NJPW G1 Special in USA
July 1st, 2017 | Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California | Attendance: 2,370
NJPW made their big debut in the United States. The show needed to deliver and sell well to make things a success. They sold out quickly and now it was up to the quality of the show itself. This was an ambitious move for NJPW and one that could prove to be one of the most pivotal in recent wrestling history. An IWGP Heavyweight Title match and a tournament to crown an unneeded (I’m with you Naito) US Champion awaited.
After a pretty cool video package, Jim Ross and Josh Barnett handled commentary. The setup for the arena felt way too much like Ring of Honor. I understand why, but I’d have liked something a bit more original.
Bad Luck Fale, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. The Briscoes, Roppongi Vice and Will Ospreay
Ah, Bullet Club vs. CHAOS will never die, huh? Bullet Club are ridiculously popular in the States (I’ll never understand why they still are), so opening with them was wise. A famous rivalry started things when Ospreay and Scurll went at it. Shortly after their interaction, things broke down with everyone going at it and the spots just kept coming, capped by an Ospreay SSP to the outside. I’m glad I didn’t do play-by-play, because this moved too quickly for it at times. Beretta continued his trend of taking big bumps in 2017, when he took a Bad Luck Fall onto a group of competitors outside. In the end, the Meltzer Driver was cut off, allowing Rocky to roll Matt up and win in 9:21. Exactly what I expected and what it needed to be. It got the crowd going, gave everyone a chance to shine and was a wild, fast-paced match. Plus, Rocky getting the win was cool since he apparently played a role in them coming to Long Beach. [***¼]
Hiromu Takahashi and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA vs. Dragon Lee, Jushin Thunder Liger, Titan and Volador Jr
After some announcement gaffes in the opener, there was another production issue with Hiromu’s theme here. JR blatantly admitted to not knowing the difference between BUSHI and EVIL. The LIDJ unit was way over, as was Liger. It’s awesome that Liger got to be part of this historic event. JR said the first time he saw Liger was against Brian Pillman in 1992 (that match is great, by the way). Liger took a short heat before we got a quick renewal of the amazing Lee/Takahashi rivalry. LIDK brought chairs into play on Titan, leading to Hiromu getting the win with Time Bomb at 6:44. While the opener had lots of energy, this fell flat. It might be the first time ever that a Bullet Club tag bested an LIDJ one. It wasn’t bad at all, just a solid little sprint. [**¼]
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal
Page jumped Lethal during his entrance. Lethal had his ribs taped and was selling an injury from ROH’s most recent PPV. That became the focus as Page wore him down and used moves like the abdominal stretch. If that doesn’t sound exciting in written form, believe me when I say it wasn’t much better in physical form. Lethal’s comeback wasn’t too great either. He ended things with a bad looking Lethal Injection at 8:30. Most people expected this to be the worst match of the tournament, yet it was still a disappointment. It was clunky, Page’s heat segment was dull and it never connected. I say this as someone who has been impressed by Page. [*½]
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Unlike the previous outing, the crowd was invested in this throughout. Sabre immediately took to the mat, put the focus on Juice’s arm and proceeded to twist him like a pretzel. Juice’s rallies were well done, as it always felt like he was using fire and energy to combat the fact that Sabre was simply better. Each time Juice seemed to get something going, Sabre found an escape and got right back in control. When Juice powered out of an armbar and hit a powerbomb, it got one of the best pops of the night. Sabre excellently countered Pulp Friction into an Octopus Hold. Juice did everything to escape, but Sabre found ways to pull each arm away from the ropes and into more pain, causing Juice to submit at 10:04. The best thing on the show so far. Sabre as a controlling asshole always works, while Juice continued to portray one of the best natural underdog babyfaces in wrestling. [***½]
Billy Gunn, Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu and YOSHITATSU vs. David Finlay, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jay White and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight and ROH World Television Champion KUSHIDA
It’s great seeing White, Tanaka and Komatsu back in an NJPW ring. Not so much for YOSHITATSU. Komatsu working with KUSHIDA made for a fun exchange that was probably the highlight of this one. Gunn got major heat. The fans were not interested in seeing this old WWE guy in a New Japan ring. To be honest, I’ve never seen the appeal with Billy, even in his prime. They did a Gunn/Tanahashi faceoff to build to tomorrow’s title match. Tanahashi’s hot tag got a positive response before they Gunn flubbed a relatively easy spot. The finish saw a frenzy of offense (some better than others) and White get the win with a Flatliner on TATSU in 9:40. Outside of the KUSHIDA/Komatsu stuff and White getting the win, none of this worked for me. Gunn looked horrible, dropping Tanahashi and barely being able to take bumps. [*¾]
IWGP Tag Team Championship No Disqualifications Match: The Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. War Machine
Before the bell, War Machine asked to make this No DQ since GOD cheated to beat them last time. That’s very American of them. There was a lot of brawling from the start. Some of it was dull and felt like time killing, but some of it was fun. GOD was alright, but War Machine was impressive again. Japan loves their brute like gaijins and War Machine fits that bill well. When it looked like they would win, Chase Owens made a run-in with a chair. Nobody seemed to recognize him, INCLUDING COMMENTARY! They barely mentioned it. Roa had the funniest moment, popping up after a series of moves, only to fall after a knee while remaining confident. War Machine won back their titles with Fallout through a table at 11:06. That table was tiny. This was alright. The weapons helped it stand out on this card, at least. The run-in was poorly done and another Tag Title change continues to make those belts seem pointless. [**¾]
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
With Shibata done, I’d say Ishii and Naito have the best chemistry in all of wrestling. I’ve never given one of their matches less than four stars. Last year their New Japan Cup match got ****1/4 from me and the title match at Wrestling Dontaku got ****1/2. Another production gaffe when Ishii’s music played, then instantly turned to Naito’s. Naito started with a cheap shot and taunted. Like their NJC match last year, Naito was disrespectful, leading to Ishii kicking his ass for it. There were moments where we saw how well they know one another, countering signature moves. Ishii stopping a Naito rebound attack with a headbutt was great. the crowd loved Naito during his entrance, they got pulled into rooting for babyface Ishii. Ishii’s just so good in that role. There was a rare flub, as Naito botched the tornado DDT twice, but stayed with it and hit it on the third try. Both guys came close down the stretch, but Ishii continued to have Destino well scouted. Naito kicked out of two lariats, but couldn’t do the same after a brainbuster, losing in 15:51. Great, hard hitting match. It’s what the show needed. Their chemistry is top notch and, outside of the DDT spot, they nailed everything. Naito was a total dick who unmercifully went after the head, but Ishii was too tough for it to keep him down. This is somehow their worst match I’ve seen together. [****]
Ishii gets Sabre in the next round. We’ll also see it in the G1. Same for Ishii/Naito. And Omega/Elgin. So, yea.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Kenny Omega w. The Young Bucks vs. Michael Elgin
Last year, I gave their matches a lower score each time. **** for Road to Wrestling Dontaku, ***1/2 for the Dominion ladder match and ***1/4 for the G1 Climax. JR claimed Elgin never lost to Omega in a singles match, but he did in their first match last year. Omega had some fun with the Bucks and the referee early, but Elgin was all business. He looked focused and his strategy to overwhelming Omega with his power worked. Kenny used a series of counters to swing the momentum and nearly win via countout. From there, they proceeded to throw bombs at one another. Omega brought his best and still bumped and sold like an ace for Elgin. He completely folded when taking a wild German suplex on the apron. Not done, Elgin followed it with a middle rope crucifix bomb for one of the best near falls of the year. Out of desperation, Omega got an inside cradle for two, before trading strikes with Elgin. His hands weren’t gonna do it, so Omega started in with V-Trigger after V-Trigger. One came after Elgin dared him to bring it. On his second attempt, he hit the One Winged Angel to advance at 22:31. A wild match that was exactly what I wanted. It started slow, like a lot of big NJPW matches, but didn’t have the nonsense segment where limb work is done for the sake of it. They didn’t want to have the limb work effect the back half of the match, so they never went to it. Brilliant. That limb stuff has affected some big NJPW matches for me this year. This was their best match together. Just balls to the wall action, with Omega doing a fantastic job making Elgin’s offense look even better than usual. [****¼]
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) w/ Gedo vs. ROH World Champion Cody w/ Brandi
Commentary did a good job selling how Okada is in enemy turf, which is rare. Cody added to it with an elaborate entrance, including his wife being decked out in an American flag dress. Though he wasn’t at home in Japan, Okada had the crowd behind him. Early on, this reminded me of Cody/Daniels. Cody did a lot of the stalling tactics we’ve seen, but I liked it more here. He took time to play into how much the crowd was against him. While Cody’s matches since leaving WWE have been consistently good (and far from great), the one thing he’s always excelled at is character work. Another production mistake came when they messed up the Rainmaker pose camera zoom. Kenny Omega arrived to add to the drama. Cody tried throwing in the towel for him at Dominion, so Kenny was gonna do it here. The Bucks stopped him and they argued while he tried to make Brandi do it, but she declined. Okada is tremendous at finishing stretches, which helped Cody here. Cody hit his own Rainmaker for a big near fall. He didn’t just want to win, he wanted to show up Omega. He tried the One Winged Angel, but Okada slipped out and hit a German. A Tombstone and Rainmaker later and Okada retained in 27:12. Possibly the best match of Cody’s career. It wasn’t a carry job either, like some would say. Cody was the star in the early stages (the part of Okada matches that tend to lack), while Okada made the finishing stretch work. The story of the Cody/Omega drama added a lot to the end, as Cody’s obsession with outplaying Omega cost him. [***¾]
Post-match, Omega cut a promo about how this is Okada’s night but he’ll beat him in the G1.
Overall: 7.5/10. I’d call this a successful debut for NJPW in the States. They delivered some quality New Japan matches, sprinkled in with some showcase stuff. To get the bad out of the way, I wasn’t a fan of Lethal/Page, the LIDJ tag (which shocked me) or the Tanahashi tag. Juice/Sabre was quietly awesome, while Naito/Ishii delivered the greatness we expect from them. Elgin/Omega ruled and was their best match ever, while Cody and Okada put on a quality main event that furthered the Bullet Club angle. Throw in a fun opener and a show that, despite being four hours, mostly flew by, and it gets a thumbs up.
Tonight, Group C action from the Cueto Cup began.
In the back, Catrina motivated Mil Muertes to win the tournament. He said he would do it for her and called her his love. They made out, though Catrina noted that Mil wasn't the one she loves earlier in the season. Jeremiah Crane, who has a past with her and the Temple, watched like a creep. Ivelisse is gonna be mad.
Cueto Cup First Round: Mil Muertes w/ Catrina vs. Veneno
Veneno is Cortez Castro working undercover with a mask. Mil speared him before the bell and beat his ass. He won with the Flatliner in 1:08. [NR]
Cueto Cup First Round: Paul London vs. Trios Champion Vibora w/ Kobra Moon
London having a carrot in his hat is a nice touch. Vibora is known as the Luchasaurus. London nailed his character work, seemingly on drugs and doing things like holding Kobra hostage with the carrot. Vibora mostly kicked London's ass and London was ready to bump for him. The Rabbit Tribe showed up and held Vibora's legs, leading to a countout at 3:55. Fine little match, with both guys playing their roles well and the finish protecting the big man. [**1/4]
Cueto Cup First Round: Joey Ryan vs. Taya
Taya looked disgusted at Joey. She slapped his lollipop away and beat him up, including pulling him by his chest hair. Joey's so sleazy that the crowd chants for Taya. Ryan turned it around, but his ego started to cost him. He shouted that he was going up top, giving Taya the opening to stop him with a bunch of slaps. After a spank, Joey got her on his shoulders but she slipped off and hit a Northern lights suplex. The double stomp was next for the win at 3:33. Another solid but short match that hit on the right notes. [**]
In the back, Mil Muertes was in his sweet suit. Jeremiah Crane jumped him and brought chairs into play. He opened one on Mil's throat and used another chair to smash it in, also yelling "She's mine!"
Another expertly done video package was shown to hype Johnny Mundo vs. Rey Mysterio. Cage, Chavo, Prince Puma and Matt Striker gave their thoughts.
Cueto Cup First Round: Jeremiah Crane vs. Killshot
JML explodes! They started hot, hitting a superkick and dives within the first minute. The fight stayed outside with Crane hitting a cannonball of sorts with Killshot on a chair. They continued to trade big offense, just throwing bombs at one another. Brainbuster, cutter, kicks to the head, spike DDT, you name it, we pretty much saw it. Killshot hit the apron DVD and double stomp, yet Crane somehow got a shoulder up. The finish was kind of lame though, as Dante Fox came out to distract Killshot. That allowed Crane to hit a cheap shot and win via Cranial Contusion at 13:02. The best match of the first round thus far. A wild battle with two guys who have great chemistry just throwing everything at the other to win. [***1/2]
Catrina appeared with her stone and Crane blew a kiss at her.
Backstage, Dario Cueto was in his office, talking about being pleased with the tournament so far. He's with Son of Madness, who is basically Son of Havoc from the darkest timeline. He'll make his debut against Son of Havoc in the Cueto Cup next week.
Overall: 7/10. Another week, another good episode. Other than the main event, none of the matches are what you would consider great. However, they all fit the roles of the characters in them and it was capped by the strong main event. The Mundo/Mysterio video package was great and I'm enjoying the Catrina/Mil/Crane angle
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Evolve 86
June 24th, 2017 | Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts
Evolve has put on consistently strong shows in 2017. This is the start of another double shot weekend, headlined by the top two champions meeting in a non-title match. This is my first time seeing this venue, as I missed Evolve 75. It looked cool and different.
Austin Theory vs. Timothy Thatcher w/ The Dream Team
Thatcher’s gone from champion of 596 days to curtain jerker. Theory is scary good for being just 19 years old. Thatcher almost immediately grounded Theory and delivered some vicious strikes. During the match, Priscilla Kelly came out to watch, continuing her infatuation with Theory. Thatcher and Theory told the story of grizzled vet against young upstart. It was a fine story to tell, but a lot of Thatcher’s offense isn’t very engaging. That led to a lot of stuff falling flatter than they hoped. Theory showed good fire and has loads of potential. He eventually lost to a rear naked choke at 10:20. I wonder when he finally starts winning. Either way, this was solid, but dull at times. [**¼]
Stokely got on the microphone and put over Thatcher, before saying Jaka would take home the Evolve Title tomorrow. He also hilariously said P. Diddy was the best rapper ever and believed the Dream Team “can’t stop, won’t stop.”
ACH vs. Evolve Tag Team Champion Chris Dickinson w/ The Dream Team
Jaka has been the more impressive member of the Evolve Tag Team Champions. Dickinson tried using his power early, so ACH had to combat it with quickness. It’s a story that’s been told often, but it typically works. That formula was followed throughout, with neither guy going on a clear run. As the match progressed, ACH got more aggressive due to frustration. It allowed him to hit the high impact moves that Dickinson was using earlier, like a German and a lariat, but it still wasn’t enough. Dickinson then got a near fall with a Michinoku Driver, which is an ACH signature. ACH avoided the Pazzuzu Bomb and hit a brainbuster, before finishing with the 450 splash at 14:15. A good match that would’ve benefitted from having a few minutes shaved off. [**¾]
Gatekeeper McMassive came out and said he didn’t want to be known as a Gatekeeper anymore. He said he was done with Ethan Page and wanted to go by the name Thomas Sharpe. He threatened Page, who came out and said he didn’t care about him. He promised to decimate Keith Lee because he wants to ruin things that people love. His new Gatekeeper jumped Sharpe to start a match.
Mystery Gatekeeper vs. Thomas Sharpe
They brawled out onto the floor for a short while. Once inside, Sharpe hit a big boot and a Bossman Slam to win at 2:00. Short and to the point. [NR]
Fred Yehi vs. Evolve Tag Team Champion Jaka
Jaka started this by telling Yehi he was in big trouble. That’s a no-no considering it’s Yehi’s thing. I love Yehi and have enjoyed Jaka, but something about this felt off from the start. Things were a bit sloppy in several spots and Jaka looked to nearly injure himself when he accidentally ran into Yehi’s ass early on. They clearly had the right idea, making sure this was a physical battle by two bad dudes. Jaka wanted to hurt Yehi for leaving Catch Point and they got that point across well. In the end, Jaka went for a chokeslam, only for Yehi to counter with a hurricanrana. He went right into the Koji Clutch to win at 16:12. I wanted to like this more. The early botches hurt things and the rest of the match never made up for it. The finishing stretch was solid, but the crowd wasn’t as invested as I hoped. [**½]
Jason Kincaid vs. Tracy Williams w/ Stokely Hathaway
This continued the feud between Catch Point and the High Fliers. They went right to the mat, which is Tracy’s specialty. However, if you follow Style Battle, Kincaid showed he can hang there in his win over Fred Yehi. Still, when he realized that wasn’t going to work here, he took things outside, but even then, Tracy was the aggressor. He took back control inside with a vicious missile dropkick. You could sense the little extra he put into it. They went into some good back and forth, featuring a lot of Kincaid’s signature innovative offense. Just when Kincaid looked to win with the double stomp, Williams avoided it and locked him in the crossface. He had to wrench extra hard to make Kincaid tap at 13:52. I liked how the guy on the High Flier team went to the mat with the Catch Point guy and did well, but not quite well enough. Even match that continues the story of Kincaid always coming up just short, while advancing Tracy’s heel run. [***¼]
Post-match, Jason Kincaid looked ready to snap, but calmed himself and shook Tracy’s hand.
Ethan Page vs. Keith Lee
Cocky Page mocked and attacked Lee, so he got his ass kicked and ate a massive POUNCE…PERIOD! Page used a wise backbreaker to get in the driver’s seat. His heat segment worked because the crowd hates him so much. He easily draws the most heat in Evolve. He also never got too dominant, which would’ve made Lee look weak. Lee constantly came back with his power. Page realized his normal offense might not work, so he dug deep and pulled out a rana. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do that. He also took a page (pun intended) from Lee’s book and busted out a powerbomb for a near fall. Lee’s a beast though, so none of that, or the RKEGO, was enough to keep him down. He hit a DVD Jackhammer from almost out of nowhere to win at 10:28. Smartly laid out match. Lee was too much for Page until Page used his wits to take the upper hand. His shortcuts and tricks just weren’t enough and Lee picks up a win before his WWN Title match tomorrow. [***]
Keith Lee asked Joanna Rose if he could announce the next match and she obliged. He did great, talking about how he’s still sweating and how Riddle needs to stop wearing cornrows.
Non-Title Match: WWN Champion Matt Riddle vs. Evolve Champion Zack Sabre Jr.
Their match last year was a great nine minute sprint (***¾) that saw Riddle make Sabre tap out. This had a lot of intense grappling from the start, as expected from these two. Lenny Leonard was great on commentary, noting Riddle’s striking advantage and Sabre’s endurance upper hand. Once they moved on from grappling, Riddle started throwing Sabre around. There was an extra level of aggression from Riddle that I didn’t expect in a match like this. Sabre was more than happy to return the favor. The finishing stretch was great, with Sabre kicking out of a powerbomb at one! He also survived the jumping Tombstone but was in trouble when Riddle tried the Bromission. Sabre countered, using both a head scissors and heel hook at the same time, while slapping Riddle’s ribs. The WWN Champion tapped at 12:24 ,eliciting a HUGE reaction from the crowd. Great way to close the show and this was better than their Evolve 59 outing. Two top guys trying to prove who the better man is and who really runs Evolve. Excellent exchanges of grappling and striking with a hot crowd. [****]
Stokely Hathaway showed up to run down Zack Sabre Jr. and tell him that Catch Point was coming for the title. Darby Allin also came out, still with his arm in a sling, and said he had to win the title, regardless of who the champion was. Sabre basically told them to piss off and left. Riddle started cutting a promo, but Tracy Williams arrived to attack him. Tracy beat up Riddle around the ring, while Stokely talked smack. Maniac Darby Allin removed his sling and did a coffin drop off the top onto Tracy and Stokely. Riddle retrieved his title and thanked the fans to end the show.
Overall: 6.5/10. Not one of the best editions of Evolve this year, but still a solid outing. The first half of the show got off to a bit of a rough start. I wouldn’t consider anything on it bad, but I was disappointed with Theory/Thatcher, Dickinson/ACH and Yehi/Jaka. The second half is stronger. Kincaid/Williams was good and Page/Lee was a smart bout. The main event is where the show becomes above average, as Riddle and Sabre were both great. The show also set things up for the future pretty well.
NJPW Kizuna Road
June 27th, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,544
It’s the final Kizuna Road show, which means the G1 Climax is right around the corner. After shows headlined by the NEVER Six Man and NEVER Openweight Titles, the last one is main evented by the sixth match between KUSHIDA and BUSHI in a year and a half. Despite happening a lot, that main event helped the show draw the highest attendance for an Kizuna Road show this year.
Shota Umino vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi
Yesterday, these two also opened the show and wrestled to a fun draw. They both worked the leg here, looking to set up the crab. Lots of back and forth stuff, showing how even they are at this stage in their career. Like yesterday, Yagi slapped on the crab, which he couldn’t get Umino to tap to. They used that as the drama builder here, with Umino coming close to giving up a few times. Umino fought back and trapped Yagi in the crab, but this time the bell sounded for another draw at 10:00. Nice way to twist on yesterday’s draw, with the other guy in peril at the bell. Though I like where they’re going with it, this wasn’t quite as energetic as yesterday’s. The crowd also wasn’t as excited for it. Still solid though. [**½]
Hirai Kawato and Tiger Mask IV vs. TAKA Michinoku and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
At least it’s not Taichi and Kanemaru. They’re pretty much the bane of my existence. If you know these characters and I asked you how you thought a match involving them would go, this was basically it. Kawato was his usual wild self, leading to him getting jumped. The one surprise in the match was that they didn’t use a ton of cheating. Maybe not having Taichi in the match was helpful. Like almost every match he’s in, Kawato was the star. The crowd bit on his near falls again, before he tapped TAKA’s crossface at 8:59. An average match put slightly over the hump by Kawato. [**¼]
Jushin Thunder Liger and TenKoji vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Tomoyuki Oka and Yuji Nagata
Oka and five dads. I love it. Oka started for his guys and brought the expected energy. The dads seemed less involved today. I don’t think they phoned it in, but the effort just didn’t seem to be at the level it usually is. Nakanishi looked especially slow today and had a comically bad rapid fire chop sequence at one point. However, he did have the balls to take a superplex from Liger. I feel like I don’t see that move often in NJPW. Oka came close with a crab, but ultimately fell to a vicious Kojima lariat at 8:14. Not quite what I was hoping for. I like everyone involved, but they’ve all performed much better on recent shows. [**¼]
Katsuya Kitamura and Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
My goodness, Kitamura looked extra jacked today. It’s easy to forget that Yano and Ishii held the IWGP Tag Titles this year. Kitamura and Makabe started hot, before we got a fun exchange between Kitamura and Ishii. Makabe and Yano were much less interesting. After some unenthused back and forth, Makabe saved Kitamura and got some of his stuff in. Kitamura got left alone with Ishii and avoided a Brainbuster, but like Oka in the last match, lost to a lariat at 7:32. Inoffensive. Kitamura and Ishii brought some intensity, but Yano and Makabe seemed to go through the motions. [**]
During intermission, some G1 match announcements were made.
7/17: Ibushi vs. Naito and Tanahashi vs. Sabre Jr. (both sound great)
7/20: SANADA vs. EVIL and Suzuki vs. Omega (both should be good, unless Suzuki’s streak of lackluster matches continues)
7/21: Ibushi vs. Sabre Jr. and Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI (again, sounds good)
7/22: Omega vs. Tonga and Suzuki vs. SANADA (second one could be a sleeper)
7/23: Ibushi vs. Ishii and Makabe vs. Goto (fuck the 2nd one, Ibushi/Ishii should be match of the tourney)
7/25: Yano vs. Omega and Okada vs. SANADA (neither sounds great. Okada/SANADA was solid but unspectacular both times last year)
7/26: Makabe vs. Ibushi and Tanahashi vs. Goto (neither interests me)
7/27: Suzuki vs. EVIL and Elgin vs. Omega (1st sounds dope, 2nd had regressing singles matches last year)
7/29: Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI and Ishii vs. Naito (Ishii/Naito will never be excellent)
7/30: Kojima vs. Omega and Juice vs. Okada (both sounds awesome)
8/1: Nagata vs. Ishii and Tanahashi vs. Ibushi (yes, both sound rad)
8/2: Kojima vs. Suzuki and Omega vs. EVIL (I like the sound of it)
8/4: Naito vs. Sabre Jr. and Tanahashi vs. Makabe (I’m all for the first. 2nd has never been great to me)
8/5: Kojima vs. SANADA and Okada vs. EVIL (awesome)
8/6: Makabe vs. Naito and Tanahashi vs. Ishii (both sound cool)
8/8: Omega vs. SANADA and Okada vs. Suzuki (I’m all about that 1st match. 2nd could rule if it’s like their 2014 G1 match and suck if it’s like their New Beginning match)
8/11: Ibushi vs. Goto and Tanahashi vs. Naito (1st sounds solid, 2nd will be good but I’ve seen it enough in 2017)
8/12: Yano vs. Suzuki and Okada vs. Omega (1st bad, 2nd good)
David Finlay, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions EVIL and SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito
Some fans have their own version of Daryl, Hiromu’s stuffed cat. This had some of the fun we’ve come to know and love from these tag matches. They brought some twists of the usual spots. Yesterday, it was badass Makabe getting cornered but today, it was SANADA who turned around to find several Taguchi Japan members facing him. They tried tying him into a ball but failed. Juice took the first short heat, followed by Taguchi, which led to a hot tag for Tanahashi. SANADA put Finlay in Skull End near the finish, but Tanahashi made the save. Things broke down, with everyone getting involved. Finlay managed a rollup that the fans bit on but got put back in Skull End. He tapped at 13:24. Like I’ve said before, these are always entertaining. This wasn’t quite as good as yesterday’s or some of the ones on previous shows, but still good and the best thing on the show so far. [***¼]
Davey Boy Smith Jr., El Desperado, NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki and Taichi vs. Gedo, Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI-HASHI
CHAOS vs. Suzuki-Gun has been one of the worst feuds of the year. Not just in NJPW, but all of wrestling. Suzuki-Gun jumped CHAOS before the bell because that’s all they’re booked to do. It’s so tiring. DBS is a welcome addition, as he’s fresh and talented. His interactions were basically the high point. YOSHI played the face in peril before Okada got the hot tag and got his shit in. Suzuki cut him off, teasing their upcoming G1 match, which I’m hoping redeems their last outing. Taichi accidentally hit Desperado at one point, making me think it would lead to the finish but it didn’t. Instead, Desperado got left alone with Gedo and bested him with Angel’s Wings at 12:35. Solid match that was one of the better in this rivalry. Considering the score it gets, that should tell you about the quality they’ve produced leading up to this. Give me more DBS and Desperado. [**¾]
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion BUSHI
It was BUSHI who dethroned KUSHIDA at Destruction last year, ending his nine-month reign long before Hiromu Takahashi came around. As noted, this is their sixth meeting since last February. KUSHIDA holds a 3-2 edge, including two straight wins. The opening exchanges were fast and KUSHIDA targeted the arm. After some time outside, BUSHI took control, grounding KUSHIDA. You could tell they’ve met a bunch, because BUSHI had a lot of KUSHIDA’s signature stuff well scouted. KUSHIDA’s comeback was slow, but earned. When he applied the Hoverboard Lock, Hiromu Takahashi strolled down for a distraction. KUSHIDA mostly ignored it until a ref bump led to Hiromu getting involved. He hit the sunset flip bomb before Ryusuke Taguchi arrived. KUSHIDA beat the countout and kicked out of a destroyer. He also survived the mist and MX, before countering a second one and winning with Back to the Future at 19:21. A very good main event that wasn’t one of their better outings. Their BOTSJ match this year ruled as a straight singles match, while this one had some shenanigans sprinkled in. KUSHIDA survived a bit too much in the end too, as it felt like overkill. Despite that, it was still the best thing on the show and the fourth best of their matches. [***½]
Post-match, El Desperado showed up and broke a guitar over KUSHIDA’s head. Looks like Desperado/KUSHIDA is the next title program. Their BOTSJ match was solid and I hope it doesn’t involve too much Suzuki-Gun nonsense.
Overall: 4.5/10. Like yesterday’s show, I felt this was a middle of the pack event. It was rather flat and only had two matches I’d consider checking out. And even so, LIDJ/Taguchi Japan and BUSHI/KUSHIDA have had several matches that were better than these, so they aren’t must see. You can skip this show as the highlight was the G1 Climax announcements.
NJPW Kizuna Road
June 26th, 2017 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,305
We’re at that point between Dominion and the G1 Climax. NJPW has their “A” shows (Wrestle Kingdom, Dominion, King of Pro Wrestling, the G1 Finals, Sakura Genesis and New Beginning), their “B” shows (Power Struggle, New Japan Cup, Wrestling Dontaku, Destruction, etc.) and their “C” shows (Kizuna Road, World Tag League, Wrestling World, etc.). At least that’s how I see them. Though traditionally not a large event, Kizuna Roads tend to give other titles besides the Heavyweight and Intercontinental, a chance to shine. On this set of three shows, the NEVER Six Man Tag, NEVER Openweight and Jr. Heavyweight Titles close out shows.
Shota Umino vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi
Two of the newer Young Lions met in the opener. Though they’re juniors, they brought some hard strikes in the early goings. Both guys went after the arm, which surprised me since they typically use a Boston crab as a finish. Umino was the aggressor, meaning Yagi had to make the fiery comebacks. Despite that, Umino reaching the ropes to survive the crab got a very positive reaction. You could tell the crowd was into this. The resilient Yagi went back to the crab and time expired at 10:00 before Umino could give up. That was fun. A lot of energy and a hot crowd helped this be one of the finer openers in NJPW this year. [***]
On these shows, NJPW have been doing some backstage interviews. Suzuki-Gun got one, but I couldn’t understand it.
Katsuya Kitamura vs. Tomoyuki Oka
The big brothers of the Young Lions now got their shine. I’ve said it before, but this screams future main event feud. They wrestled this like the heavyweight fight I was hoping for. I got to see them trade chops like their names were Ishii and Honma. Kitamura used his strength to gain control, but Oka escaped the crab. From there, Oka began his comeback and ran a bit wild. The final stretch saw more chops, some suplexes and some extra aggression from both guys. Oka took Kitamura down, hit a slam and then time expired at 10:00. I was very surprised to see them do two straight draws, but it worked well. They’ve been playing these two as evenly matched and it showed here again. Good exchanges, a hot crowd again and their chemistry impressed. I didn’t see the draw coming in either match, which is good because they’re typically easy to spot. [***¼]
YOSHI-HASHI was interviewed backstage.
Hirai Kawato, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IV vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
I love when Liger and Kawato team, because Liger gets sick of his shit quickly. While Oka and Kitamura are future stars, wild man Kawato has the best crowd connection of the Young Lions so far. He started the match and that was fine. When Liger came in and took the heat, things went downhill. The Suzuki-Gun guys are just so bland and unoriginal. There was brawling outside and a bell hammer spot. As always. Tiger Mask got a hot tag and then Kawato got one as well. Kawato nearly won a few times, causing the crowd to come alive. They bit on every single one. Kanemaru hit a sloppy Deep Impact to put him away at 8:56. The SG heat segment was painful and the finish was sloppy, but Kawato saved this from being a bad match. [**]
Hirooki Goto, Jado, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano vs. Manabu Nakanishi, TenKoji and Yuji Nagata
The New Japan Dads vs. CHAOS. Despite involving Jado, this was a fun tag match. Almost everyone brought some sort of energy. Tenzan had his usual nice moment of attempting Kokeshi in honor of Tomoaki Honma, while the guys set for the G1 (Nagata, Ishii, Kojima, Yano and Goto) all brought it. There were some exchanges between Kojima and Goto that would make you think they had a rivalry going. Same for Nagata and Ishii. Yano had fun exchanges with Nakanishi, before the dads used a trio of submissions in a good spot. Nakanishi accidentally hit Nagata, allowing Yano to roll up the big man at 9:44. Things moved quickly and had a fair amount of action. [**¾]
During intermission, the blocks for the G1 Climax were announced.
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Bad Luck Fale, Yuji Nagata, Zack Sabre Jr., Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi.
B Block: Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, EVIL, SANADA, Tama Tonga, Michael Elgin and Minoru Suzuki.
I have mixed feelings. The blocks probably could’ve been split a bit better. My main issue is the amount of rematches. I’ve seen Tanahashi vs. Makabe, Fale and Goto more in the G1 than I’d like. I also didn’t need Naito/Tana a third time this year. I also wouldn’t have done Okada/Omega III already. The B block should be consistently stronger, though the A Block will probably have better main event stuff. I’m looking forward to most Ibushi matches (mainly against Naito, Ishii and Tanahashi). I was hoping Omega dethroned Okada at Dominion, Naito won the G1 and we got Naito/Omega at WK. With Omega and Ibushi in different blocks, I can see that as the finals, with Naito getting shafted again. Still, the tournament should be a blast.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. and El Desperado vs. Gedo and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada
With Minoru having such a weak year in the ring, I’d say DBS and Desperado are my favorite Suzuki-Gun guys right now. Even so, they aren’t immure from the tired pre-match attack, which is what we got here. That led to the expected heat segment on Gedo. Okada’s hot tag was basic as you could tell it was a night off before the G1 for him, which is fine. Surprisingly, it was Desperado who got the win for his guys when he hit Gedo with Angel’s Wings at 9:39. Despite my enjoyment of Desperado and DBS, this fell flat. Gedo did a bulk of the work for his guys and the Suzuki-Gun offense never fully clicked with me. [**¼]
David Finlay, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA
I got a kick out of Togi not being interested in some of the Taguchi Japan antics. LIDJ is the best stable in wrestling and I’ll take them over the rest of the ones in NJPW combined, but even they use the pre-match attack too often, which they did here. Speaking of Makabe and Taguchi Japan antics, the crowd loved when he used a Taguchi style ass attack on Naito. They also did a spot where he got left alone with a few LIDJ members. Typically, that happens to Taguchi, who begs off, but Makabe dared them to bring the fight. It was a nice small twist. Tanahashi came in hot down the stretch and hit a goddamn dragon screw on both SANADA and EVIL at the same time. I didn’t even know that was possible. The highlight might’ve been the interactions between Juice and SANADA, who I expect to have an awesome G1 match. There was a great flurry of exchanges down the stretch, which surprisingly saw LIDJ have the upper hand for the most part. Finlay got left alone and fought hard, but submitted to EVIL at 12:30. LIDJ against Taguchi Japan will never not be fun. They keep moving things around so it becomes different. Togi was an interesting addition and this was the most I’ve enjoyed him since Honma got hurt. [***½]
NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki (c) w/ Suzuki-Gun vs. YOSHI-HASHI w/ CHAOS
Like the lumberjack match at Dominion, both guys had their respective stables at ringside. A rare chance for YOSHI-HASHI to main event. You could tell this was going to go rather long by the slow paced start. Suzuki took things outside and beat on YOSHI with chairs. He put the focus on the leg, like he did against Okada back in February. We got the typical tropes from Suzuki-Gun matches, with countout teases, cheating and interference. The CHAOS guys were pretty bad teammates outside. It took forever before their impact would be felt. Once they reached the closing stretch, the match finally started picking up. YOSHI got some near falls that the fans bit on, including a great false finish with the butterfly lock. Suzuki faded to the point where you thought it could be over. Suzuki got pissed late, slapping the piss out of YOSHI, hitting a bunch of strikes, locking in a sleeper and hitting the Gotch Piledriver. That got the win at 26:13. Similar to his match with Goto on “Road to Wrestling Dontaku”, there were elements of a good Suzuki match here. However, it was overshadowed by the standard nonsense we’ve come to expect from his matches. It also went a bit too long as 20+ minute matches isn’t a YOSHI strong suit. [**½]
Overall: 5/10. Definitely on the weaker side of NJPW shows this year. It’s a relatively easy watch due to the length, but most of the show is an easy skip. The main event needed to deliver to put this show over the edge (that was the case with Evolve 86) but it lacked and fell way short. Though the runtime is short, only check out the LIDJ tag and the Young Lions. They were the only real highlights.
PWG Game Over, Man
April 21st, 2017 | American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California
Typically, PWG shows just get a TON of high praise, to the point where me giving one of their shows a 7/10 makes me look like I’m the bad guy. This show is a bit different. I’ve heard plenty of positive reviews, but some matches are getting mixed reactions. A few matches have been considered great by some and terrible by others. I’m intrigued at how I see this show.
Lio Rush vs. PWG Tag Team Champion Ray Fenix
This was just Lio’s third match in PWG, with his first two getting ***¾ (vs. Ricochet) and ***½ (vs. Trevor Lee). This was one of those matches that got a mixed reaction. I got what I expected, with tons of fast paced action and crazy athletic high spots. Since it featured two respectful performers, they had some fun. An exchange saw them do WWE moves, from a Fenix 619 to Lio hitting an RKO, complete with Orton pose. It was odd that this came towards the end of the match, as I think it would’ve fit better near the beginning. Their barrage of offense led to them both fainting at one point. Rush eventually won after an apron Spanish Fly, though it was an awkward spot. There were a few strange moments and it went too long for what they were going for. However, I thought this was a good opener, filled with action that the crowd ate up. [***¼]
Adam Cole vs. Matt Riddle
Right from the start, there was a lot of Cole being a dick. He mocked Riddle’s MMA background and stuff, so Riddle shut him up with a submission. Once Cole escaped, he surprisingly held serve for most of the match. Though that isn’t exactly how I’d book this, it worked at times because Cole was smug and Riddle bumped well for him. His comeback attempts had fire and it always felt like he was better, but just coming up short against Cole’s tactics. They built to a fine back and forth down the stretch, before Riddle won via Bromission at 13:50. Completely solid, yet unspectacular. They told a fine story and everything came off crisply. [***]
Jeff Cobb vs. Keith Lee
HOSS FIGHT! I love these. It was Cobb who wowed the crowd first, tossing Lee around like he was nothing. For those who have never seen Lee, that’s an insane feat of strength. Chuck Taylor’s commentary line of, “JEFF COBB IS THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD” was quite appropriate. The best thing about these guys is that they aren’t just hard hitting hosses. They’re also very athletic, which made this feel like the awesome Cage/Matanza match from Lucha Underground last year. They progressed into exchanging their high impact offense, leading to a standing ovation from the crowd. Near the end, they both went up top and you were legitimately worried the ring would explode. Cobb pulled him down by WALKING WITH HIM and hitting a German. Shortly after that, Cobb won with the Tour of the Islands at 19:06. Like the opener, I don’t know if this had to be as long as it was. Regardless, this was two monsters throwing everything at each other in a hoss war. I like it. [***½]
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Michael Elgin
This was during that odd time where Elgin was doing nothing in NJPW. Kyle had recently started appearing in Evolve after leaving ROH. In a match like this, you’d expect the power vs. technical battle. They delivered just that. It’s a tried and true story to tell and it’s very easy to get into. O’Reilly went after the arm, which Elgin sold well. He still hit his power based offense, but didn’t overuse the bad arm, which was appreciated. For example, he hit one-armed German suplexes. Elgin eventually fought off Kyle’s great attempts at wearing him down enough to win with the Elgin Bomb at 20:22. Another good match that told a smart, sensible story. David vs. Goliath. Elgin sold well, Kyle brought the wise offense and they meshed well. [***¼]
War Machine vs. The Young Bucks
This is one of the matches that I saw get mixed reviews. Both teams can be hit or miss at times for me. It felt like they both mostly missed here. The Bucks’ comedy stuff fell flat (as usual to me), while War Machine weren’t as crisp as they can be. One thing that usually works for PWG is that they put together a lot of matches we haven’t seen before, or often. That wasn’t the case here as we’ve seen these teams square off more than a few times. I also think it was placed in an odd spot. Because the Bucks are smaller, this match followed a David vs. Goliath form at times, which the previous match just did. Granted, it was done in different ways, but still a bit too redundant for me. The Bucks went on to win in 21:30 with a rollup, stealing it from their larger opponents. I wasn’t a big fan of this and much preferred their match at Honor Rising earlier this year. [**½]
Non-Title Match: PWG Champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Dick Togo
Here we have one of those random, but intriguing matches PWG puts on. Sabre showed no respect to Togo right from the start. The best Sabre Jr. is arrogant Sabre Jr., which is what we got here. Also, Sabre obviously excels on the mat and that’s where most of this match took place. Both guys worked different body parts of the other, trying to gain an advantage. It’s Sabre’s wheelhouse, but Togo held his own and used it to combat the fact that he’s no longer as quick as he once was. His comeback attempts were well done and filled with fire. Sabre’s antagonistic style helped the crowd get invested. Sabre sold well, but I think Togo left a little to be desired there. At one point, he sold the ankle like he couldn’t stand, only to use it for offense shortly after. Sabre won with one of his signature bridging pins at 23:09. Like a lot of this show, I thought this went a bit long and was good, just not great. It’s not a style that works for everyone, though I enjoy mat work, so this was mostly fun for me. [***]
Reseda Street Fight: Chuck Taylor vs. Marty Scurll
Another match with mixed reviews so far. This stemmed from Taylor’s feud with Sabre, which also gave us the excellent Best Friends vs. LDRS match last month. Marty cut a promo before the match and also brought out a trash can filled with umbrellas. This felt like a fight between bitter rivals, which is a good thing. Taylor got to have a bit of a Rock moment, when he stopped to do commentary (I’M ABOUT TO KILL THIS DUDE FOR REAL) in the middle of the match. There was a lot of crowd brawling, including Taylor taking a big bump onto a bunch of open chairs. My favorite moment of the match came near the end. Referee Rick Knox had been knocked out and Scurll tried throwing powder in Taylor’s eyes. It was knocked back into his face and he accidentally snapped the fingers of the replacement ref. Taylor slammed Scurll onto thumbtacks but the referee’s hands were too hurt to count. It was such a great near fall. Taylor went for the chicken wing, only for Marty to fall back onto the tacks. Taylor withstood that pain and slapped the submission back on, winning at 18:41. The match of the night. A fun match that did a lot to continue Taylor’s push. There were some great spots and, as I pointed out, an awesome false finish that led to a top notch finish. [***¾]
Overall: 6.5/10. I found this to be a solid, consistent show. Nothing on it is quite on the “must-see” level, but there’s nothing bad. Nothing gets under **½ and nothing gets ****. The card was versatile for the most part with a good aerial battle early on, some big man/little man stuff, a mat based battle, an enjoyable brawl and a good old fashioned hoss fight. Most of the matches go a bit too long, but everything is solid. Not having guys like Pentagon and Trent, who have stood out on recent shows, hurt things a bit.
