix, Leon and Scott). Kimura is odd but she held control for her team for a while. So much so that Veda left the ring to do some commentary. It was a nice little touch for her character. Eventually, the faces turned it around and Leon dove onto most of the girls outside. That left Sakai alone with Hendrix, who tried a Tombstone, only for Sakai to counter with a rollup. Decent little six woman tag here. **¼
All Night Express def. Dalton Castle and the Boys in 7:49
Kenny King and Rhett Titus reformed at All-Star Extravaganza last September. Castle had no opponent due to a lineup change that kept Kenny Omega out. I don’t know the exact reason but Castle’s promo about Kenny ducking him because of the ab workouts he’s been doing is delightful. He was going to host a talk show but got interrupted by ANX, leading to the handicap match. ANX were pissed that Philly booed them at Final Battle after their win. This was a fun short match fueled by the antics of Castle and the Boys, who were insanely over. The Boys got some shine and Castle did some of the heavy lifting. ANX seemed to have really settled into their heel roles. After taking out Castle, they put down the Boys with a backbreaker for one and a DDT for the other. **½
Grudge Tag Team Match: Adam Page and Jonathan Gresham def. BJ Whitmer and Cedric Alexander w/ Veda Scott in 7:00
During the entrance of Alexander (where I just stuck staring at Veda), Gresham and Page rushed out to attack and start the grudge match. Gresham warred with Alexander on one side of the floor while Page and Whitmer went at it on the other. The outside brawling lasted a few minutes until things went inside and the bell finally rang. Once the match got started, the pace slowed and it seemed like all of the fun would come before it actually started. Thankfully, it picked up as Gresham and Page laid into Alexander with some big offense. Mr. Wrestling III on commentary slid Page a chair to even the odds with Whitmer who also had one. When Whitmer lost out there, he left the ring, leaving Alexander alone to take the Rite of Passage for the loss. Including the brawling before the bell, this was a lot of fun. Plus, Veda. ***
Moose w/ Stokely Hathaway and ROH World Tag Team Champions War Machine def. Cheeseburger and the Briscoes in 15:15
I didn’t know it until now, but the Briscoes and Cheeseburger is a team I needed in life. I’m still upset we never got vignettes of Toru Yano in Sandy Fork with the Briscoes when they were NEVER Champs in New Japan. War Machine and Moose came out with matching shoulder pads. Matt Taven joined commentary due to his knowledge of War Machine and the Briscoes. Cheeseburger opted to start against Moose and watching him try to overcome the size disadvantage was a blast. Mark took the heat for a while and the hot tag ended up going to Cheeseburger. His offense had little to no effect on their opponents, which was funny. The real hot tag came to Jay as expected. Then the match just broke down into chaos, capped by Moose spearing Cheeseburger for the victory. Everything involving Cheeseburger was a blast, while the match also allowed for a preview of Briscoes/War Machine. Good stuff. ***¼
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) def. ACH in 18:47
I always love me some KUSHIDA. This was a rare Jr. Heavyweight Title match in the states. ACH was all business and didn’t adhere to the Code of Honor, while showing some brash tactics throughout the match. KUSHIDA was having fun early, doing a John Cena taunt and Stone Cold Stunner. ACH got on offense with a sick front flip over the guardrail, causing KUSHIDA to get serious. He worked the arm by wrenching it at every opportunity. It led to a Hoverboard Lock spot that I truly believed was the end of the match but ACH survived. ACH did a great job of selling the arm in the home stretch. Just when ACH looked like he would overcome it, he crashed and burned on Midnight Star, landing somewhat on the left arm that had been worked on. Not missing a beat, KUSHIDA kicked the arm and then applied a Hoverboard Lock. ACH was forced to tap out and KUSHIDA retained. This was great and the best performance from ACH that I have ever seen. KUSHIDA just continues to have great match after great match with pretty much anyone he steps in the ring with. ****
Will Ferrara def. Joey Daddiego w/ Taeler Hendrix via disqualification in 6:12
Hendrix got on the microphone before the match to talk about Truth Martini getting taken out by Donovan Dijak. She said that Daddiego and later Jay Lethal will set examples for what will happen to him. They nearly adhered to the Code of Honor but Daddiego just leveled him with a forearm. These guys tried but the crowd had next to no interest in what they were doing. Just as things started to pick up, Daddiego grabbed a steel chair and hit Ferrara in the back, resulting in the DQ. This was there to advance an angle. *¼
Donovan Dijak and Prince Nana showed up. Dijak and Daddiego went toe to toe and had to be separated by officials. In the end, Taeler pulled Daddiego out of the ring so Dijak took out his frustrations on security.
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong def. reDRagon in 15:43
Okay, this had my attention. Four of my favorite guys in all of ROH, in the midst of two separate feuds and going at it in a tag match. Tons of accolades among these guys as Strong and Cole are former World and TV Champions each, while reDRagon are three time Tag Champions. This got off to a slower start than I expected but it made sense. The heels did their best to avoid their current rivals until the match moved outside, where it got physical. Fish got a hot tag after Strong and Cole, being the less experienced team, had a miscue that saw Strong hurt Cole’s shoulder. Once reDRagon got going, it was a thing of beauty. They truly are the best tag team on the planet. We saw a lot of submissions, leading to Strong putting Fish in the Stronghold while Cole had Kyle in the figure four. That got turned around into stereo ankle locks from reDRagon. Cole stopped Chasing the Dragon but got put in a sleeper hold. Strong broke it with a knee to Kyle’s skull, earning the three. A really solid tag team match that built to the battle between guys that strongly dislike each other that it needed to be. ***½
The Addiction def. The Motor City Machine Guns and the Young Bucks in 19:55
It is so great to see the Motor City Machine Guns together again. This was apparently their first official match back together in ROH. Though they play complete heel assholes everywhere, the Young Bucks are very popular. The Addiction had no problem picking up the slacking and heeling it up throughout this match. The Bucks did their thing and ran wild to the crowd’s liking. They brought out “Broomega” to make up for no Kenny Omega and even did the Terminator dive for him by tossing the broom out onto the Addiction. Nick then followed with a dive. The treat of this match was the Guns back in action. They didn’t miss a beat, looking like no time had passed since they last teamed. The Bucks and Guns worked together to take out the Addiction for a good chunk of the bout. The Addiction would win by doing their own version of the Meltzer Driver, with Daniels hitting the Best Moonsault Ever with it. Great finish here. The match itself was the spot barrage that you’d expect. It was mostly fun, though the constant “SUPERKICK” shouting is always so grating. ***½
ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) w/ Taeler Hendrix def. Matt Sydal in 19:03
Sydal is one half of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions here. Commentary hyped up Jay Lethal believing that he was the top champion in the world, though they made sure to mention Kazuchika Okada. I mean, ROH does bow at the feet of NJPW so that makes sense. They worked at a good pace early on, with neither guy gaining a clear advantage. Lethal gets his character so well, knowing the little things to do to get under his opponent’s skin. Hendrix proved to be an asset as she distracted Sydal by pulling him into motor boating her. I’m not kidding. That allowed Lethal to hit his nice suicide dive. Sydal turned it around and got in a fair amount of offense. He had a few close calls before going up for the Shooting Sydal Press. Lethal got up and shoved him off the top, sending him through a table. He beat the count back in, busted out a reverse rana and attempted the Sydal Press again. Lethal got his feet up and followed with the Lethal Injection, retaining the gold. Like Sydal’s shot at the PWG Title a few months earlier, this was good but never flirted with greatness. ***¼
Overall: 7.5/10. You may not find many other shows this consistent. Outside of the Ferrara/Daddiego match, everything was good. The opener was fun, the tag grudge did what it needed to, the six man tag had awesome Cheeseburger moments and the triple threat tag was what you’d expect. I enjoyed the reDRagon tag as it advanced some angles and the main event was solid though unspectacular. Clearly though, the must see part of the show was the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match. I’d recommend this show and if you can only see one thing, make sure it’s that match.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Fave Five 4/11/16-4/17/16
2) Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio: These guys won my second favorite match this week. With Dario Cueto back, he began a new Trios Tournament. After making their debuts in Aztec Warfare a few weeks back, Dragon Azteca Jr. and Rey Mysterio needed a partner. They chose former Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma. The three of them faced the uneasy trio of Cage, Johnny Mundo and Taya in the main event. They proceeded to have a really fun match full of insane, nonstop action. The crowd was hot, the work was fun and everything clicked. The trio of Azteca, Puma and Mysterio won to advance to the next round. No word yet on what the winner gets exactly, though I'm sure it's a "unique opportunity." 
4) Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson: The biggest news coming out of this week was the debut of these guys. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson were among the names, along with AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, leaving NJPW back in January. They stuck around until February and officially signed shortly after. They waited a while to debut, but did so this past Monday. Gallows and Anderson ran in through the crowd and attacked the Usos, who had just defeated the Social Outcasts in the new Tag Team Tournament. We haven't seen Gallows and Anderson since but it's safe to assume they'll be on Raw. Michael Cole even called their finisher, the Magic Killer, correctly, surprising me. I hope to see them make a big impact.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Puro Review: Dominion 2013
June 22nd, 2013 | Bodymaker Coliseum in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 7,240
The Bullet Club was still relatively fresh at the time of this show. Prince Devitt, the leader, had been dominating the Junior ranks (six Tag Titles, three singles Jr. Titles, two Best of the Super Juniors Tournament wins) and he was booked to face Hiroshi Tanahashi with a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title on the line, looking to move up in the ranks. This has potential to be huge considering research tells me that Tanahashi hadn’t been pinned in outside of tournaments or title matches in about three years. The rest of the card also has potential to be pretty damn good. This would be the 5th Dominion event.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Forever Hooligans (c) vs. The Time Splitters
I know they found a fair amount of success, but man, the Forever Hooligans were such an odd pairing. I guess that’s kind of why they worked. Both teams worked each other a bunch of times, so the chemistry is present, making the match move along smoothly. Alex Shelley specifically, is on point, with everything he does looking so perfect. Alex Koslov is sporting a ridiculous mustache/sideburn combination. The Hooligans do a good job of cutting the ring in half. Tag team wrestling is all about depravation, and they made sure to build to the KUSHIDA hot tag. When he came in, it was fun, nearly resulting in a win for the Time Splitters. Both teams go in their signature stuff in a fine finishing stretch, before Rocky Romero beat KUSHIDA.
Winners and Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: Forever Hooligans in 13:09
Really solid work from two solid teams. They both put in the effort and it made for a good match. I saw some good tag formula before they went into the faster paced stuff that kicked it up a notch. ***½
The second match on the card, a six man tag where Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga beat Captain New Japan, Tomoaki Honma and Yuji Nagata, is unavailable on New Japan World for some reason, so I had to skip it.
IWGP Tag Team Championship
Tenkoji (c) vs. The Killer Elite Squad w/ Taka Michinoku vs. Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano
The Killer Elite Squad, who seem to be the reigning NWA World Tag Team Champions, start hot. They beat up everyone in sight, picking apart both teams. It’s like, they were built for Japan because neither Lance Archer nor Davey Boy Smith Jr. really impressed me much in WWE and TNA. When things spill outside, Toru Yano and Takashi Iizuka tape each guy to the guardrail, incapacitating them for a bit. The pairing of Iizuka and Yano is a fun blend of comedy and insanity. They take control, using every underhanded trick possible. From chairs to illegal chokes, they beat up the champions. Once the KES got free though, Yano and Iizuka scrambled out. They just continue to kick Tenkoji’s asses until the champions rally. They hit some trademark offense, including Kojima chops to both Yano and Iizuka after dumping KES. Yano starts hitting low blows shortly before Archer and Smith get back in and hit their finish on him. Yano has already taken out the official though. A few more false finishes come, including one on the Tenkoji Cutter, before Kojima levels Archer with a lariat to retain.
Winners and Still IWGP Tag Team Champions: Tenkoji in 11:50
Well this was better than I thought it was going to be. I don’t see many three way matches in New Japan, but when I do, they’re usually well executed like this one. Each team got to do their thing, Yano and Iizuka were underhanded, the Killer Elite Squad looked like beasts and Tenkoji got the babyface comeback. A really well worked and fun bout. My main issue was that Archer ate the pin as I think it should have been someone from the other team. ***¼
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Rob Conway (c) w/ Bruce Tharpe vs. Manabu Nakanishi
I don’t have high hopes for this one. Early on, they play up the fact that Manabu Nakanishi has a major power advantage. He knocks down Rob Conway several times, doesn’t move on an Irish whip and kicks his ass with a variety of chops and clubs. Conway outsmarts him to gain the upper hand. His offense is pretty generic and Nakanishi isn’t really the best seller or bumper here. Nakanishi then blows my mind by doing a damn plancha out onto Conway. Nakanishi scores on a lariat and applies the torture rack but Conway gets free. Conway still eats a German, but when Nakanishi goes up top, he gets distracted by Bruce Tharpe, NWA President, at ringside. This allows Conway to hit the Ego Trip and retain.
Winner and Still NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Rob Conway in 8:32
Honestly, this was about as good as possible considering the guys involved. They kept it relatively short, which helped as the crowd was mostly into it. Outside of a few short spots, nothing about this was really that good, but it was inoffensive. **
Minoru Suzuki and Shelton X Benjamin w/ Taichi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Tomohiro Ishii
While I did my reviews of the G1 24, I saw Shelton X Benjamin against both of his opponents here, but I’ve never seen Minoru Suzuki against either. Both Suzuki vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and vs. Tomohiro Ishii sound like winner. Nakamura and Suzuki start off, with neither man grabbing an advantage or doing much. Ishii gets tagged and badly wants Suzuki. Like a good heel, Suzuki tags out to Benjamin, not in a cowardly way though. More like a “you’re not going to get what you want” way. Benjamin works him over but as he sends Ishii off the ropes, Ishii just nails Suzuki and goes outside to fight him. Suzuki gets back at him with an armbar over the ropes, while Benjamin gets in cheap shots on Nakamura outside. The Suzuki-Gun duo work the heat on Ishii, using their fair share of dirty tactics. Ishii just continues to go after Suzuki at every opening, even when Shelton is legal. Nakamura eventually gets the hot tag and starts beating on Suzuki. Shelton gets the tag shortly after and leaps to the top, hitting Nakamura with a superplex of sorts. Nakamura counters Paydirt into a backbreaker though. The Boma Ye is interrupted by a Suzuki sleeper. Suzuki looks for a Gotch piledriver but Ishii runs in with a lariat. Benjamin avoids the Boma Ye, wins a battle of kicks with Nakamura and gets the three with Paydirt.
Winners: Minoru Suzuki and Shelton X Benjamin in 12:36
A great tag team match that more than accomplished what it set out to. It built towards the Ishii/Suzuki feud while giving Benjamin a win over Nakamura, which would come in handy when Shinsuke got back the Intercontinental Title. Suzuki was the MVP here, doing everything masterfully. He sold, he worked Ishii’s arm, and he gave instructions to Shelton like a true stable leader should. Ishii going after him at every turn really sold the feud and the finishing stretch delivered. ****
Tetsuya Naito vs. Yujiro Takahashi
I recently reviewed King of Pro Wrestling 2013, from about three months later, and it also featured this battle of former partners. Tetsuya Naito’s hair looks pretty ridiculous here. Yujiro Takahashi came out with some hot nurses and cut a promo before the bell. Naito is coming off a knee injury here, which was furthered after a Yujiro attack. Yujiro goes after it here, which was smart. He tries to use a chair but the referee stops him. Takahashi starts picking up near falls on a belly to belly suplex, an Olympic slam and a German. Naito is playing the resilient babyface well. Naito also survives the figure four before going into his comeback stretch. His stuff isn’t looking as crisp as it usually does, though that may have to do with the injury and ring rust. He does pick up the victory with the Stardust Press, gaining momentum before his eventual G1 win.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito in 15:01
It seems like this was technically a fine match, but something just never clicked. Maybe it’s because I dislike Yujiro Takahashi so much and that coupled with a Naito that wasn’t on his game just messed things up. It’s like, they did stuff, but nothing about it spoke to me. **¾
Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori ShibataThese two have a long history of friendship and as partners. They had a match a few months earlier that ended in a double knockout. Right at the bell, Hirooki Goto charges and lays out Katsuyori Shibata with a big lariat, setting the tone. Shibata turns the tide with some of his vicious kicks. He applies a figure four that sees Goto sit up and just lay into him with slaps. Shibata seems to urge him to hit harder. Shibata continues with hard strikes until Goto lifts him for a stalling back suplex. This leads to both guys hitting those on each other, getting up nearly instantly. Goto stops that with a lariat to the back of the head but before falling, Shibata gets in a Pele like kick. When both men get up, it’s an exchange of strikes. The final blows being stereo slaps that send both men to the mat. The fans applaud the fact that they can just stand up. Shibata hits a kick and headbutt that both sound incredible painful. The headbutt brings a double KO tease that the crowd comes alive for. Goto scores a near fall on a signature move that the fans bite on. Shibata now brings the big offense with a Death Valley Driver and then uses Goto’s own neckbreaker on him. The sleeper and Penalty Kick put Goto down for the count.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata in 13:16
This is pretty much the Shibata special. Give this man 12-15 minutes and you’re almost guaranteed a tremendous hard hitting match. These guys know each other well enough for things to move along smoothly. The fact that both men were able to walk out after is amazing considering the sheer brutality of this match. There’s something about Shibata matches that just feel more real than anything else in wrestling. Seek this match out. ****½
Hiroshi Tanahashi w/ Captain New Japan vs. Prince Devitt w/ Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga
Prince Devitt has the gimmicked light up jacket that he’s known for. Hiroshi Tanahashi gets in his head immediately with some light up shades. Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga try to get involved almost instantly but Tanahashi knocks them off the apron. The Bullet Club regroups outside where they decide to go with distraction instead of interference. Devitt still can’t get the upper hand so Fale pulls him outside. Devitt goads Tanahashi into a chase outside, which obviously leads to a big clothesline from Fale. In control now, Devitt hits a dropkick outside to a seated Tanahashi. Back inside, Devitt continues to be in the driver’s seat, wearing down Tanahashi. Tanahashi deals with some more BC interference before getting in some of his own stuff, including a somersault senton for two. He nails High Fly Flow onto both Devitt and Fale, but he takes so long that it just comes off as dumb to see the heels stand there and wait. Inside, they trade strikes and moves, with neither man getting the advantage. Devitt hits a sick sounding diving double stomp but Tanahashi kicks out. Bloody Sunday also gets him a near fall before he misses another double stomp. It hurts more since Tanahashi did some dragon screws earlier. Tanahashi goes into a flurry, but has High Fly Flow prevented by Fale. Devitt hits a second Bloody Sunday and gets the biggest win of his career to this point.
Winner: Prince Devitt in 15:33
Yea, there was a lot of interference, but there kind of had to be. Prince Devitt wasn’t going to beat Hiroshi Tanahashi cleanly, and with this still being the early stages of the Bullet Club, it helped to have them get involved in a match that had such a big outcome. The action in the ring was great and smartly worked in front of a hot crowd. ***¾
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) w/ Gedo vs. Togi Makabe
Stan Hansen is at ringside for this, sitting with the IWGP Title. He’s in the ring beforehand and Kazuchika Okada kind of just brushes past him like a total dick. They start with a feeling out process where Togi Makabe seems to be one step ahead of the champion. Okada does get an opening for the Rainmaker, but Makabe avoids it. Makabe beats on him outside for a bit, teaching the youngster a bit of a lesson. The fans are completely behind Makabe and are still just as hot as they were hours ago. Okada hit the Randy Orton hung DDT, but on the outside off the guardrail. Okada took control for a bit, but when Makabe started to turn the tide, he found a way to hit his signature elbow. He can’t hit the Rainmaker again though and Makabe hits three big lariats to take him down. Makabe misses the King Kong Knee Drop but ends up in the Red Ink, though he escapes. The fight ends up outside, where Makabe has decided to stop giving a fuck and powerbombs Okada through a table. Inside, he hits a second but the champion survives. He hits the Spider German but again misses the knee drop. He’s able to counter the Rainmaker again and scores on a dragon suplex. The near fall that he gets absolutely brings the crowd to their feet. Okada sucks a clothesline and finally hits the Tombstone, which had been well scouted like the Rainmaker throughout the match. The Rainmaker follows to end this.
Winner and Still IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada in 25:24
I’ve seen these two wrestle one on one twice and both times it exceeded my expectations. They seem to work very well together. I appreciated that Makabe went with some actual wrestling early on, before going to his strong suit of brawling as the match progressed. They did a good job in making you believe Makabe would win even though you really knew he wouldn’t. Great capper. ****
After the match, Prince Devitt comes out on Bad Luck Fale’s shoulders and issues a challenge to Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Title. Okada would only accept if Devitt gives Gedo a Jr. Heavyweight Title shot and beats him. Also, if Gedo wins, he would get the shot. Devitt accepts the terms.
Overall: 8.5/10; Excellent. A strong recommendation here. There are three matches that I have at four or more stars (IWGP Title, Nakamura tag and Goto/Shibata), while there are two others that clock in at over 3.5 stars. That is enough to be a great show but you add in a fun three way tag and two other matches that aren’t bad and you’ve got yourself one of the better shows I’ve reviewed. Check out most of this as it’s an easy watch featuring some great matches and fantastic performances from top talent.
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